How To Change An Outdoor Water Faucet Handle

Today we are addressing a water leak on an outdoor faucet. The water is leaking from behind the handle of the spigot.

If you have a leaking outdoor faucet and the leak is coming from the valve on meridian of the faucet associates, which is chosen the anti-siphon valve, bank check out this video that volition walk you through how to fix that problem. Repairing a leak in the anti-siphon valve is surprisingly quick and easy.

Back to the leak backside the knob of our faucet.

Fixing a Leak Behind the Handle of an Outdoor Faucet: Step by Step Guide

In this step-by-pace guide, we'll get-go be checking out the interior components of the spigot to run into if nosotros just need to tighten the nut, or if the O-rings or gaskets are worn and demand to be replaced. Then I'll walk you through the uncomplicated steps to replace worn-out parts.

Rather lookout than read? Check out this 9-minute video.

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So allow's spring in with what tools and supplies you're going to need.

Tools

Standard flathead screwdriver
three/eight" Socket
seven/8″ Socket

Supplies

Wall Hydrant Repair Kit
Replacement Handle Kit

Removing the Handle from the Faucet Assembly

We'll first past taking out the small-scale bolt that secures the handle of the faucet to the stem that's backside information technology. This 1 is actually rusty; possibly yours is, besides.

If the bolt is rusty and difficult to dislodge, spray on some WD-xl and wait a few minutes. Y'all might need to echo this footstep a couple of times to let the WD-twoscore penetrate the corrosion.

Spraying on WD-40 to loosen the rusty bolt on the outdoor faucet — Spraying on WD-40 to loosen the rusty bolt

Usually, a flathead screwdriver will work to unscrew the commodities. Because this one was pretty tight I'yard going to use a socket wrench. This is a ⅜" socket.

Using a 3/8" socket wrench to loosen the rusty bolt on the outdoor spigot — Using a three/viii″ socket wrench to loosen the rusty bolt

Holding the handle, I'll loosen upwards the commodities with the socket wrench. In one case it's loose, I tin can get dorsum to using the screwdriver for the final threads, once again property the handle yet.

Holding the handle of the faucet still to unscrew the bolt — Holding the handle still to unscrew the bolt

Note that I don't have the water turned off, seeing as I'thou just addressing the initial source of the problem. I'thousand being careful not to plough the stem so that h2o doesn't get-go flowing. If you lot don't want to worry nearly that, you might want to turn the water off at the main water shutoff valve.

Now that the bolt is out we tin see that it'southward nice and rusty. It's probably been in place for xx years without whatever service washed, so not a surprise.

Removing the Nut

Here'due south the nut. Information technology's white.

White right-hand tightening nut of the faucet — White correct-hand tightening nut

This is a right-manus-tightening nut, which means that when y'all turn it to the right (clockwise), it tightens. At that place are as well left-mitt tightening nuts. Those are usually tan-colored.

This nut is loose enough to be unscrewed by mitt. That alone could be the source of the leak. A simple exam would be to tighten the nut and see if that fixes the leak. After tightening the nut, screw the handle back on, turn the handle to start water flowing, and see if the faucet still leaks.

Now allow's remove the nut. You lot can do this with a pair of pliers or, if y'all already accept your socket ready out, use a ⅞ socket.

Having removed the nut, what I'one thousand looking for is the O-ring and gasket. I desire to see the condition of those. If they're in bad shape, that's probably going to exist the source of the leak.

Here's the O-band, information technology doesn't await as well bad.

Now for the gasket.

The gasket looks a little dried out, I'1000 going to pry it out of the nut with a flathead screwdriver.

You can meet it's got cracks in information technology and chunks are missing. That is definitely not going to make a good seal, which is most probable the source of our problem.

The Wall Hydrant Repair Kit

The wall hydrant repair kit has all the parts nosotros need, even some nosotros don't for this project, for example, the tan-colored, left-hand tightening nut.

The kit also contains other components — boosted gaskets and things — so that you could actually rebuild this entire faucet stem if needed.

For now, we're going to replace just the white, right-mitt tightening nut, the O-band, and the gasket, and come across if that works for us.

Replacing the Nut, O-Band, and Gasket of the Outdoor Spigot

The first footstep is to put the (little black) O-ring on the white nut, all the way to the neck of the nut letting it set into the groove.

At present take the right-mitt gasket. Don't worry if the gasket that you took off had a concave shape and the new one is a normal flat rubber washer. Information technology's even so going to work.

To install the gasket, you can either put it within the white nut or you can put it on the stalk itself. I'one thousand going to apply it to the stem, pushing information technology into identify with my pollex.

Then I'll push button the new nut over acme of the gasket. When the nut is tightened, the gasket is going to accommodate to the shape of the cone that'southward on the nut.

Tighten the nut downward with a ⅞ socket wrench. Whenever you're dealing with plastic parts, information technology'due south a skilful idea to be careful. Don't over-tighten them, or you could break the components and accept to start over, which is never whatsoever fun, especially if you don't have another kit lying around.

Replacing the Handle and Bolt of the Outdoor Faucet

Allow's look at the handle. I did notice when I took the handle off that it'southward cracked on the inside.

Crack on inside of handle — Crack on within of handle

Hither'due south the handle replacement kit. The nice affair near this kit is that it comes with a new bolt. Think that my bolt was really rusty, and so I'm gonna bandy that guy out.

Put the new handle on, matching up the square.

Put the commodities in, existence careful not to cross threads. Make sure you lot become the bolt lined up before starting to spiral it in. Tighten that downwards with your screwdriver.

How to Prepare a Leak Backside the Handle of an Outdoor Faucet: Testing the Repair

To test our work we're going to plow the handle to start the h2o flowing.

That'south it! Nosotros are watertight.

To gear up the leak backside the handle of our outdoor faucet, nosotros just swapped out the nut inside of information technology, as well as the gasket and the O-ring.

Don't forget, I do have some other video out there for leaking anti-siphon valves. This is the most mutual kind of leak on an outdoor faucet, along with the leak behind the handle that we addressed in this guide.

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