The 5 Surprising Ways Your Faucet Turns On By Itself

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Did you know that the faucet may be one of the most convenient and useful appliances in your home?

Because a touchless faucet allows you to stream water from a source far away. But sometimes a touchless faucet turns on by itself. Turning on water automatically in the faucet generally happens in motion sensor faucets but also may appear in regular faucets. It becomes a dangerous situation because it wastes lots of water.

Every time you use your sink, shower, or bathtub to take a shower, wash your hands, lather up with soap, or relax in the tub, that faucet is running the risk of turning on itself without you ever knowing it. Here are five situations when your faucet is more likely to turn on without you ever knowing it.

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Why Does My Faucet Turn On By Itself?

1. Faulty Sensors

People use a touchless faucet to conserve water. When you don’t use the faucet, its sensors shut down the water. But when its sensors won’t work properly, a touchless faucet turns on by itself, and water starts running, whether you are near the faucet or not.

People face this issue generally when the batteries of the touchless faucet are about to die. Due to low batteries, sensors won’t get proper power to operate and their working gets disturbed.

How To Fix Faulty Sensors?

Replace the batteries of the touchless tap. Under the sink, there would be a battery box that contains 4-6 batteries. Open the box, remove old batteries, and install new ones.

After replacing the batteries, still, faucet water turns on by itself, you should check the sensor eye. Generally, the sensor is placed at the base or top of the faucet.

Maybe on the sensor, there is a protective adhesive label on its eye. Remove the label that is covering the eye. If there is any debris on the eye, remove it too. If there are scratches or damage, replace the eye.

2. Damaged Washer

A Washer doesn’t last forever. The washer is made of plastic. The washer stops the water flow when you turn off the handle.

But with time, the washer’s body does not remain the same as new and gets damaged. It becomes the reason for the faucet turning off in the kitchen or bathroom. Also, a damaged washer will cause leakage issues.

How To Replace Washer?

You can replace faucet washers on your own by following these simple steps.

• Turn off the water supply valve of the faucet. The valve will be accessible from under the sink.
• Now turn both the hot and cold water handles to make the faucet empty.
• Close the drain. If the drain doesn’t have any cover, put a cloth on the drain. So, a small part won’t go inside the drain.
• Place parts on the countertop in the order in which you remove them.
• Unscrew the screw of both handles.
• After removing the handle, you will see a valve stem. Use a wrench to loosen the locking nut of the stem and remove the stem.
• On the stem, there is a screw. Underneath the screw, there is the washer.
• Remove the washer and take it to the hardware store to get the same new one.
• Coat the washer with the plumber grease and install it.
• Tighten the screw of the washer and reassemble the faucet handle

3. Damaged Nuts

If your faucet turns on by itself even after you turn it off, check the nuts of the faucet. With time nuts get corroded.

They become loose so the handle won’t stay in its position. You need to struggle to keep the handle in the off position. Threads on the nut wear out. Sometimes, you face this situation, you rotate the faucet handle and it keeps rotating. This happens due to damaged nuts.

How To Fix It?

Its solution is very easy. You need to replace the nut of the faucet. Get a new nut and fix it on the faucet.

4. High Pressure

High water pressure is a common cause of faucets turning on automatically. High water pressure interferes with the flow of the water in the pipe. Due to high pressure, water comes out from the faucet even if the handle is in the off position.

How To Fix High-Pressure Issues?

Fixing high water pressure issues is a simple task. You need a pressure regulator device that will control the pressure of the water. You can install it near the faucet. It would be better if you install it at the main water supply line of the house.

5. Packing Too Tight

In the compression type valve around the shaft handle, there is a seal. This seal is called packing. If this packing is tight, the handle won’t move easily. The handle is hard to turn and may even not go backside properly when you turn it off. So, the faucet turns on by itself, even if you have to turn it off properly.

How To Fix It?

Tight packing cause automatic water flow from the faucet. You can fix it by removing the old packing and installing a new one in its place. You can contact to customer care service of your faucet manufacturer to get help with replacing the packing. Also, they will guide you on which type of packing is good for your faucet.

Moen Motionsense Faucet Turns on By Itself

Touch-activated or motionsense faucets utilize sensors to provide hands-free operations. They are great looking and reduce the consumption of water. Moen has a good collection of touchless faucets.

If water comes out from the Moen motion sense faucet automatically, it means its sensors are not working properly.

If you have recently installed a Moen motionsense faucet, possible that the batteries weren’t installed properly. If the faucet is old, and you haven’t changed its batteries for a long time, maybe batteries power is drained out.

Remove the battery box cover and check they are installed in the specified direction. If yes, then you need to change them. Remove old batteries and insert new ones. Firmly push the batteries down to ensure they have been fully inserted in the right place.

Ralph Matthews

Meet Ralph Matthews, father of 2 cute daughters and a skilled plumber with over 10 years of experience in the industry. Ralph has particular expertise in repairing any type of faucet and has helped countless homeowners and businesses solve their plumbing problems with his expert knowledge and attention to detail.