Why faucets drip (and why cranking the handle makes it worse)
Inside every faucet, a soft part does all the sealing: a rubber washer pressed against a brass seat, or a cartridge with ceramic discs. Years of closing against water pressure wear it flat — and then the supply pressure, always there, pushes a thin stream past the seal. The drip is the water winning by one millimetre.
Cranking the handle tighter presses the worn rubber harder into the seat — flattening it further and scoring the brass. A drip never responds to force; it responds to a new part.
Which part, by faucet type
- Two handles that screw down (older, compression type) → the rubber washer at the stem's base. Pocket change, one screw.
- Single lever that swings left-right (modern, cartridge type) → the cartridge. Slide out, take it to the store, match it.
- Water seeping at the handle base, not the spout → the O-ring. Even simpler than a spout drip.
The universal opening move, for all three: close the shutoff valves under the sink, open the faucet to release pressure, and plug the drain — tiny screws love to vanish down it.
One honest limit: a faucet repaired twice that still drips has a scored valve seat or a tired body. New parts will shred on the old seat; at that point a new faucet costs less than the third repair.