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I'm trying to fix this leaky outdoor faucet that came with a house I just moved into. It's a Woodford Freezeless Wall Faucet, Model 14:

http://www.woodfordmfg.com/woodford/Wall_Faucet_Pages/Model-14.html

It seems to be in decent shape. If there is no hose connected, the water turns on and off as expected and there are no signs of leaks. When I attach a hose, the faucet leaks.

Water flows through the hose as it should, but there is also a decent amount of water spraying out around the handle of the faucet. It seems to be spraying out around the gap between part 6 and 2 in the exploded parts drawing towards the bottom of the product link above.

Does anyone know what would be causing this? I was about to take it apart to try and see what the issue was. I removed the handle, but found it extremely difficult to loosen part number 3. I figured I would ask some experts here first.

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The problem is most likely occurring with the pressurized water getting past the packing washer(4). Hook up a hose with a nozzle that is shut off. Turn on the faucet then try tightening the packing nut (3) until it stops leaking. It will be pretty tight, but if it is too tight, then you may need take it apart and replace the parts that are available in the repair kit. If it needs replacing it is because the EPDM (rubber) Packing piece broke.

Leaking past the packing nut is common and the reason why the nut is on there. When the nut is tightened, the packing nut is "squished" against all the interior surfaces, making a water tight seal that still allows the handle to be turned.

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  • Thanks. I finally got around to fixing this. Ordered the repair my from woodfords site and it seems to have fixed the problem. However, now water leaks from around the nose connection. It's as if there is too much water going into the hose and it just starts leaking around the connection. Is that possible? Any idea how to resolve that?
    – flyingL123
    Commented Jun 6, 2017 at 1:38
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    If the water is leaking around connector on the hose (the part that "screws onto" the faucet nozzle), then the hose needs a new hose washer. It is about the size of a US quarter, about 1/8 inch thick, has a hole in it, and is made of rubber. These are cheap at any hardware, big box, or garden store that sells hoses.
    – JerryD
    Commented Jun 7, 2017 at 21:05
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Woodford freezelessUse a proper size box wrench to remove or tighten part #3 (the packing nut). Grip the body at the spout with a medium size pipe wrench and apply force opposite the force of the box wrench so there is no net torque on part #10 (the adjustable flange). This will allow you to exert maximum force on the packing nut without the danger of ripping the flange out of your house.

The packing nut holds part #4 (the packing) in place and also compresses it to a watertight fit around part #6 (the shaft). Since you don't know the age or condition of the packing, you should replace it.

Also, while you have the faucet taken apart, clean and polish the part of the shaft that will be gripped by the packing. A rough surface here will quickly destroy the new packing.

You may be able to stop the leak by just tightening the packing nut. My experience is that unless the packing is fairly new, this fix will be only temporary.

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