There are three common locations for faucet leaks.
Leaks From the Spout
This is where faucet leaks are the most obvious and visible.
The faucet will start dripping or running even when the handles are shut off.
The Spruce / Letícia Almeida
A cup or bowl properly positioned under the faucet spout can also work.
Thefix for this kind of faucet leakwill depend on thetype of faucetyou have.
More often, though, modern faucets use cartridge inserts.
The Spruce / Aaron Stickley
The repair will be toreplace the faucet cartridgeto remedy the leak.
In these situations, the leaking occurs only when the faucet is turned on.
This key in of leak is often triggered by an internal O-ring that has dried up or cracked.
The Spruce / Aaron Stickley
Less commonly, leaks in this area can be triggered by an inner cartridge that has become worn.
If fixing the O-ring doesn’t help, you may need to replace the valve cartridge, as well.
Start by emptying out thesink vanityand thoroughly drying everything off.
The Spruce / Aaron Stickley
Next, run a bit of water to see where the leaking comes from.
Any of these locations could be the place where water is leaking.
Not all leaking under a sink comes from the faucet.
On very old sinks, the drain strainer and tailpiece unit on the sink may be worn out.
In this case, replacing the sink drain fitting will be required.
More often, though, it will simply be a matter of tightening these fittings to stop the leak.
Fix a Leak Weak: Leaks Can Run But They Can’t Hide.
United States Environmental Protection Agency.
