Both of my outdoor faucets leak. I thought it might have been the threads,
but after applying plumbing tape to the threads and securing the hose, I saw
that the leak was actually coming from both faucets. I'm not very effecient
when it comes to plumbing....Home Depot was telling me to just cut it off on
the copper line and bring them in. Should I hire a plumber?

Jakervik wrote:Both of my outdoor faucets leak. I thought it might have been
the threads,
but after applying plumbing tape to the threads and securing the hose, I saw
that the leak was actually coming from both faucets. I'm not very effecient
when it comes to plumbing....Home Depot was telling me to just cut it off on
the copper line and bring them in. Should I hire a plumber?


They're relatively simple to repair, but a few things you need to know:
1-Where's the leak coming from? The normal place for water to exit? Or that
little nut just under the stem? If it's the packing nut, you may get away with
a _careful_ (just a tiny bit!) tightening of the nut. If it's the "normal"
place for water to exit, go turn off the water upstream, then open the leaky
valve(s) to relieve pressure. Figure out how it's assembled (that little screw
on top _won't_ help here), and disassemble it! Besides changing the valve
washer, check for any damage to the valve seat. If it's at all rough, replace
it. I think you can do it. Tom
Someday, it'll all be over....

On Tue, 8 Jun 2004 17:20:24 -0500, "JJ" wrote:

Both of my outdoor faucets leak. I thought it might have been the threads,
but after applying plumbing tape to the threads and securing the hose, I saw
that the leak was actually coming from both faucets. I'm not very effecient
when it comes to plumbing....Home Depot was telling me to just cut it off on
the copper line and bring them in. Should I hire a plumber?


If you aren't an experienced plumbe you don't want to just cut the
old ones off. The new ones have to be sweated on (soldered) and you
have no water in the house until you get it right.

Depending on the type of faucet you may try tightening the nut under
the handle a little and see if that doesn't stop the leak. You can
also repack the old ones yourself to stop the leak... Home Depot has
several books that detail how to do this.

Steve B.