The short answer
A faucet dripping once a second in a Northern Virginia home wastes more than 3,000 gallons of water a year. Your sewer charge is often figured from your water use too, so you can pay for that water twice. Most drips are a worn cartridge or O-ring, and high water pressure makes them worse.
The part most people don’t know
EPA’s WaterSense leak page puts one drip a second at more than 3,000 gallons a year, the water for more than 180 showers. A showerhead leaking 10 drips a minute wastes more than 500 gallons a year. EPA says the average household’s leaks can add up to more than 9,300 gallons a year, nearly 1 trillion gallons across the country, and 9 percent of homes have leaks wasting 50 gallons or more every day.
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A toilet is often worse
EPA’s 2026 leak guide says about 20 percent of toilets leak. A worn flapper can waste around 860 gallons every month, and a stuck fill valve can waste 4,300 gallons in a single day. Here’s why a toilet keeps running and what a running toilet does to the water bill.
Why faucets drip
Moen says a faucet drips when a part inside is worn: a scratched or torn cartridge, O-ring or grommet. Parts wear faster under high pressure. The model plumbing code says the static pressure in a house shouldn’t be more than 80 psi, and the Department of Energy’s Building America water pressure guide says a pressure reducing valve is required over 80 psi, and that lowering the pressure cuts down on dripping faucets. Here’s what a pressure reducing valve does.
What it costs in Northern Virginia
You pay for that water on the way in and often again on the way out. Fairfax Water charges $4.35 per 1,000 gallons since April 1, 2026, for homes that had an account all last winter (newer accounts pay $4.50). Fairfax County sewer is $9.88 per 1,000 gallons since July 1, 2026, and the county bills homes on the lower of their current use or their use in the prior winter quarter. Our read: a drip that runs all winter raises that winter number, and that can lift your sewer charges for months after. Loudoun and Prince William set their own rates, so check your bill. More in why the water bill gets so high.
What you can check yourself
- The meter test. Read the water meter at night after the last faucet is off, then again in the morning before anyone runs water. If it moved, something’s leaking. Here’s how leak detection works.
- The dye test. Put a few drops of food coloring in the toilet tank, don’t flush, and look at the bowl a little later. Color in the bowl means the flapper leaks.
- The pressure test. A pressure gauge from the hardware store threads onto an outdoor faucet. Over 80 psi, the pressure reducing valve is missing or worn.
- The quick stop. The shutoff valves under the sink stop a drip while you wait for the fix.
What we check
Our faucet repair plumbers find the worn part and replace it. If high pressure is behind the drip, a pressure reducing valve fixes the cause instead of the symptom.
If you’d rather have someone go through the whole house’s plumbing, our water heater flush is $99: we drain and flush the tank, check the anode rod and test the relief valve, then go through the house’s plumbing with photos, included.
Water heater flashing a code or a blinking light? Our error codes and warning lights guide covers what each one means.
Book it
Book the faucet repair, call (703) 997-9757, or book online from goswiftpro.com/cookiesoffer and a box of warm cookies comes with the visit. Rated 5.0 stars across 1,138 reviews on Google, Angi, Yelp, the BBB and Facebook, Virginia Class A license 2705192276.
Questions people ask
How much water does a dripping faucet waste?
EPA says one drip a second wastes more than 3,000 gallons a year, the water for more than 180 showers. A showerhead leaking 10 drips a minute wastes more than 500 gallons a year.
Why does my faucet keep dripping?
Usually a worn cartridge, O-ring or grommet, per Moen. High water pressure wears those parts faster; the model plumbing code caps static pressure at 80 psi.
Does a dripping faucet raise the sewer bill?
It can. Fairfax County bills home sewer on the lower of your current use or your prior winter quarter use, so a drip that runs all winter can raise that number for months.
What water pressure is too high for a house?
Over 80 psi. The model plumbing code caps static pressure at 80, and Building America says a pressure reducing valve is required over that. A gauge on an outdoor faucet tells you.
