Guides
Kitchen faucet leaking: diagnose it by where the water is
A faucet has four places it can leak from and each one points at a different part. Find the location first and the repair is usually cheap.
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Short answer
Dripping from the spout outlet with the handle closed means a worn cartridge. Water seeping from the base of the spout means a spout O-ring. Weeping around the handle means the cartridge's upper O-ring or a loose bonnet nut. A puddle under the sink means a supply connection or the shut-off valve — not the faucet.
Faucet leaks are one of the few plumbing problems that diagnose themselves, as long as you look at where the water actually appears rather than at the faucet as a whole. Four locations, four causes.
| Where the water is | Most likely cause | Typical fix |
|---|---|---|
| Dripping from the spout with the handle off | Worn valve cartridge | Replace the cartridge — usually $10-$50 |
| Seeping from the base of the spout | Spout O-ring | Replace the O-ring; cheaper and easier than a cartridge |
| Weeping around the handle | Cartridge upper O-ring, or a loose bonnet nut | Tighten the bonnet, or replace the cartridge |
| Puddle in the cabinet | Supply line nut, shut-off valve, or the sprayer hose | Tighten or replace the connection; it is not the valve |
| Water only when the sprayer is used | Sprayer hose or its quick-connect fitting | Replace the hose — a stocked part on major brands |
Dripping from the spout: the cartridge
This is the classic and the most common. Water is getting past the valve's sealing surfaces, so it drips even with the handle fully closed. On a two-handle faucet, find out which side by closing the hot shut-off valve only: if the drip stops, the hot cartridge has failed.
The replacement is genuinely a twenty-minute job once you have the right part, and identifying the part is the hard bit — see faucet cartridges explained for identification and how to replace a faucet cartridge for the procedure.
Seeping at the spout base: an O-ring
If water appears around the joint where the spout meets the body — typically when the faucet is running, and often only when the spout is swivelled — that is the spout O-ring rather than the valve. It is a cheaper part and an easier job: with the water off, the spout usually lifts off the body after a retaining clip or set screw is released, and the O-rings are visible in their grooves.
Replace all the O-rings you find rather than just the one that looks tired, and grease them with plumber's silicone grease (not petroleum jelly, which degrades rubber) before reassembly.
A puddle under the sink: not the faucet
Cabinet leaks are frequently misdiagnosed as faucet failures. Dry everything thoroughly, put a sheet of paper down, and run the faucet. Then look, in this order: the braided supply line nuts at both ends, the shut-off valve bodies, the sprayer hose quick-connect, and the drain connections. The paper tells you where the first drop landed.
Quick picks
Tap any row to jump to the full write-up. There are no scores here because we run no test lab — how picks are chosen is published in full on our methodology page.
| # | Product | Best for | Our read | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  RIDGID Model 1017 telescoping basin wrench For under-sink work | Any faucet removal or install | Reaches the supply nuts nothing else can | Check price on Amazon #ad Affiliate link · We publish no price; Amazon shows the current one |
| 2 |  Moen Arbor 7594 If it is time to replace | Deep pots and hard-water kitchens | Cartridges stocked for discontinued models | Check price on Amazon #ad Affiliate link · We publish no price; Amazon shows the current one |
| 3 |  Delta Leland 9178-AR-DST Least likely to drip | Most kitchens, one or three holes | Diamond Seal keeps water off the valve | Check price on Amazon #ad Affiliate link · We publish no price; Amazon shows the current one |
Sprayer hose leaks
If the cabinet is only wet after the pull-down wand is used, the hose or its quick-connect fitting is the culprit. Braided hoses perish at the point where they flex most, just below the faucet body, and the quick-connect collar can lose its grip over years of retraction. Both are stocked spare parts from the major manufacturers, which is another practical argument for buying a faucet from a brand with a parts channel.
What to do first, whatever the leak
- Dry everything and identify the exact origin. Paper towel on the cabinet floor, then run the faucet.
- Close the shut-off valves and confirm they actually close. This tells you whether you can work on it at all.
- Photograph the faucet's model number if you can find it — under the spout, on the back of the body, inside the escutcheon.
- Order the part before dismantling anything, so the sink is not out of action while you wait.
Photograph shows the product category, not this specific unit. We do not republish manufacturer product photography.
1. For under-sink work
RIDGID Model 1017 telescoping basin wrench
RIDGID · Best for any faucet removal or install
The one tool that decides whether a faucet swap is a two-hour job or a six-hour one. Faucet mounting nuts sit behind the sink where no normal wrench reaches; a basin wrench's spring-loaded head ratchets one-handed in that space. The telescoping shank is what gets you from a shallow vanity to a deep kitchen cabinet.
Published specifications
What works
- The 10-to-17-inch telescoping shank covers both a shallow bathroom vanity and a deep kitchen base cabinet
- One-handed ratcheting matters, because the other hand is holding a flashlight
- Alloy steel jaws grip a plastic mounting nut without crushing it
- The head locks at an angle, which is how you reach a nut behind a disposal
What does not
- A single-purpose tool that lives in a drawer between faucet jobs
- A badly corroded nut still needs penetrating oil and patience, not a better wrench
- No substitute for clearing the cabinet out before you start
Skip it if
Skip it if a plumber is fitting the faucet — they own one, and you would use yours perhaps twice a decade.
