A dripping faucet is more than a nuisance — it wastes thousands of gallons and signals parts worn down by San Diego's hard water. We repair cartridges, O-rings, aerators, and shutoff valves, or install a new faucet built to last, with upfront pricing and OEM parts.
San Diego has some of the hardest water in the country. Depending on the source and the season, tap water here carries roughly 200 to 400 milligrams per liter of dissolved calcium and magnesium — about 16 grains per gallon, a level the water industry classifies as very hard. Those minerals are invisible in a glass of water, but every time you turn on a faucet they pass through the cartridge, the O-rings, and the sealing surfaces inside the valve. Over thousands of on-and-off cycles, they deposit as scale: a rough, abrasive film that scratches smooth sealing surfaces, dries out rubber, and gradually seizes the moving parts. A cartridge that would comfortably last 15 years in a soft-water city like Seattle or Boston commonly needs replacement here in just 5 to 8 years. That single fact explains most of the dripping, stiffness, and low flow San Diego homeowners call us about.
The cost of ignoring a small faucet problem is real. A single dripping faucet can waste more than 3,000 gallons of water a year — water you pay for twice, once when it enters the home and again on your sewer bill. A slow leak at the base of a faucet can quietly rot a cabinet floor or soften the drywall behind a vanity. Low flow from a scaled aerator makes every dish-washing and hand-washing task take longer, which wastes even more water. And a cartridge that is stiff or will not shut off completely often means the valve body itself is being damaged every time you force the handle. Fixing a faucet early is one of the least expensive repairs in plumbing; letting one fail completely can turn a $15 cartridge into a $725 fixture replacement plus labor.
If you can hear a faucet dripping, it has already wasted water for weeks. Call (619) 637-5215 and our licensed plumbers will diagnose the cause, quote a flat price, and usually finish the repair in a single visit — often for the cost of a tank of gas. We carry the most common Moen, Delta, and Kohler cartridges on the truck.
From a single dripping bathroom faucet to a whole-home upgrade of kitchen and shower fixtures, we handle every part of the job.
Drips, stiff handles, low flow, and leaks under the vanity. We rebuild the cartridge and seals or replace the faucet so it works like new.
Bathroom plumbing →Pull-down sprayers, single-handle lever faucets, and everything in between. We fix worn cartridges and install new kitchen faucets leak-free.
Kitchen plumbing →Temperature swings, drips from the showerhead, and worn shower cartridges. We swap cartridges or replace the full valve when the body is damaged.
Fixture services →Leaking, frozen, or seized exterior faucets and vacuum-breaker hose bibs. We repair or replace them to stop outdoor water waste.
Water conservation →Old gate valves that will not close all the way defeat the purpose of a shutoff. We replace them with quarter-turn valves you can actually rely on.
Leak repair →Weak flow at one faucet is usually a clogged aerator or scale in the cartridge. We clear the blockage and restore full pressure.
Pressure guide →Install a WaterSense faucet or efficient aerator to cut water use without losing performance, and lower both your water and sewer bills.
Water conservation →Damp cabinet, musty smell, or a rising water bill? We trace hidden faucet and supply-line leaks before they damage cabinets and floors.
Leak detection →Where a faucet leaks tells you what failed inside. Here are the symptoms our San Diego plumbers see most, and what each one usually means.
A steady drip or a thin trickle at the spout almost always points to a worn cartridge, a scored seat, or a failed O-ring. In San Diego, hard-water scale accelerates all three. A spout drip can waste more than 3,000 gallons a year, so this is the classic case where a small repair pays for itself in water savings. Learn how water chemistry drives the problem in our guide to hard water damage to plumbing.
Water appearing at the base of the faucet, around the handle, or where the spout swivels usually means an O-ring or swivel seal has dried out and cracked. This is more than a cosmetic annoyance: the water runs down onto the counter or into the cabinet below, where it can warp wood and feed mold. Left long enough, a base leak can even corrode the mounting hardware.
A handle that grinds, is hard to turn, or never quite stops the flow is a cartridge that has been packed with mineral scale. Forcing it damages the valve body. The fix is usually a new cartridge, cleaned and greased with plumber's silicone, which restores smooth operation. If the body is already scored, we discuss a full faucet replacement.
Low flow at one faucet is most often a clogged aerator screen — the tiny mesh at the tip of the spout that traps scale, grit, and debris. We remove and clean or replace it, then check the cartridge and supply lines. If several fixtures in the home are weak, the cause may be larger, which our post on low water pressure in San Diego homes explains.
When a pull-down or pull-out sprayer keeps dribbling in spray mode, or the button no longer diverts, the diverter or sprayhead is worn. On some models this is a replaceable sprayhead; on others the diverter sits inside the faucet body. We identify which part you need and replace only what is required — a common kitchen faucet fix in kitchen plumbing.
A puddle in the vanity or under the kitchen sink can come from a failed supply line, a loose P-trap, a corrosion-pitted drain assembly, or an old shutoff valve that weeps. We trace the source with the cabinet empty, repair it, and confirm the fix is dry. This is exactly the kind of slow leak that goes unnoticed until the cabinet floor is ruined — see finding hidden water leaks.
When a cartridge has been scaled in place for years, it can be extremely difficult to extract without damaging the valve body. We use the correct puller and penetrant, and we work carefully so the faucet can be saved. If the body cracks during removal, we have replacement options ready, so you are never left without a working faucet.
Once the finish starts pitting, flaking, or corroding, the faucet is telling you the metal underneath is failing. A cracked spout or a corroded body cannot be repaired reliably. In these cases replacement is the right call, and we help you choose a faucet suited to San Diego's hard water. Our plumbing repair cost guide covers what to budget.
