Dripping Faucet Causes in Aliso Viejo Homes: Washer, Cartridge, Seat or Supply Pressure?
A slow drip at a kitchen or bath faucet wastes water and often points to a worn washer, cartridge or seat. How Aliso Viejo homeowners can sort fixture wear from high…
A faucet that will not quite stop dripping is one of the most common plumbing complaints in Aliso Viejo. It is annoying, it stains the sink, and over weeks it adds up on the water bill. Most drips are a fixture problem. A smaller share is a sign that house pressure is too high or that the shutoff under the sink is tired. Sorting those causes keeps you from replacing parts that were never the issue.
What usually makes a faucet drip
Most modern Aliso Viejo kitchens and baths use a cartridge or ceramic-disc faucet rather than the old compression design with a rubber washer. Still, the pattern is similar:
- Worn washer or cartridge seal. The seal no longer seats when you shut the handle. This is the top cause of a single dripping spout.
- Damaged seat or seat washer. Mineral scale or a scratched seat lets a thin stream past even with a new cartridge.
- Handle not fully closing. A loose handle screw or worn spline can leave the valve slightly open.
- Debris after a shutoff. When the water comes back on after a repair or a main break, grit can lodge in the cartridge.
If only cold or only hot drips, the problem is usually on that side of the cartridge or in that supply.
Simple checks before you buy parts
Put a cup under the drip and time how fast it fills. Then close the angle stops under the sink. If the drip stops, the faucet itself is the leak path. If water still seeps with the stops closed, the body or a cracked spout is less common but possible, and the fixture likely needs replacement rather than a cartridge kit.
Confirm both angle stops turn smoothly and shut fully. An old multi-turn stop that weeps at the stem can look like a faucet drip when the real leak is below the sink.
When house pressure is the real driver
If every faucet in the home drips a little, or you hear water hammer when valves close, house pressure may be high. Many South County homes have a pressure-reducing valve near the main shutoff. When that valve drifts, fixture seals wear out early. Checking static pressure with a gauge on a hose bib is a useful data point before you chase cartridges room by room.
Neighborhood notes
Wood Canyon, Pacific Ridge and Aliso Meadows townhomes often share walls and HOA rules about who owns the fixture versus the branch line. Replacing a faucet cartridge is usually a homeowner item. Opening walls for a supply leak is not. When in doubt, document the drip and talk with management before any invasive work.
Related reading
On this site, see dripping bathtub faucet causes and toilet supply line basics. Neighbors can visit Laguna Niguel, Laguna Hills and Mission Viejo, or browse every city at repipeinc.com.
Still dripping after a cartridge change?
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Repipe OC, 23821 Hillhurst Drive, Laguna Niguel, CA 92677, (949) 524-2362, CSLB #1087885 C-36.
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Written by Repipe OC · CSLB #1087885 C-36 · 23821 Hillhurst Drive, Laguna Niguel, CA 92677 · (949) 524-2362