You turned off the hose last fall, but the faucet has been dripping ever since. Now there is a small ice patch on the sidewalk below it, or a wet spot on the siding, or a puddle that never dries. A leaking outdoor faucet wastes water year-round and can cause freeze damage in winter if water collects and expands. The repair costs less than five dollars in parts and takes under an hour.
Outdoor faucets leak for the same reason indoor faucets leak: a worn washer, a loose packing nut, or a failed vacuum breaker. The difference is that outdoor faucets are exposed to freezing temperatures, UV damage, and mineral buildup from the hose water that sits in the spout between uses. The repair procedure is similar to a compression faucet, with a few additional steps for frost-free models.
Identify What Type of Outdoor Faucet You Have
A standard outdoor faucet is a simple compression valve. The handle turns a stem that presses a rubber washer against a seat inside the faucet body. The stem packing nut prevents water from leaking around the handle. These faucets are common on older homes and in warm climates where freezing is not a concern. The entire valve is outside the house.
A frost-free outdoor faucet has a long stem, typically 6 to 20 inches, that extends through the exterior wall into the heated interior of the house. The actual valve seat and washer are at the end of the stem, inside the house, where they stay above freezing. When you turn the handle, the long stem pushes the washer against the seat deep inside the wall. When you shut off the water, the remaining water in the spout drains out through the spout opening because the valve is angled slightly downward. Frost-free faucets are required by building codes in cold climates and are standard on homes built since the 1990s.
To identify which type you have, look at the faucet. If the handle is connected directly to a short valve body mounted on the exterior wall, it is a standard faucet. If the handle is on the exterior wall but the spout extends out several inches and the faucet body goes straight into the wall with no visible valve body, it is probably a frost-free faucet. If you can see a brand name, write it down. You will need it to order replacement parts.
Diagnose Where the Leak Is Coming From
Turn on the faucet and watch where water appears. If water leaks from around the handle while the faucet is running, the packing nut is loose or the packing material inside the nut is worn. Tightening the packing nut may stop the leak. If it does not, the packing washer or the O-ring inside the nut needs replacement.
If water drips from the spout when the faucet is fully closed, the washer at the end of the stem is worn. This is the most common outdoor faucet leak. The fix is replacing the washer.
If water leaks from the vacuum breaker cap on top of the spout, the vacuum breaker is faulty. Many outdoor faucets have a built-in anti-siphon vacuum breaker that prevents contaminated hose water from flowing back into the house water supply. The vacuum breaker cap has a small vent that releases water when the faucet is turned off. If it leaks continuously or sprays water when the faucet is running, the vacuum breaker needs repair or replacement.
If water leaks from behind the faucet where it connects to the wall, the faucet itself is cracked, the pipe connection inside the wall is leaking, or the frost-free faucet’s internal stem has cracked from freeze damage. This is a more serious problem that may require replacing the entire faucet.
Fix 1: Tighten or Repack the Packing Nut
The packing nut is the hexagonal nut directly behind the handle. Over time, the packing material inside this nut compresses and allows water to seep around the stem. Tightening the nut slightly may compress the packing enough to stop the leak.
Turn off the water supply to the outdoor faucet. Most outdoor faucets have a dedicated shutoff valve inside the house, typically in the basement, crawlspace, or utility room on the pipe leading to the exterior wall. Turn this valve clockwise until it stops. If there is no dedicated shutoff, turn off the main water supply.
Open the outdoor faucet to drain any remaining water. Using an adjustable wrench, tighten the packing nut by turning it clockwise approximately one-eighth of a turn. Do not overtighten. You are compressing the packing material, not forcing the nut closed. Turn the water back on and test. If the handle is difficult to turn, the nut is too tight. Back it off slightly.
If tightening the packing nut does not stop the leak, the packing material needs replacement. Turn off the water again. Unscrew the packing nut completely and slide it off the stem. Underneath or inside the nut, you will find either a rubber O-ring or a strand of graphite packing cord wrapped around the stem. Remove the old material. Replace an O-ring with a matching size from a faucet repair kit. If the faucet uses packing cord, wrap several turns of new graphite packing cord around the stem in the same direction the nut tightens. Reinstall the packing nut and tighten until snug. Turn the water on and test.
Fix 2: Replace the Stem Washer
A dripping spout means the washer at the end of the stem is not sealing against the valve seat. Turn off the water supply to the faucet. Open the faucet to drain residual water.
For a standard outdoor faucet, remove the handle screw and pull the handle off. Unscrew the packing nut and remove it. Turn the stem counterclockwise to unscrew it from the faucet body. Pull the stem straight out. At the end of the stem, you will see a rubber washer held in place by a brass screw. The washer will be flattened, grooved, or partially disintegrated.
