Outdoor Spigot Won’t Shut Off or Is Leaking? Simple Fixes
If your outdoor spigot won't shut off at all, the first move is your home's interior shut-off valve, not more twisting at the spigot handle itself. Once the water is stopped, most cases of a spigot that won't turn off or keeps leaking trace back to a single worn washer, which is a repair most confident DIYers can handle in under an hour.
Here's the immediate fix, the repair itself, and when it's genuinely time to call a plumber instead.
The short answer: if it won't shut off at all, do this first
Stop forcing the spigot handle. If it's already fully closed and water is still running, continuing to crank it can strip the mechanism further and make the eventual repair harder. Instead, go to your home's interior shut-off valve (the same one covered in our winterizing an outdoor spigot guide, usually on the interior wall near the spigot) and turn it clockwise until it stops. That cuts supply to the spigot specifically without shutting off water to the rest of the house, buying you time to fix the actual problem without water running the whole while.
Why this happens: the four parts that control the seal
An outdoor spigot that won't shut off, or drips even when closed, is almost always a mechanical problem inside the fixture rather than a plumbing issue further upstream. Four parts control how the water seals when you turn the handle: the packing nut, the stem assembly, the washer, and the valve seat. Any one of them can wear out or fail, but the washer is by far the most common culprit, since it's a soft part designed to compress and seal every single time the spigot is used, which means it wears out faster than the more rigid parts around it.
Step-by-step: replacing a worn washer (the most common fix)
With the interior shut-off valve closed:
- Open the outside spigot fully to release any remaining pressure and let residual water drain out.
- Unscrew the packing nut, found just behind the handle, using an adjustable wrench.
- Remove the valve stem by unscrewing or pulling it out, which exposes the washer assembly at the end.
- Remove the screw holding the old washer in place and take out the worn washer.
- Install a new washer of the same size, thickness, and diameter as the old one, this match matters, since an ill-fitting washer won't seal properly even if it's new.
- Reassemble in reverse order: replace the stem, thread the packing nut back on, then reopen the interior shut-off valve and test the spigot.
Most washer replacements take under an hour once you've identified the leak's location, and the washer itself is an inexpensive part available at any hardware store.
Could it be frost damage?
If the spigot started leaking or refusing to shut off shortly after a hard freeze, a worn washer may not be the actual cause. Freeze damage cracks the pipe or fitting itself rather than wearing out a seal, which a washer replacement won't fix. Our winterizing an outdoor spigot guide covers preventing this before it happens; if you suspect it's already happened, that's a sign you're looking at a cracked component rather than a simple washer swap, and worth mentioning to a plumber if you go that route.
When it's time to call a plumber
If replacing the washer doesn't stop the leak or the spigot still won't shut off properly, the problem is likely the valve seat or stem assembly rather than the washer, or the spigot may simply be old enough that the whole fixture needs replacing. That's reasonably beyond a first attempt at DIY plumbing repair for most homeowners, and it's a fair point to stop and bring in a plumber rather than continuing to disassemble a fixture that may need full replacement anyway.
A slow drip vs a spigot that won't shut off at all
These read as the same problem but sit on a spectrum. A slow, occasional drip after the spigot is closed is usually the earliest sign of a washer just beginning to wear, and it's worth fixing before it progresses, but it isn't an emergency. A spigot that won't shut off at all, water running continuously no matter how far you turn the handle, is the washer having failed completely, or in some cases the valve seat itself worn past where a washer alone can seal against it.
Either version gets the same repair attempt (replace the washer first), but a spigot that won't shut off at all is the one where cutting supply at the interior valve immediately, rather than after you've gathered tools, is the right first move.
Preventing the next one
Once the current leak is fixed, a couple of habits reduce how often you're back here again. Avoid over-tightening the spigot handle out of habit, forcing it shut harder than needed wears the washer and stem faster than a firm-but-reasonable close does. And if you're in a climate with real winters, following through on winterizing the spigot each fall protects the same fixture from the freeze-related version of this problem, which is a different cause than ordinary washer wear but shows up with similar symptoms (leaking, won't fully shut off).
Spigots are inexpensive, mechanically simple fixtures, and most home hardware stores stock washers, packing nuts, and full replacement spigots at a range of price points, so even a fixture that needs full replacement rather than a washer swap isn't an expensive repair in the way some plumbing issues can be.
If it's the hose itself leaking rather than the spigot it screws into, that's a different, equally simple fix, our how to fix a leaky garden hose guide covers diagnosing a hose leak by exactly where along its length it's coming from.
FAQ
Water won't stop running from my outdoor spigot. What do I do right now?
Go to the interior shut-off valve near the spigot and turn it clockwise until it stops. That halts the flow immediately while you sort out the actual repair.
Is a worn washer really the most common cause?
Yes. The washer compresses and seals every time the spigot is used, so it wears out faster than the packing nut, stem, or valve seat, which is why it's the first thing to check and replace.
Do I need any special tools for this repair?
An adjustable wrench is typically enough to remove the packing nut and access the washer. No specialized plumbing tools are usually required for this specific fix.
What if a new washer doesn't fix the leak?
That points to the valve seat or stem assembly, or an aging spigot that may need full replacement. At that point, calling a plumber is a reasonable next step rather than continuing to troubleshoot.
Can I prevent this from happening again?
Proper winterizing (draining the spigot and hose before freezing weather) prevents the freeze-related version of this problem. Normal washer wear over years of use isn't fully preventable, but it's a quick, inexpensive fix when it happens.
GardenLea publishes honest, practical home-and-garden guides. We don't sell plumbing hardware, so this is about fixing what you already have, not a product pitch.
