Bathtub Faucet Dripping? Count the Handles, Then Fix It
A tub spout that keeps dripping after you turn the handles off has a worn part inside the valve in the wall. A 1936 USDA plumbing bulletin puts the test simply: moderate force on the handle of a faucet in good repair should stop all flow and drip. EPA WaterSense adds the cost: a leaky faucet that drips at the rate of one drip per second can waste more than 3,000 gallons per year.
The fix depends on the valve, and the quickest way to tell valves apart is to count the handles on the wall. This guide sorts the three layouts, shows the repair for two- and three-handle valves step by step, and points single-handle owners to the right cartridge guide.
Delta says a showerhead that drips for a minute or so after you turn the shower off is simply emptying its reservoir of water, and nothing is wrong. Delta says a small, pencil-thin stream from the tub spout while the shower runs is normal, and that heavier flow points to a problem with the diverter. That is not a valve drip. Our guide to water coming out of the tub spout when the shower is on covers that one.
Count the handles
| Handles on the wall | What is inside | What fixes a spout drip |
|---|---|---|
| One | A cartridge that sets both flow and temperature | Usually a new cartridge. See the brand list below. |
| Two | A hot stem and a cold stem | A new washer and seat, a new stem, or on Delta, new seats and springs |
| Three | Hot and cold stems, plus a diverter stem in the middle | Same as two handles. The middle stem sends water to the showerhead. |
One handle: find the cartridge
Single-handle tub and shower valves close with a cartridge, and each maker names the part to change.
- Moen Posi-Temp: Moen says this valve uses a 1222 cartridge, and that a shower that keeps running or dripping with the handle off needs a new 1222. Our Moen 1222 guide walks through it.
- Delta Monitor 1300 and 1400 Series: Delta says a leak from the showerhead or spout needs a new cartridge, part RP19804. See our Delta Monitor guide. Delta lists the RP46074 for MultiChoice 13 and 14 Series valves made after March 2006, covered in our Delta shower dripping guide.
- Kohler Rite-Temp: Kohler says a drip that continues points to an internal seal, and to replace the mixer cap and pressure balance unit kit.
Not sure which you have? Our cartridge identification guide sorts them by shape.
Two or three handles: which kind of stem?
Older two- and three-handle tub valves come in two designs, and they are fixed differently.
- Washer and seat stems. A brass stem with a rubber washer on its end closes down onto a brass seat in the valve body. Family Handyman calls this a stem-type valve, common in older two-handle faucets. Pfister, Gerber and Sayco tub valves are built this way, and so are many older valves. The steps below are for this kind.
- Delta seats and springs. Delta two- and three-handle tub and shower valves seal with small rubber seats on springs that sit in the valve body under the stem. There is no brass seat to unscrew, so a seat wrench is the wrong tool here. Delta's own repair is in its own section further down.
Shut the water off before you take anything apart. Moen says shutoffs are often under the sink, in a closet access behind a shower or in an access panel around the tub, and that in some homes the shutoff is the main for the whole house. Turn supply shutoff valves clockwise until they are tightly closed, then open the tub faucet to make sure the water is completely off, as Moen says. A Moen Posi-Temp stop check valve is different: Moen says to turn it with pliers or a flathead screwdriver; it is closed when its slot is vertical. Cover the tub drain so small parts cannot fall in, which both Moen and Delta advise. Do not lean on a stem that will not turn. A stem or valve body damaged by force is the point to stop and call a plumber, which is our own advice.
Fix a washer and seat tub stem, step by step
What you need
- A deep tub and shower stem socket. Danco says its shower valve socket set has a thin shell that fits deep into tiled walls and fits most shower valve bonnets. Our part pages warn that pliers round off the flats.
- A seat wrench, which This Old House describes as basically a tapered Allen wrench made to go right inside the seat.
- A screwdriver for the handle screw, a rag, and silicone grease for the new packing.
