The lights are off. The doors are locked. The house is finally quiet, except...drip, drip, drip. There is a faucet leaking, which means you have two choices; either fix the faucet or have it replaced. What you choose depends on a variety of factors, but the longer you take to make your decision, the more it will cost you. A dripping faucet can quickly drive up your water bills. No matter what you decide, it's possible to get in touch with faucet repair contractors with the help of Angi, formerly known as Angie's List.

When Repairing Your Faucet Might Be Enough

If you have never noticed your faucet dripping, a few tweaks may be enough to get your faucet in working order again. There are several simple things that can result in your faucet dripping and many of these can even be remedied by someone with a bit of DIY knowledge. Some simple problems that make for easy repairs include:

• A worn out O-ring: a small disk inside the faucet that can come loose or wear out. This is usually fixed by a bit of tightening or a simple replacement of the part.
• The valve seat is corroded: The area between the faucet and spout is the valve seat, and this area is vulnerable to corrosion from mineral deposits, which can lead to leaks. If there is only a small amount of build-up, chances are it can be cleaned off and your faucet can be put back together with the leak gone.
• Problems with the washer: When there is an issue with the washer it is either because of poor installation or corrosion that happens later. Many people notice a drip and tighten a faucet, but if the problem is the washer, you may be causing more damage. If it wears out too much, it simply needs to be replaced. which is an easy fix.

When You Really Like The Faucet You Have

If your faucet is vintage or special to you in some way, you may want to get a little extra life out of the fixture. Sentimental value can go a long way to making repairs worthwhile for a bit longer than if you just have a basic faucet. However, this is also a case where hiring someone may be worth it, because someone with more experience and knowledge is less likely to cause damage while doing repairs.

Making Your Repairs Cost-Effective

If you don't know how to replace the bathroom faucet, you may want to stop and think of another plumbing repair that might be necessary before you contact Angi to find a plumber. Maybe your garbage disposal doesn't sound right, or your toilet handle often needs to be jiggled, or your drains are a bit slower than you'd like. Just getting a plumber to your house can be spendy, especially for a ten-minute job. Once you get them there, you may as well have them look at other issues while they are there.

Why You Might Want to Replace Your Faucet

If you have had to repair a faucet more than once, and those repairs are getting more and more complex, replacing your faucet may be the best choice.Some more serious problems might include lack of water pressure or internal corrosion. You may also simply want a faucet that better fits your style, or invest in an upgrade such as a touchless faucet to help manage your water bills even more. Even if a faucet works okay, if there are cosmetic problems such as peeling on the surface it may be time for something new.

If you've been handling repairs like loose O-rings and washers, but don't know how to replace the bathroom faucet, this may be the time to call Angi to find you a plumber and get things taken care of.