Don’t be surprised if you see a leaky hose bib after using it for years. Normally hose bibs lose their quality as you use them for a long time.
However, if you want to save your money and you don’t want to get a new hose bib, you can simply fix it. If you fix your hose bib correctly, it can still survive.
You can fix your hose bib all by yourself. It’s that simple. Don’t worry, you don’t have to be Mr. Know-it-all.
Let’s learn how to fix a leaky hose bib very easily.
If the Packing Area Has Got the Leak
Tightening the Pack
The first thing you need to do is tighten the packing. You can use a plier or wrench and start tightening the outermost nut.
However, you don’t need to shut off the water to tighten it. With the water running, you can turn on the faucet and try tightening it.
Make sure it doesn’t become too tight. Otherwise, it’ll be hard for you to turn it on and off later.
If this process works, you won’t need to do anything. Normally, you may need to tighten the packing area as you use the hose bib for years if the hose bib sprays water when you turn it on.
Replace or Add the Packing
If you think tightening the packing is not solving your problem, you might want to go for Plan B… Replace or Add a Packing.
To make your work easier, you’ll need to shut off the water. Now, you’ll need to get to the packing nut, and you can do it by removing the handle.
Loosen the packing nut and remove it by using pliers or a wrench. While repacking, a graphite or Teflon packing might come handy.
You can also use a bonnet washer if you want. However, let it be graphite, Teflon or a bonnet washer, you have to make sure you can find one with the right size.
Is everything done? Well, now you need to put the packing nut back on and tighten it. Afterward, you’ll need to re-install the handle.
Turn on the water again and see if everything’s right.
When It is Not Shutting off All the Way
Firstly, make sure the water is turned off. You’ll find a bonnet nut that’s located on the hose bib. Remove this bonnet nut with the help of pliers or a wrench.
If you remove the packing nut and handle it first, it will be easier for you to do your job. However, it’s not like you’ll need to do it all the time.
Keep unscrewing the bonnet until you see the stem. It should come out within a minute. As the stem is now out, you’ll be able to see the washer at its bottom.
Well, you’ll need to replace this washer with a new one. You can easily find a good-quality washer in a hardware store. Make sure you get the correct size.
Now, install the new washer and put the stem and the bonnet nut back on. Don’t forget the handle and packing nut. You’ll need to put them back where they were before.
Now, turn on the water and see if there’s any leak or not.
