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Troubleshooting Kitchen Faucet Leaking Under the Handle

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This troubleshooting document relates to standard, pull-out, and pull-down kitchen faucets. 

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Description of the leak: With this leak, water will leak from the area where the handle attaches to the faucet body after the water has been turned off or while the faucet is still on. 

Causes of the Leak

  • Continuous leak while faucet is on: While the faucet is on, water will also leak from under the handle area. With this issue, dirt or debris have collected on the seals/o-rings which prevents a proper seal inside the faucet body.  
  • Continuous leak when faucet is off: When the faucet is off, water leaks from under the handle area. With this issue, dirt and debris have collected in the valve/cartridge which prevents the valve from properly controlling the flow of water.  The valve/cartridge is located under the handle. In some faucets, the spacer/check valve assembly has also worn out. The spacer/check valve assembly is located under the valve in the faucet body. In some faucets, a symptom of a worn out spacer/check valve is water leaking from the weep hole, a small hole located in the back of the faucet body.

Solution for the Leak

Continuous leak while faucet is on: Replace the seals/o-rings to return the faucet to water-tight operation. The part number for the replacement seals will vary depending on the faucet model number.

Continuous leak when faucet is off: The issues should be resolved by replacing the valve/cartridge and/or the spacer/check valve assembly (depending on your faucet model). The part number of the replacement valve and spacer/check valve will vary depending on the faucet model number.

  1. Identify your faucet model number. To identify your faucet model number, please view Identifying Your Faucet Model.

Still having trouble identifying your model number? The Product Finder can help you identify your product.

The Faucet Parts Catalog is another resource that can help identify your product.

  1. To locate the valve/cartridge part number for your faucet, enter your model number in the Find Parts search box (Fig. 1).

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(Fig. 1)

  1. On the faucet page, access the Interactive Parts Diagrams to locate and order the replacement valve/cartridge.  For additional information on viewing the Interactive Parts Diagrams please view Troubleshooting: Identify Product Replacement Parts.
  2. Replacement parts for this faucet may be covered under the Kohler Faucet Lifetime Limited Warranty. Contact Kohler Customer Service for additional details. 

 Additional Resources

KOHLER replacement parts are designed with ease of installation in mind. The following resources may assist with installation and repair of the valve/cartridge, seals and check valve.

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