- New washers and washer screws, or a new stem, and new seats if yours are worn. Bring the old parts to the store for a match, as Family Handyman suggests.
Step 1: Shut off the water and cover the drain
Close the shutoff for the tub, or the main, and open the faucet to confirm the water is off. Lay a rag over the drain.
Step 2: Take off the handle and the escutcheon
This Old House removes the screw holding the handle and pulls the handle free of the stem, then unscrews the escutcheon by hand to expose the stem.
Step 3: Turn the stem out with a deep socket
Family Handyman slides the bath socket onto the stem bonnet and turns it counterclockwise to break the stem loose, and soaks a stuck stem with penetrating lubricant. On a Sayco 308 valve the hot and cold stems are listed with opposite thread hands, so read our Sayco 308 stem guide before you turn one. If the stem will not move, stop rather than force it.
Step 4: Replace the washer, or the whole stem
The USDA bulletin removes the washer screw at the bottom of the stem, fits a new washer and a new screw, and warns that the old screw head often splits because it is corroded. If the stem threads are worn or the stem is bent, fit a new stem instead. Our Gerber and Sayco P002 replacement stems come with the washer already fitted, and our Sayco P004 cold stem ships with a flat washer in the box. Our Pfister 910-374 stem ships without a washer, so fit one from a repair kit.
Step 5: Look at the seat, and replace it if it is worn
With the stem out, look down into the valve body. The USDA bulletin explains that a worn washer leaking over the seat, together with grit, often cuts and grooves the seat, and our Pfister 970-500 seat page adds that once the seat face is grooved, no washer will seal against it. Fit the seat wrench into the seat and turn it counterclockwise to take it out, as Family Handyman and a Danco instruction sheet both say. Then thread the new seat in with the seat wrench until it is snug and stop: our seat pages warn that an overtightened brass seat can strip the threads in the valve. On thread sealant the sources split. This Old House brushes pipe-thread sealant onto the new seat and Family Handyman uses pipe dope, while the Danco sheet does not mention it. Our seat pages call for thread sealant or PTFE tape on the new seat. Otherwise, follow the instructions that come with your seat.
Step 6: Put it back together and test
Family Handyman greases the new packing washer before it goes in. Thread the stem back in, refit the escutcheon and handle, and turn the water back on. This Old House then runs the shower and checks for leaks around the handle and the spout.
Delta two- and three-handle valves: seats and springs
Delta's own answer for a spout that drips on a two- or three-handle tub and shower valve starts with the hot side. Delta says to shut off the hot water supply, or the water to the house if you cannot find it, then remove the handle, take off the chrome bonnet nut with an adjustable wrench, remove the stem extender and pull the stem assembly straight out. Wipe out any debris in the hollow where the seats and springs sit, and replace the seats and springs with Delta part RP4993. Our part pages say each spring goes in wide end down with the seat on top, cup side up toward the stem; a spring or seat put in upside down leaves it dripping. If the drip persists, Delta says to repeat the steps on the cold side, and then to replace the stem assemblies, Delta part RP1740.
Delta also says that if the drip continues and the valve is more than 10 or 15 years old, the faucet body itself may have developed a leak, and it recommends a licensed plumber for tub and shower repairs if you do not have plumbing repair experience. Our part page lists our RP1740 replacement for older Delta two-handle faucets such as the 2600 and 2800 series, and says two-handle Delta faucets built from 2006 on usually take the RP25513 instead. Pull one stem and compare it with the part page before you order.
One-handle Moen Posi-Temp
If your tub has one handle and it is a Moen Posi-Temp, Moen names the 1222 cartridge as the fix for a drip with the handle off. Moen also notes that the water cannot be turned back on to the faucet until the retainer clip is back in place.
When to stop and call a plumber
This Old House lists the signs that call for a professional, and we add two of our own.
- Cracks in the faucet body, or extensive corrosion or damage to the pipes (This Old House).
- Parts you cannot reach or remove, and leaks that come from behind the wall (This Old House).
