A leaky faucet usually comes down to one worn part. You find your faucet type, shut off the water, then swap the bad washer, O-ring, or cartridge. Most drips take under an hour to fix at home. This guide walks Calgary homeowners through the steps and shows when to call a pro.
Find Your Faucet Type
Four faucet types cover almost every Calgary home. Knowing yours tells you which part to buy.
- Compression: two separate handles, one hot, one cold. Common in older inner-city homes. These use rubber washers that wear out.
- Cartridge: a single handle that moves up and down. The cartridge inside can crack or clog.
- Ball: one handle that swivels over a rounded cap. You often see these on kitchen sinks.
- Ceramic disc: a single lever over a wide cylinder body. These last a long time but still fail.
Look under the handle or check the brand stamp. That points you to the right repair kit at any Calgary hardware store.
Shut Off the Water First
Never start a faucet repair with the water on. Look under the sink for two small valves. Turn both clockwise until they stop. Then open the faucet to drain the line and drop the pressure. Keep a bucket under the pipe for the last bit of water. Plug the drain with a rag so no small screws fall down it. Older homes sometimes have no shutoff valves under the sink. In that case, close the main valve where the water enters your basement. Calgary's hard water can seize old valves, so turn them slow and gentle.
Replace the Worn Part
Once the water is off, take the faucet apart in order. Lay each piece on a towel in the same line you pulled it. Here are the parts that usually cause a drip:
- Washers: flat rubber rings in compression faucets. Hard water grinds them down fast.
- O-rings: small round seals around the spout base. A worn O-ring drips at the handle.
- Cartridges: the whole insert in a single-handle faucet. Swap it as one unit.
- Seats and springs: tiny parts under a ball faucet that lose their seal.
Bring the old part to the store to match it exactly. Our team fixes leaks like this every day as part of our plumbing services across the city.
Put It Back and Test
Reassemble the faucet in reverse order. Hand-tighten first, then snug it with a wrench. Do not crank too hard or you crack the seal. Wrap the threads with a little plumber's tape for a tighter fit. Turn the valves back on slowly. Run both hot and cold and watch the base for drips. A dry faucet after five minutes means the job held.
What a Small Drip Really Costs
A slow drip feels harmless. It adds up fast. One drip per second wastes about 11,000 litres a year. On a Calgary water and sewer bill, that can mean 60 to 100 dollars gone. A bigger stream from a worn cartridge costs far more. Fixing the drip early also protects your sink base from slow rot and mould. Catching it now keeps your bill flat and your cabinet dry. Alberta winters make leaks worse too. A dripping outdoor tap can freeze and split the pipe behind the wall.
When the Fix Is Beyond DIY
Some leaks point to a deeper problem. Call a plumber if the drip keeps coming back after new parts. Green or white crust on the pipe means corrosion is spreading. Low water pressure across the house is another sign. Sewer smells or slow drains next to a leak also need a pro. Homes built between 1985 and 1997 often have grey Poly-B pipe, which cracks with age and hard water. If you see Poly-B under your sink, get it checked. Our journeyman plumbers handle both the faucet and the pipe behind it. See our full list of plumbing services for what we cover.
When to Call RR Calgary
RR Calgary Plumbing & Drains has served Calgary, Airdrie, Cochrane, and Chestermere since 1996. We're family run, Alberta owned, licensed, and insured. Our technicians are certified journeyman plumbers, so one team handles both your faucet and your drains. That means one call, one crew, no runaround. There is no travel fee in those four cities. Want a hand with a stubborn leak? Request service online or call us at (403) 250-2660.