faucet leaking from under the seat

Could be:
- Damaged thread. Was the seat ever replaced? How old if the faucet?
- Seat doesn't sit right. The seat must be the right seat for the faucet.
- Seat is not tight enough.
- The stem or the washer on the stem mismatched or worn out.
Sometimes you have to do things you don't want to do to solve the problem, this could be one of those times.

The building was built around 1965, so the faucet is probably about that old. I replaced the seat last year. It was leaking from under the seat, but wrapping it with Teflon worked then.

I also have a shower that is leaking from under the seat. It was built in 1956. I concluded that it was leaking from under the seat because I replaced the seat and the valve, and the leak didn't stop. (I've replaced the seat several times over the years.)

The people I talked to said that the water has probably worn a path through the pipe/threads, so the water is getting in that way. Which leads me to the original question. Using caulk to seal the threads seems like a logical move, but none of the plumbers I have talked to suggested it. Did they just not think of it, or is there something that I'm not seeing? (likely the case)

nct2 said:

The building was built around 1965, so...

Click to expand...

So... there comes a time when the useful life of a thing comes to an end.
Pick out whichever new Delta or Moen suits and install it.

You have to put thread sealer (pipe dope) on the seat threads, not tape. Make sure its not cross threaded and you should be good.

TarheelTerp said:

So... there comes a time when the useful life of a thing comes to an end.
Pick out whichever new Delta or Moen suits and install it.

Click to expand...

It's not that simple.

This is not a faucet that sits on top of the porcelain. The valve goes horizontally into a pipe that is embedded inside the porcelain. The porcelain is attached to the wall. How does one go about removing the pipe from inside the porcelain?

bruceb3 said:

You have to put thread sealer (pipe dope) on the seat threads, not tape. Make sure its not cross threaded and you should be good.

Click to expand...

Thanks. I'll have to try that.

Replacing the pipe for the shower will involve breaking into tile, so I'm really trying to avoid it.

Replace the faucet.
1965 to 2020 = 55 yrs.

nct2 said:

How does one go about removing...?

Click to expand...

In short... you reverse the process that got it there.

How about a couple of clear photo's?