We've got a bathtub with a compression faucet (two handles). It started
to leak a few months ago so we took it apart and replaced the washer.
First time doing it; a bit of an experience, but anyway, we got it to
stop dripping.

Every once in a while it would start again, just a bit, and then stop.
Once I noticed the HANDLE for the hot water leaking, and then that
stopped. Made me wonder if it was somehow related, but with something
intermittent, who can tell? Anyway, the cold dripping got worse after
just about 6 months - got really bad so finally I went in and replaced
the washer again. I saw that the previous washer had been squished all
to hell and was falling apart. It has stopped dripping now; it's been a
few days, but I'm really noticing just HOW TIGHT I have to turn it to
shut the water off. One in our household doesn't even have enough hand
strength to tighten it that much.

Looking at the handles for the hot and the cold, I see there's about a
1/4" of space between the base of the handle and the wall on the hot
(when fully closed) and with the cold, it is almost flush.

So I'm wondering what the problem really is - the current washer isn't
going to last very long being super-tightened - why is it that it has
to go so "deep" to shut it off?

Incidentially, we had a few hours of dribbling of warm water from the
hot handle a few days ago and then it stopped - I have no idea what
that is, but I have this idea that some extra pressure when things are
closed up is leaking out and that's the weakest link - how cold water
could cause hot water to leak is beyond me.

I'm describing a lot here; I think my primary question is why do I have
to tighten the cold faucet so much to get it to close?

Thanks for any help,

Steve