The four basic faucet types are compression, ball, cartridge, and ceramic disc. Most modern faucets use a cartridge or ceramic-disc design, and the right replacement part makes the difference between a repair that lasts and one that fails again next year. We stock the common Moen, Delta, and Kohler cartridges and always recommend OEM (original equipment manufacturer) parts over cheap aftermarket copies, which often use softer rubber and thinner seals that hard water destroys quickly. The table below lists the parts our San Diego plumbers install most often.
| Brand | Common Cartridge / Part | Fits | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moen | 1225 | Single-handle kitchen and bath faucets | Moen's most common cartridge; hard water seizes it in 5–8 years |
| Moen | 1224 | Two-handle faucets | One per handle — replace both at the same time |
| Moen | 1222 | Newer pull-down and single-handle models | Often uses a 1225 adapter with the 1222 body |
| Delta | RP19804 | Single-lever ball-type faucets | Ball, seats, and springs kit for classic Delta designs |
| Delta | RP50587 | DIAMOND Seal single-handle faucets | Ceramic DIAMOND Seal cartridge; resists scale well |
| Delta | RP25513 | Two-handle lavatory faucets | Stem and seat repair kit for bath sinks |
| Kohler | GP series | Kohler single- and two-handle faucets | Match the GP number stamped on your model to order |
A $6 aftermarket cartridge looks identical to a $20 OEM part, but the rubber compounds and sealing faces are not. In San Diego's hard water, the cheap version often starts dripping again within a year. We install OEM parts because we would rather fix your faucet once.
Faucet pricing depends on the type of faucet, how accessible it is, and whether the repair is a simple part swap or a full rebuild. The ranges below reflect what we commonly see in San Diego in 2026. A&A Plumbing always confirms the scope and gives you a written price before any work begins, so there are no surprises. For a broader look at plumbing pricing, read our guide on how much plumbing repair costs.
| Service | Typical Range | What Drives the Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Aerator clean or replacement | $5 – $135 | Whether the screen is cleaned, re-seated, or replaced |
| O-ring or seal kit | $8 – $175 | Faucet brand and the number of seals involved |
| Cartridge replacement | $15 – $245 | OEM part cost and difficulty of extraction |
| Full faucet rebuild | $30 – $295 | Cartridge plus seals, springs, and labor |
| Faucet replacement labor (you supply the faucet) | $185 – $325 | Sink access, old-fixture removal, connection type |
| Plumber supplies a mid-grade faucet | $335 – $725 | Faucet grade, finish, and install complexity |
| Shower valve cartridge swap | $185 – $400 | Brand and behind-wall access |
| Full shower valve replacement | $450 – $1,500+ | Wall access and tile patch; up to $2,400 behind tile |
Here is exactly what to expect when you call A&A Plumbing about a faucet that drips, leaks, or will not shut off.
Reach us at (619) 637-5215 or book online. Tell us the brand if you know it and where the faucet leaks. Same-day and emergency appointments are available.
We open the faucet, identify the exact failed part, and give you a clear upfront price for the repair. If a replacement makes more sense, we explain why and quote that too.
Using OEM parts, we rebuild the faucet or install a new one cleanly, protect your countertop and sink, and make sure every connection is tight.
We run hot and cold, check for leaks at the base and under the sink, and confirm smooth operation before we back the work with our guarantee.
From coastal condos to inland slab homes, our licensed plumbers serve the whole county. Find your neighborhood below.
Learn more about the water chemistry and plumbing issues behind the most common faucet problems in San Diego.
Still have a question? Call us at (619) 637-5215 — we are happy to help.
Faucet work in San Diego ranges widely. Cleaning or replacing an aerator runs about $5 to $135, an O-ring kit $8 to $175, and a cartridge replacement $15 to $245. A full rebuild is typically $30 to $295. If you supply the faucet, installation labor is usually $185 to $325; when we supply a mid-grade faucet, expect $335 to $725. A shower valve cartridge swap is $185 to $400, while a full shower valve replacement runs $450 to $1,500 or more, and up to $2,400 when it sits behind tile. A&A Plumbing gives you a written price before work starts. See our guide on plumbing repair costs for more detail.
A drip at the spout almost always means a worn cartridge, seat, or O-ring, and in San Diego hard-water scale speeds up that wear. In most cases we can rebuild the faucet with the right cartridge and seals rather than replace the whole fixture. If the finish is pitted, the spout is cracked, or the body is corroded, replacement is the smarter long-term choice.
San Diego water is very hard, roughly 200 to 400 mg/L or about 16 grains per gallon. Those dissolved minerals deposit as scale on the cartridge and ceramic-disc sealing surfaces, scratching and seizing them. A cartridge that lasts 15 years in a soft-water city often needs replacement here in 5 to 8 years. Learn more in our post on San Diego water hardness effects.
Repair usually makes sense if the faucet is under about 15 years old, this is its first leak, and the shutoff valves still work. Replace it if the finish is pitting, the spout is cracked, the body is corroding, leaks keep returning, or you have replaced two cartridges in three years. A quality faucet should last 15 to 20 years.
The most reliable brands we service are Moen, Delta, Kohler, American Standard, Pfister, and Grohe. When we repair, we use OEM parts like the Moen 1225, 1224, or 1222 cartridge, the Delta RP19804, Delta RP50587 DIAMOND Seal, or Delta RP25513, or the Kohler GP series. Cheap aftermarket cartridges often fail early, so OEM is worth the small difference in price.
Yes. Many customers buy their own faucet and have us install it. We check that it fits the sink and existing connections, install it leak-free, and test it thoroughly. If you would rather we supply a mid-grade faucet built for San Diego's hard water, we can do that too. A whole-house water softener is the best long-term way to protect every faucet in the home.
Call A&A Plumbing for fast, licensed faucet service with upfront pricing and OEM parts.