Remove the brass screw and take off the old washer. Take the washer to the hardware store and buy an exact replacement. Outdoor faucet washers are thicker and more durable than indoor faucet washers because they must withstand higher water pressure and more frequent temperature changes. Do not use an indoor washer on an outdoor faucet. It will fail within months.
Inspect the valve seat inside the faucet body. If it feels rough or you see mineral deposits, clean it with steel wool or a seat-dressing tool. A worn seat destroys a new washer quickly.
Install the new washer and tighten the brass screw. Apply a thin coat of silicone plumber’s grease to the stem threads and the washer. This lubricates the stem, prevents the washer from sticking to the seat, and extends the life of the repair. Screw the stem back into the faucet body. Tighten the packing nut. Reinstall the handle. Turn the water on and test.
For a frost-free faucet, the washer is at the end of the long stem, which may be 12 to 20 inches inside the wall. Do not try to remove the entire stem from the faucet body by unscrewing the packing nut. Frost-free faucets require a different disassembly procedure. The entire stem assembly is removed from the faucet body by unscrewing the large retaining nut where the stem housing meets the faucet body on the exterior wall. This releases the stem, which pulls straight out with the washer attached at the far end. The washer replacement is the same: remove the brass screw, replace the washer, lubricate, and reassemble. If you are unsure about the procedure for your specific frost-free model, search for the manufacturer’s instructions online before disassembling.
Fix 3: Repair or Replace the Vacuum Breaker
The vacuum breaker is a small cap on top of the faucet spout. When water leaks or sprays from this cap, the internal seal has failed. On most outdoor faucets, the vacuum breaker is a replaceable part. Some faucets require replacing only the internal seal. Others require replacing the entire vacuum breaker assembly.
Turn off the water. The vacuum breaker cap unscrews from the top of the spout. Underneath the cap is a rubber seal or a plastic poppet with a spring. Remove the old seal or poppet. Take it to the hardware store for a matching replacement. Vacuum breaker parts are brand-specific. A universal kit rarely fits correctly.
Install the new seal or poppet. Screw the cap back on. Turn the water on and test. The vacuum breaker should release a small amount of water when the faucet is turned off, which is normal. It should not spray or leak continuously.
If the vacuum breaker threads are cracked or the cap will not seal, replace the entire vacuum breaker. Most screw onto the spout threads and are available as OEM parts from the faucet manufacturer. A replacement vacuum breaker costs $10 to $25.
When to Replace the Entire Faucet Instead
If the faucet body is cracked, replace the faucet. A cracked body cannot be repaired, and the crack will grow. Water leaking from a crack behind the faucet can rot the wall sheathing and the framing before you notice the damage inside the house.
If a frost-free faucet leaks from the vacuum breaker or the spout after replacing the washer and the vacuum breaker, and the leak persists, the long stem may have frozen and cracked at some point. A frost-free faucet left with a hose attached over the winter traps water in the spout. When that water freezes, it expands and splits the internal stem. The crack is inside the wall, invisible from outside. The only fix is replacing the entire faucet.
If the faucet is old and the handle, stem, and packing nut are all corroded, replacing the entire faucet is faster and more reliable than sourcing multiple parts for an obsolete model. A new frost-free outdoor faucet costs $25 to $60. Replacing the faucet requires accessing the pipe connection inside the house, which may require cutting into drywall if there is no access panel. If you are not comfortable soldering or using a compression fitting on a water line, hire a plumber. Faucet replacement takes a plumber one to two hours and costs $200 to $400.
Preventing Future Leaks
Remove the hose before winter. A hose left attached to a frost-free faucet traps water in the spout. When that water freezes, it expands and splits the internal stem from the inside. The faucet may not leak until spring when you turn it on for the first time. Removing the hose in the fall is the single most important step to prevent frost-free faucet damage.
Shut off the water supply to the outdoor faucet from inside the house during winter, and open the outside faucet to drain any remaining water. This ensures that no water remains in the faucet to freeze, even if the frost-free design fails or the faucet is not actually frost-free.
Replace the washer every three to five years as preventive maintenance, even if the faucet is not leaking. A washer that is beginning to harden and crack will leak eventually. Replacing it on your schedule is easier than discovering the leak when the water bill arrives.
The Short Version
A leak around the handle means the packing nut needs tightening or repacking. A drip from the spout means the washer at the end of the stem needs replacement. A leak from the vacuum breaker cap means the vacuum breaker seal has failed. A standard faucet is repaired by removing the stem from the faucet body. A frost-free faucet requires removing the long stem from inside the wall.
Turn off the water before starting. Take the old parts to the store for exact replacements. Outdoor faucet parts are not universal. The washer costs two dollars. The packing material costs three dollars. The vacuum breaker seal costs five dollars. The repair takes under an hour. Stop watching the puddle grow. Fix the faucet.
Last modified: June 11, 2026
