My outdoor spigot will turn on but when I try to turn it off there is still water running. It's a pretty steady flow.
Contractors have been at my house power washing & painting. I know they used this spigot, but I can't figure out what they could have done to it to make this happen. My husband tried to force it to turn off with a wrench. All that happened was that the knob finally gets to a point & then "resets". We've have had to turn off the main water supply to stop the water from running. Any ideas how to fix this problem or what is causing this?

Some newer spigots have a cartridge inside which is set back to keep from freezing in cold weather. They can be purchased at the home depot or like stores. You need to remove the knob this cartridge behind the knob. It slides out . A plumber can fix this in about two minutes. Turning the knob to far can cause damage to these cartridges.

If this is an oldie I'd venture to say the washer in the valve cracked and is bad. Shut off your main and open a facet somewhere in the house. Remove the nut shaped ring under the handle and unscrew the handle, The valve stem should back out and you'll see the washer and its attaching screw. Replace the washer and stick your pinky into the valve opening. Check the seat where the washer seals for burrs and irregularities. If it feels bad come back here and we'll talking about refreshing that seat.

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Originally Posted by kimmyface

My outdoor spigot will turn on but when I try to turn it off there is still water running. It's a pretty steady flow.
Contractors have been at my house power washing & painting. I know they used this spigot, but I can't figure out what they could have done to it to make this happen. My husband tried to force it to turn off with a wrench. All that happened was that the knob finally gets to a point & then "resets". We've have had to turn off the main water supply to stop the water from running. Any ideas how to fix this problem or what is causing this?

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Using a wrench to turn a hose bib off isn't a very good idea. Sounds like all you have to do is check the seat and replace the washer. I have put up a faucet,(see image) that may not look like your hose bib but the insides are the same. Turn the water off at the house shutoff and unscrew the bonnet packing but. You may then back the stem and washer out counterclockwise. Check the seat for nicks and rough spots and if you find any replace the hose bib. If the seat's OK then replace the washer and reassemble. Good luck, Tom PS. Sorry Bal, we were posting at the same time

Totally OK Tom, I have done it many times to you starting with the day I first met you. Is there a way for me to increase the size of your attached image?

Problem solved!

I couldn't have done it without all your help & advice. It made troubleshoot easy. We took off the handle that was attached to the spigot and found that a long pipe was attached to that. It had two gaskets on either end. One of the ends was missing the gasket which is what caused the water to run. We replaced both gaskets thus solving the mystery.

Thanks again!

Kimmy, you are on the road of becoming an apprentice.