Why Does My Outside Faucet Turn on By Itself?

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The outdoor faucet faces many kinds of weather every year so over time it starts leaking or turning on by itself. The outside faucet is a highly neglected faucet in our house. People don’t care about it as much as they care about bathroom or kitchen faucets.

Turning off the outside faucet itself looks minor issue at the start. But if you don’t pay attention to it, it increases your water bill and also starts damaging the foundation of the wall and forming patches in the soil.

Here in this guide, we are giving quick solutions which show what to do when the outside faucet turns on by itself. These all are practical solutions so you can easily try them.

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Why Does My Outside Faucet Turn on By Itself?

Before you get down to repair the outside faucet, it is a good idea to find out the reasons of faucet turn on by itself. Its reasons are quite obvious and easy to find. Here are a few common reasons for this issue.

1. Damaged Rubber Washer

In most cases, a damaged rubber washer is the main reason for the outside faucet turning on by itself. The washer in the outdoor faucet manages the flow of the water.

A rubber washer is placed inside the handle of the outside faucet. It covers the gap in the handle and prevents water leakage.

But with time, the rubber washer has worn out and can’t do its work properly. A worn-out washer creates a gap so water easily passes through gaps and turns on the water by itself.

Solution

You need to replace the damaged rubber washer. Follow these steps.

1. Turn the water supply off to the outside fixture.
2. Now remove the nut of the handle. Use a wrench to remove it.
3. Open the handle and remove the washer from it.
4. Clean inside the handle.
5. Spray vinegar and leave it open for hours. So, all mineral build-ups clean out from there.
6. Now clean it with water.
7. Insert a new washer and attach the handle.
8. Tighten the nut and turn on the water supply to the faucet.

2. High Water Pressure

High water pressure is not a common issue but it can cause water to turn on itself an issue. If the water in the outdoor faucet is frozen then it doesn’t get much space to come out so water creates more pressure and as a result handle turn on itself.

Also, sometimes municipal water comes with high water pressure so house pipelines of the water also flow water with high pressure.

Solution

You can’t do much in this situation. If municipality water has a high-pressure issue then contact them and tell them your situation. Also, open all the faucets in the house so water pressure releases and water flow becomes normal.

3. Loose Handle

Regardless of how durable your outdoor faucet is, its handle eventually becomes loose. When the faucet handles loose, water flow is not in your control. You turn the handle to set the water flow but the handle keeps rotating.

There could be many reasons for a loose outdoor faucet handle.

• Wrong installation of the faucet. If you use the wrong parts for the faucet installation, it will lead to a loosening handle problem.
• The faucet handle attaches with screws. Screws keep handling tighten. But the wrong selection of screws keeps the handle loosened. The faucet handle becomes shaky.
• The worn-out washer is another reason for the loosening handle.

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Solution

To solve the loose faucet handle problem, you need to open the faucet handle. If the washer is worn-out then change it otherwise clean it and reattach it. Now properly tighten all screws of the handle.

Check also – How To Remove Stem From Outside Faucet?

How To Fix Outside Faucet Leakage?

The dripping water sound of the outside faucet irritates people especially when you are relaxing in the garden. Outside faucet leakages not only spoil your mood but also can damage the house’s foundation. It causes damage to the garden area and increases the water bill.

Here is a quick solution to fix the outside faucet leakage in just 3 steps.

Step 1

This is a very common step to fix any outdoor or indoor faucet. Before fixing the fixture, turn off the water supply to it. You can do it by turning off the shut-off valve to the faucet or turning off the main water supply line of the house.

Now release excess water from the faucet by turning on the handle. Once all water and air pressure is released, you can proceed further.

Step 2

The outside fixture is fixed with a water pipeline through a packing nut. A packing nut is found underneath the fixture.

If your outside faucet is new, without any issue, you can remove its packing nut. For the old faucet, it may little bit challenging. Maybe the nut is stuck so you need to use penetration oil. Spray oil on the screw and leave it for some time.

If there is rust around the nut, first remove the rust then unscrew the nut.

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Step 3

After removing the nut, remove the handle. Just twist the handle and it comes out. Now take out the washer. The damaged washer is responsible for the leakage in the faucet.

Replace the damaged washer with a new one. Put the handle back in its position.

Attach the packing nut of the faucet and turn on the water supply to it.

Ignoring the Problem Is Not a Solution

If you ignore the outside faucet turn-on by itself issue then it not only impacts your monthly budget but also damages the wall and foundation of the house. This problem affects the other faucets in the house and may cause leakage in them.

How Much Plumber Charge To Repair the Outside Faucet?

If you are fixing an outdoor faucet issue then it costs nothing. You just need to tighten parts of the faucet. With the right tools, you can do it easily. If the washer is worn-out then the replacement cost of the washer is not more than $10.

If you don’t want to do it yourself and want to call a plumber to repair it, you have to pay $50-$150 to the plumber. This charge increases or decreases according to the area.

How To Replace Outdoor Faucet?

• First, find the shut-off valve and then turn it off. So, the water supply to the faucet was turned off.
• Open the outdoor faucet handle so the remaining water drains out and also pressure releases.
• Use a wrench to remove the old outdoor faucet.
• Fix the wrench on the faucet and then turn it counterclockwise to remove the faucet.
• Pull the faucet outside.
• Now clean the threads of the pipe with vinegar.
• Rub firm-bristled brush on threads so all build-up and rust are removed from it.
• Cover threads with Teflon tape.
• Attach a new faucet and tighten it with the wrench.
• Turn on the shut-off valve and check if there is any leakage or not.

Final Words

Calling a plumber to fix the outside faucet turn on by itself can be expensive. First, you should try to fix this issue. Our methods will definitely work for you. You might be feeling unsure about solutions but let me assure you that we have tested all these methods and they work really well.

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.