The shutoff valve for the hot water under my bathroom sink has a very tiny leak. It is coming from where the turn knob meets the valve.So long as the valve is either all the way open or all the way closed, all I get is a single drop every couple seconds. But if it is anywhere in-between, it is a pretty steady drip.What's the simple/quick fix for this? Replacing the entire shutoff valve is probably not an option because it is an apartment complex.
Any repair is going to require shutting off the water. Buy a matching shutoff and replace the guts or in the case of a compression fit shutoff replace the whole thing other than the ferrel and nut.
In this case, the terms simple and quick do not apply. What's happening is the valve packing gland is leaking. That's the seal around the valve handle that keeps the valve from doing what it's doing now. The valve needs to be replaced--period! It is actually the simplest and quickest fix for the problem. Of course the water will need to be shut off while it's being replaced. The good news is that a competent plumber can do it in fifteen minutes unless he runs into problems. Then, it can take up to 3/4 hour. Your landlord needs to address this issue.
The packing around the compression nut where the valve stem enters the valve body needs a twist or two clockwise. Take a small crescent adjustable wrench, and tighten this nut to the right. Should stop the leak. If not, you may have to replace valve but usually this simple fix works. NOTE: If you tighten it to much, you won't be able to open or close the valve, so use just enough effort to stop the leak without needing the incredible hulk to budge the valve.
