Faucet Repair in Montgomery Village, MD

Why does my 1970s faucet keep dripping?

Montgomery Village is a planned community begun by Kettler Brothers, with first residents arriving in 1967 and the 1970s as the busiest building decade. Houses and townhouses from that era originally had washer-style two-handle faucets or early single-lever designs. Most have been changed by now, but laundry tubs, utility sinks and outdoor spigots are often still original.

In a washer faucet, a worn brass seat lets water slip past even a new washer. In a cartridge faucet, the internal seals harden or wear. A plumber will check which one you have and whether the faucet is worth rebuilding.

What about the valves under the sink?

Stops from the 1970s often won't close fully, or they start to leak at the stem when they finally get turned. That's a common reason a simple faucet job grows by a part or two. If the stops are original, it usually makes sense to replace them while the water is off, along with any rigid supply tubes or brittle hoses. In a townhouse, a leaking stop can soak into a neighbor's ceiling, so this is not a step to put off.

Does the water itself affect my faucets?

WSSC Water supplies water and sewer service here. It adds orthophosphate as a corrosion inhibitor, and it notes that homes with a lead service line may need to flush their pipes longer before drinking. WSSC says it removed all known lead pipes from its distribution system and publishes a service line inventory map, so you can look up your address. Separately, older faucets themselves sometimes contained leaded brass; replacing a very old fixture removes that question.

Local note

Montgomery Village uses Gaithersburg mailing addresses but is an unincorporated community governed by the Montgomery Village Foundation, a homeowners association. Plumbing permits go through WSSC Water, and most plumbing work in Montgomery County has to be done by a plumber registered with WSSC Water. Check with your homeowners association about contractor access rules before work starts, especially in attached homes. When you call, say whether the home is detached or a townhouse, which faucet is leaking, and whether water shows up at the spout, the handle or inside the cabinet. A photo of the faucet and the valves below helps the plumber bring matching parts.