Your water still runs after you turn it off?

Answer 1

If the water drips or drizzles from your spigot at a steady rate for more than 10 seconds after turning off the faucet valve, the valve is defective and must be repaired. The problem is usually caused by wear or debris. The valves have special, smooth areas called seats that are ground smooth. A rubber or plastic faced stopper moves tightly onto the seat when the handle is turned to the full OFF position. Older valves use a rubber or plastic washer to effect the sealing. If the seat, washer, or the stopper face is worn, a small amount of the pressurized water in the pipe is forced between these surfaces and drips or flows out of the spigot. Sometimes a bit of debris lodges between the stopper face and the seat, preventing them from sealing against each other, which also causes a leak. This is common in older steel pipes that rust, or in cases of very hard water when minerals gradually build up on the seats and eventually prevent them from sealing. The only cure is to replace the defective parts. Usually just the washer or stopper part can be replaced, but if the seat itself is worn, a new faucet assembly should be installed.