Faucet Repair Parts

A dripping faucet almost never means the whole fixture is shot. Nine times out of ten it’s a worn rubber seal — a washer, a faucet seat, or an O-ring — and fixing a dripping faucet is an easy and inexpensive alternative to replacing the entire fixture. The catch is identifying the exact part for your faucet. Get the size and the brand match right, and a small part stops the drip. Get it wrong, and you’ve wasted the trip.

Here’s the thing most folks miss. These are three different parts doing three different jobs. Replacing a worn out valve seat will provide a better seal and prevent leaks, while a worn washer or O-ring fails somewhere else in the handle assembly. Knowing which part is leaking is half the battle.

The Part Types and What Each One Does

Rubber washers live inside the faucet handle and press down to shut off flow. When they harden and wear with age, the seal degrades and the faucet drips. O-rings sit around the spout and stem to keep water from leaking out the sides — replacing a worn one beats replacing the whole faucet. The faucet seat is the brass surface the washer presses against, and a pitted or worn seat leaks no matter how new your washer is.

Western Building Center carries the full range across both Lasco and Danco lines:

Part Type	Examples Carried	Notes
Flat faucet washers	#000, #00, #0, 1/4, 1/4M	Flat design for quick-opening style faucets — full flow, positive shut-off
Beveled washers	#0 bevel	Separate category from flat
Cone washers	V, A, Q cone	Stem-specific shapes
O-rings	#17, #18, #37, #66, #67, #78, #88, #93, #94, #95, #99	Sized by number
Specialty/rubber washers	2.25”x1”, 2-3/8”x1.5”, 1.25”x1/4”	Larger seal applications
Assortments	O-ring 12-piece, flat washer, bevel washer, gasket	For unknown sizes

The faucet seat is the part people forget. A brass seat like the #39 — 1/2 in. thread diameter, 20 threads, 9/16 in O.D. by 3/8 in. height — is what gets a new washer to actually seal. Danco makes a low lead faucet seat for that reason. Washers and O-rings are rubber. Seats are brass. Don’t mix up which one you need.

Identifying the Right Part for YOUR Faucet

This is where the whole job lives or dies. There are dozens of sizes, and a lot of these parts are brand-specific — Price Pfister, Crane, Delta/Peerless, Moen, American Standard, Kohler each run their own dimensions. A seat ring built for one brand won’t fit another. For example, the Crane part is designed for Crane dial-eze model stems and faucets, and the #39 seat replaces Price Pfister #970-500.

Two reliable ways to nail the match:

1. Bring the old part in. Pull the worn washer or O-ring and match it by diameter. Old part in hand beats guessing every time.
2. Use the StemFinder tool. Danco’s StemFinder identifies stem and cartridge sizes for a specific faucet brand and model. If you’re not sure on the fit, it’ll find the right part for the project.

O-rings sort by number — #17, #66, #88, and so on — but each number ties to a specific inside and outside diameter. For instance, the #60 faucet O-ring runs 1/4 x 1/8 x 1/16 in. Numbers are shorthand for dimensions, not arbitrary labels.

Single Parts vs. Assortment Kits

Two situations, two answers.

If you know exactly what failed — you pulled the part, you matched the size — buy the single exact-match component. WBC sells these individually, by the each. No sense paying for 200 O-rings you’ll never touch.

If you don’t know the size, or you’re a property manager keeping several units running, an assortment makes more sense. The lineup of kits runs from a 42-piece home washer assortment — faucet, hose, and slip-joint washers, O-rings, sink strainer washers, and bibb screws — up through a 101-piece washer and O-ring kit and a 200-piece O-ring kit. There are also 192-piece assorted O-ring kits in storage boxes, sized 1/4-inch to 13/16-inch and 51/64-inch to 1-7/16-inch. A kit means you’ve got the right size on hand the next time something drips at 9 p.m.

Material and Installation

These seals earn their keep on durability. Most are rubber, typically black. Faucet seats run brass, and the low-lead versions comply with drinking water lead-reduction requirements. The repair itself is straightforward — shut the water, pull the handle, swap the worn part, reassemble. Replacing the worn out washers on the faucet stem creates a better seal and helps prevent water leaks.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my faucet dripping? Almost always a worn rubber seal. Washers inside the handle harden and lose their seal with age, which causes the drip. The fix is cheap compared to a new fixture.

Washer, seat, or O-ring — which one do I need? A handle that drips from the spout usually points to a worn washer or a pitted seat. Water seeping around the base of the spout points to a bad O-ring. If you replace the washer and it still drips, the seat is worn and needs swapping too.

How do I find the right size? Pull the old part and match it by diameter, or run your faucet brand and model through the StemFinder tool to get the correct stem, cartridge, or washer size.

Are these parts brand-specific? Many are. Price Pfister, Crane Dial-eze, Delta/Peerless, Moen, American Standard, and Kohler each use their own dimensions. A seat or washer built for one brand often won’t fit another, so match the brand.

Should I buy a single part or a kit? Buy the single exact-match part if you’ve identified the size. Go with an assortment kit if you don’t know the size yet or you’re maintaining multiple faucets and want sizes on hand.

What’s the difference between a flat and beveled washer? Flat washers are used mostly on quick-opening style faucets — the flat design allows full flow and positive shut-off. Beveled washers are a separate type for different stem designs. Match the shape of the old one.