I have a kitchen faucet that's been dripping for about a week now and I'm losing a lot of water. I've seen on YouTube that sometimes it's just replacing the aerator, but I'm not sure if that's the issue in my case or something more serious. Does anyone know what I should try first before paying the 150,000 pesos the plumber charges here in Medellín?
The aerator is definitely the first thing you try - you take it off by unscrewing the tip of the faucet and clean it really well because sometimes it just has limescale or dirt buildup. If it keeps dripping after that, it's probably the cartridge or the internal seals that are already worn out, and then you'd need to get into it more or call someone 😅 Before you fix it, shut off the main water valve so you don't get soaked, put a container underneath and look carefully where the water's coming from: if it's from the tip it's the cartridge, if it's from the base it could be something else.
Most constant drips come from the internal mixer cartridge wearing out over time, not just the aerator. I had the exact same thing happen at home a couple years ago - I cleaned the aerator and nothing, then I checked under the sink and saw water coming out where it shouldn't, so I had to replace that cartridge inside, which costs a fraction of what a plumber charges. If yours is still dripping even with the aerator clean, find the cartridge for your specific faucet brand at a local hardware store (it's usually written on the base) and watch a tutorial for your exact model - it's literally just unscrewing two or three pieces and putting a new one in.
Before you touch anything, shut off the main water valve for a moment and check whether the drip is coming from below (the threaded joint) or from the tip - that'll save you time. In my case I had one that was leaking and it turned out to be the rubber seal inside the cartridge, not the aerator - what I did was buy a generic repair kit for about 15-20 thousand pesos at the hardware store, took apart the whole faucet following a video specific to my exact model, swapped out the rubber parts and it was like new. The thing is, not all faucets are the same: some have replaceable cartridges, others come sealed from the factory, so before you buy anything check the model or snap a photo of the faucet to take to the hardware store and have them recommend the right kit - if you're not handy with that stuff, then it's worth paying the plumber, but if it's just a seal replacement it's pretty straightforward.
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