#ad Affiliate link · We publish no price; Amazon shows the current one
Raw specifications: RIDGID’s own page for the RIDGID Model 1017 telescoping basin wrench.
Photograph shows the product category, not this specific unit. We do not republish manufacturer product photography.
2. If it is time to replace
Moen Arbor 7594
Moen · Best for deep pots and hard-water kitchens
The pull-down to buy if you want the taller arc and a finish that hides water spots. Its 8-1/4" spout height is about half an inch more clearance than the Leland, which is the difference between washing a stock pot and fighting one. The tradeoff is reach: 7-7/8" against 9-3/16", so it works closer to the back of the bowl.
Published specifications
What works
- The 8-1/4" spout height is genuine pot clearance, not decorative arc
- Power Boost concentrates the stream for filling and rinsing without raising the rated flow
- Spot Resist Stainless is the single most useful finish choice in a hard-water house
- Reflex docking has been in Moen's line long enough that replacement wands are easy to find
What does not
- Reach is 7-7/8", over an inch shorter than the Leland — on a wide double bowl you will notice
- Moen publishes no independent noise or durability measurement, and neither do we
- The spot-resist coating is a finish, not armor; abrasive cleaners still dull it
Skip it if
Skip it if you have a wide double-bowl sink and want one faucet to reach both drains comfortably — buy reach instead of height.
#ad Affiliate link · We publish no price; Amazon shows the current one
Raw specifications: Moen’s own page for the Moen Arbor 7594.
Photograph shows the product category, not this specific unit. We do not republish manufacturer product photography.
3. Least likely to drip
Delta Leland 9178-AR-DST
Delta · Best for most kitchens, one or three holes
The pull-down we would fit in most kitchens, because the two parts that usually fail first on a pull-down are the two Delta engineered around: the docking mechanism and the valve. MagnaTite pulls the wand back into the spout with a magnet instead of relying on a friction collar, and Diamond Seal keeps water off the valve. It ships with a deck plate, so it covers a three-hole sink or mounts through one.
Published specifications
What works
- MagnaTite docking is a magnet, not a friction fit — a wand that stops seating is the most common pull-down complaint, and a magnet does not wear the way a plastic collar does
- Spout reach of 9-3/16" clears the far side of a standard 22-inch front-to-back sink
- Diamond Seal keeps water off the valve, which is what the lifetime warranty is really protecting
- Deck plate in the box, so a three-hole sink needs no extra part
What does not
- 1.8 gpm is higher than the 1.5 gpm most competitors now ship, which matters if your area caps flow rate
- Zinc body rather than brass — normal at this price, but this is not a forever faucet
- No independent lab publishes durability figures for this model, so we cannot tell you how the finish looks at year five
Skip it if
Skip it if your sink is a shallow bar sink: at 14-7/8" overall the arc will splash in a basin under about seven inches deep.
#ad Affiliate link · We publish no price; Amazon shows the current one
Raw specifications: Delta’s own page for the Delta Leland 9178-AR-DST.
What to take away
- Dripping from the spout is the cartridge; seeping at the spout base is an O-ring. Different parts, different cost.
- A puddle in the cabinet is a connection or a valve, not the faucet's valve.
- Use paper towel on the cabinet floor to find where the first drop lands.
- A weeping shut-off valve outranks the leak you came to fix.
How we sourced this page
Every figure on this page came from one of the following. Where a manufacturer or an independent lab does not publish a number, we say so rather than estimate it.
Common questions
- Why is my kitchen faucet dripping from the spout?
- A worn valve cartridge, in almost every case: water is getting past the sealing surfaces even with the handle closed. On a two-handle faucet, closing the hot shut-off valve tells you which side has failed. A replacement cartridge is typically $10 to $50 and often free under warranty.
- Why is water leaking from the base of my faucet?
- The spout O-ring, particularly if it appears when the spout is swivelled or while the water is running. It is cheaper and easier to fix than a cartridge: lift the spout off the body and replace the O-rings, greasing them with silicone plumber's grease rather than petroleum jelly.
- How do I find a leak under my kitchen sink?
- Dry everything, lay paper towel across the cabinet floor, then run the faucet and use the sprayer. The paper shows where the first drop lands. Check the supply line nuts, the shut-off valve bodies, the sprayer hose quick-connect and the drain joints, in that order.
- Should I repair or replace a leaking faucet?
- Repair if the body and finish are sound and the brand stocks parts — a cartridge or an O-ring is a cheap fix. Replace if the finish is failing, the spray face is scaled beyond cleaning and the docking has given up, because then the leak is not the problem you are actually solving.
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Found something out of date, or a figure you can source better than we did? Tell us — corrections get read first. Our methodology explains how picks are made, and contact is one click away.