When the lever is released and water keeps coming, two different parts could be the cause. This is about the valve — the handle you squeeze — and how to decide whether you fix a cartridge or replace the whole unit before you spend a cent.
A pre-rinse setup is two pieces working together: the valve (the handle you squeeze) and the head (the part with the spray). When water keeps running after you let go, the first move is to tell which one owns the problem. Close the valve and watch the head: if it keeps dripping from the spray face, the head or its seal is the story — that is the leaking-at-the-face case. If the valve itself won't return to closed, the valve is the story, and that is this article.
The valve closes because a spring pushes a seal back into a seat. Three things wear that arrangement: the seal itself, a bit of grit caught between the seal and the seat, or the spring losing tension. None of them is exotic, and all of them arrive at the same symptom — water that won't stop. A valve that feels soft or sticky in the hand is usually one of these, not a mystery.
Whether you repair or replace comes down to whether the valve was built to be opened. A valve with a serviceable cartridge: you unscrew the bonnet, lift the cartridge, and fit a new one — often the seal and spring arrive as a set. A valve that was sealed at the factory has no cartridge to buy, so the only move is the whole unit.
You can usually tell from the listing or a photo: a valve that mentions a "rebuild kit" or "cartridge" is serviceable; one that doesn't mention either generally isn't. The cost logic is simple — a cartridge is a fraction of a unit, and the labour is about ten minutes if the valve is already loose on the sink. Replace the whole unit when the body is cracked, corroded at the threads, or when no cartridge is listed for the exact model. That is the whole arithmetic, and the repair-or-replace page runs the same numbers across the rest of the setup.
| # | Check | Why it decides what you buy |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Confirm it's the valve, not the head | Close it and watch the spray face; a face drip points at the head |
| 2 | Note your thread | The valve body screws onto the same 7/8″-20 UNEF line as the head — that thread decides the replacement |
| 3 | See if a cartridge is listed for your model | Yes → order the cartridge; no → order the unit |
A valve that won't shut off is almost always a worn seal, trapped grit, or a tired spring. If your valve takes a cartridge, fit one — it is cheap and quick. If it doesn't, or the body is damaged, replace the unit. Either way, match the thread you already have before ordering, and if the drip is actually from the spray face, the fix is the head and its washer, not the valve.
Not sure which part is yours? Send a photo — we answer with the check to run, not a sales pitch.