- The drip continues after your repair (This Old House), or on a Delta valve more than 10 or 15 years old after new seats, springs and stems (Delta).
- Our own: the stem will not turn after penetrating lubricant and a second try, or the valve body moves when you turn the stem.
- Our own: the socket in the old seat starts to round out before the seat moves.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my bathtub faucet drip when the handles are off?
Something inside the valve no longer seals. EPA WaterSense says old and worn faucet washers and gaskets frequently cause leaks, and This Old House points to a worn rubber washer on two-handle faucets and a corroded cartridge or damaged O-rings on single-handle ones. Moen says a Posi-Temp shower that keeps dripping with the handle off needs a new 1222 cartridge.
Do I need to fix the hot and the cold side?
Sources differ. Delta starts with the hot side and moves to the cold side only if the drip continues. Family Handyman recommends replacing the washers and seats in both the hot and the cold valve of a two-handle faucet. If you are buying parts anyway, doing both sides while the water is off saves a second job; that last point is our own advice.
Can I shut off the water to just the tub?
Sometimes. Moen says shutoffs are often in an access panel around the tub or a closet behind the shower, and that in some homes the only shutoff is the main. Kohler says many Rite-Temp valves have built-in screwdriver stops, and Moen offers optional stop check valves on Posi-Temp valves. If you find none, shut off the main and open the tub faucet to confirm the water is off.
I put in a new washer and stem and it still drips. Why?
On a washer and seat valve, look at the brass seat. A 1936 USDA plumbing bulletin explains that a worn washer leaking over the seat, with grit, often cuts and grooves the seat. Our Pfister 970-500 seat page adds that once the seat face is grooved, no washer will seal against it. On a Delta two- or three-handle valve, Delta says a drip that continues on a valve more than 10 or 15 years old may mean the valve body itself leaks, which is a plumber job.
How much water does a dripping tub faucet waste?
EPA WaterSense says a leaky faucet that drips at the rate of one drip per second can waste more than 3,000 gallons per year.
Sources
The steps above come from these pages, except where a step says the advice is our own. We opened each one on October 12, 2026. Part fit and specs come from our own part pages.
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Farmers' Bulletin 1460, Simple Plumbing Repairs in the Home (1925, revised 1936).
- U.S. EPA WaterSense, Fix a Leak Week.
- Moen, Shower Faucet: Leaking, PosiTemp Valve, 1222 Cartridge: Single Handle Shower, How to Operate PosiTemp Stop Check Valves and How To Turn Off The Water Supply To The Faucet.
- Delta Faucet, water dripping from the spout of a two-handle or three-handle tub and shower faucet, Monitor 1300/1400 leaking from the shower head or spout, shower head dripping after turning off, water flowing from the diverter tub spout in shower mode, single-lever tub or shower leaks under the handle and RP46074 cartridge.
- Kohler, Rite-Temp Valve Dripping from Showerhead or Spout.
- This Old House, How To Repair a Shower Valve Stem and How To Fix a Dripping Bathtub Faucet.
- Family Handyman, Bathtub Faucet Leaking? Here's How to Fix It.
- Danco, Shower Valve Socket Wrench Set and faucet kit instructions 9D-39674i (seat out counterclockwise).
Replacement stems for Pfister, Gerber and Sayco, brass bibb seats, Delta seats and springs, and cartridges for Moen, Delta and Kohler, shipped from Amazon fulfillment centers with Prime delivery.
See the full FourHome assortment on AmazonFourHome is an independent brand and is not affiliated with Moen, Delta, Kohler, Pfister, Gerber, Sayco, Danco, This Old House, Family Handyman or the other publishers cited. Brand names and part numbers are used only to identify fit or to cite their published instructions. Shut the water off first, do not force a stem or a seat, and call a licensed plumber for anything beyond a stem, washer or seat swap.
FourHome is not affiliated with or endorsed by any faucet manufacturer. Brand names and part numbers are used only to identify compatibility.