When a supply valve snaps off in your hand or a faucet will not stop gushing, you need faucet repair in Morristown, NJ right away. Our licensed plumbers offer 24/7 dispatch. While you wait, find the main shut-off where the water line enters the house, usually in the basement, and turn it clockwise. Open a low faucet afterward to drain the pipes and relieve the pressure.
Not every fixture problem is a flood. Plenty of calls are a drip that wastes water at night, a handle that grinds, a shower that swings between hot and cold, or a tub that holds water for an hour. We repair what can be saved, replace what cannot, and tell you the clear price before work starts.
Shut-off valve will not close or is leaking
The small valve under a sink or behind a toilet is the one part of the house you only touch in a crisis. After years without use, the stem corrodes and the packing dries out. Turn it and it may drip at the handle, refuse to move, or break loose from the pipe.
If a valve fails with water running, close the main at the house first. The same applies to the valve behind a bowl, where toilet repair often starts with a fresh stop valve. Do not force a stuck valve with pliers, since the pipe behind it can twist and crack.
We replace the valve itself, and where the old ones are multi-turn gate types we usually fit quarter-turn ball valves, which seat cleanly and are easier to close in a hurry.
- Shut the main valve at the house and open a low tap
- Place a bucket under the leak and keep towels close
- Leave the old valve in place so we can see how it failed
- Photograph the damage for your records
Burst or sprayed supply line at a fixture
A braided supply hose can burst at its crimp with no warning, and it will empty a lot of water into a cabinet in a short time. The fix is a new hose and often a new valve. The larger worry is what the water reached. Check the floor under the cabinet and the ceiling of any room below. If the spray is coming from the wall itself, that moves into burst pipe repair territory.
Shut the main at the house, then call. Night dispatch is always on.
Dripping and worn kitchen and bath faucets
A drip comes from a worn washer, seat, cartridge or O-ring, depending on the faucet design. Single-handle cartridge faucets are usually quick. Older two-handle compression faucets need new seats as well as washers.
Water here is blended from several sources. The Southeast Morris County Municipal Utilities Authority reported hardness from 29 to 400 mg/L in 2024. Where it runs high, scale builds in aerators and cartridges and speeds up wear. Unscrew an aerator and look for white crust, or test your tap, to see whether your street has a scale problem.
Shower valve trouble
A shower that turns scalding when someone flushes, will not stay on one temperature, or drips from the head after you shut it off has a worn valve cartridge or a damaged seat. Most are repaired from the front of the wall without opening it up. Older valves with no replacement parts need a swap, and that can mean opening the wall behind the tile.
If the wall feels damp or you see staining on the ceiling below, tell us when you call. A valve leaking inside the wall is a different job from a worn cartridge, and it should not wait. A hidden drip behind a finished wall is the kind of thing leak detection is built to find.
Bathtub faucet and spout problems
A tub spout that drips while the shower runs usually has a failed diverter. A spout that sprays from the base is often loose, with a worn seal behind it. Handles that spin without changing the flow have stripped stems.
Many homes in Morristown date from long before low-flow fixtures. If your tub fixtures are original, replacing the trim and cartridge together can solve three small problems in one visit.
Slow tub and shower drains
A tub that drains slowly is nearly always hair and soap packed around the stopper or in the first few inches of pipe. We pull the stopper, clear the strainer area and cable the line if needed. If the whole bathroom group is slow, we move to drain cleaning for the branch line.
Houses with cast-iron drains can have rough interior walls that catch hair faster. Pouring chemical cleaners down an older tub drain can sit and eat at fittings, so skip them and call us.
What affects the price
A drip fix and a valve replacement behind a wall are very different jobs. We look first and give the price before we start.
Sudden water damage from a failed supply line is often treated differently from a slow drip that went unnoticed, so ask your insurer, and keep the failed part for the adjuster. Want your real number? Call (908) 357-1542 and the price is clear before work starts.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Licensed plumbers are dispatched 24/7 when a valve will not shut off or a fixture is flooding, and same-day appointments are offered when available for smaller repairs.
Usually where the water line comes through the foundation wall, often in the basement near the meter. Find it before you ever need it.
A faucet in good shape with a worn cartridge is worth repairing. A corroded or pitted one is usually cheaper to replace.
Often yes, since most cartridges come out from the front. Old valves with no available parts may need access from behind.
For problems at the utility side, call the Southeast Morris County Municipal Utilities Authority on its 24-hour emergency line at 973-867-1758 if your home is on its system.
We serve Morristown and nearby towns. If you are just over the line, see our page for Morris Township.