Yeah, plumber's tape is definitely handy in a pinch, but like you said, it's more of a band-aid than a real solution. I learned that the hard way when I kept putting off replacing the washer in my kitchen faucet—thought I was being clever flipping it around every few weeks. Eventually, the whole thing just crumbled apart and I ended up with a bigger mess than I started with. Lesson learned: better to bite the bullet early and swap it out properly.
Plumber's tape can definitely buy you some time, but have you considered that sometimes the washer isn't even the main issue? I've seen faucets drip because of worn valve seats or damaged cartridges, and swapping the washer alone won't fix that. Did you check the condition of the valve seat when you replaced yours? It's easy to overlook, but if that's worn or corroded, you'll just end up chasing the same leak again down the road...
Good points, but honestly, valve seats aren't always the culprit either. I've had faucets that kept leaking even after checking washers, seats, cartridges—the whole nine yards. Turns out the issue was actually water pressure being too high. Installed a simple pressure regulator and the dripping stopped almost immediately. Might be worth checking your water pressure before diving deeper into faucet surgery... could save you some headaches.
Interesting take on water pressure... hadn't really considered that angle before. Wonder if anyone's noticed a difference in their water bill after installing one of those regulators? Seems like it might help cut down on waste too.
Installed a pressure regulator at one of my rental properties about two years ago, mainly because tenants kept complaining about noisy pipes and faucets dripping constantly. Honestly, I was skeptical it'd make much difference on the bill side—figured it was mostly marketing hype. But after a few billing cycles, I did notice a modest drop in water usage. Nothing huge, maybe around 5-10%, but definitely noticeable over time.
The bigger benefit for me was fewer maintenance calls about leaks and drips. High water pressure can really wear out fixtures faster than you'd think... washers, seals, even valves. So while the savings weren't massive on the monthly bill itself, the reduced hassle and lower maintenance costs made it worthwhile.
Curious if anyone else has tracked their usage closely before and after installing one? Maybe my experience isn't typical.
