Direct answer: If a faucet started dripping right after a freeze, the most common causes are a damaged faucet cartridge or washer, but a split faucet body or nearby frozen supply damage is the more serious possibility you need to rule out first.
Most likely: A steady drip from the spout with no water showing around the handle or under the sink usually points to freeze damage inside the faucet cartridge or valve seats.
Freeze damage can look smaller than it is. A faucet may only drip at the spout, or it may have a hairline split that shows up once the line thaws and pressure comes back. Reality check: a faucet that was fine before the cold snap and started leaking right after it usually was damaged by ice somewhere in or near the faucet. Common wrong move: replacing the aerator because it is the visible tip of the faucet, even though aerators almost never cause a post-freeze drip with the water off.
Don’t start with: Do not start by cranking the handle tighter or buying a whole new faucet. First find out whether the leak is only from the spout or if the faucet body or supply area actually cracked.
The faucet turns on normally, but water keeps beading or dripping from the outlet after the handle is fully off.
Start here: Start by confirming the faucet body and handle area stay dry. If they do, the sealing parts inside the faucet are the leading suspect.
You see water at the handle, around the escutcheon, or running onto the sink deck when the faucet is opened.
Start here: Start by drying everything and watching for the first wet point. That pattern fits a cracked faucet body or damaged internal seals more than a simple spout drip.
The cabinet floor, supply lines, or shutoff area gets wet when the faucet is used or even while it sits pressurized.
Start here: Start under the sink, not at the spout. A nearby supply tube, connection, or split in the faucet shank may be the real source.
The faucet leaks and the stream may sputter, spit air, or look uneven after the freeze event.
Start here: Start by checking for freeze damage signs in the faucet and nearby branch line. Air and odd flow can mean the line froze, thawed, and damaged more than one point.
This is the most common cause when the faucet now drips from the spout but the rest of the faucet stays dry. Ice can distort sealing surfaces just enough to stop a full shutoff.
Quick check: Dry the faucet completely, leave the supply on, and watch whether the only water appears at the spout tip.
Freezing can split the casting or internal waterway. These cracks may only show once pressure returns and often leak at the base, handle area, or underside of the faucet.
Quick check: Use a dry paper towel around the base, handle hub, and underside of the faucet body while the water is on.
Expansion and contraction can stress supply tubes and compression points. The drip may seem like a faucet problem when the first wet point is actually below the sink.
Quick check: Run the faucet for a minute and inspect the faucet supply hoses, shutoff connections, and faucet shanks for fresh moisture.
A freeze event can shake loose scale or sediment. That grit can keep a cartridge or stem from sealing fully, especially if the drip started right after water service returned.
Quick check: Shut the faucet off and note whether the drip changes after cycling the handle several times gently, without forcing it.
A spout drip, a base leak, and an under-sink leak can all look related after a freeze, but they point to different repairs.
Next move: You now know whether this is mainly a spout-sealing problem or a pressurized leak from the faucet body or supply side. If everything is wet at once and you cannot tell where it starts, shut off the faucet stops under the sink and reassess after drying again.
What to conclude: The first wet point matters more than the final drip location. A true spout drip usually stays at the spout. Water at the base or below the sink raises the odds of a crack or connection problem.
After a freeze, the safe assumption is not 'bad cartridge' until you rule out a split casting or housing.
Next move: If the only leak is from the spout and the body stays dry, an internal faucet sealing part is the likely repair path. If water appears anywhere on the faucet body, at the base, or below the sink, stop treating it like a simple drip and isolate the faucet with the shutoff valves.
What to conclude: Spout-only leaking usually means the freeze damaged the cartridge, stem washer, or seat contact. Body or base leakage points to a crack or a pressurized leak path that is not solved by replacing the aerator or tightening the handle.
Freeze events can leave grit in the faucet, and forcing a frozen handle can damage the handle or stem without cracking the whole faucet.
Next move: If the faucet now shuts off cleanly and no other leaks appear, debris may have been the immediate cause. If the spout still drips and the body stays dry, move on to the internal faucet repair path. If the handle feels stripped or loose, include the handle hardware in your repair plan.
Once you have ruled out a cracked body and nearby supply leaks, replacing the internal sealing part is the most direct fix.
Next move: A clean shutoff with no seepage at the body confirms the leak was inside the faucet and the repair path was right. If the faucet still leaks from the body, base, or underside after internal parts are addressed, stop and treat the faucet as cracked or otherwise freeze-damaged beyond a simple internal repair.
Freeze damage often shows up in the faucet first, but the real water damage risk is a split body, shank, or nearby supply line that keeps leaking under pressure.
A good result: Water is contained, the damage path is clearer, and you avoid turning a small fixture leak into cabinet or wall damage.
If not: If water still appears with the local stops closed, the leak may be above the stops or in the wall, which is a pro call.
What to conclude: Once a freeze causes a crack outside the faucet's internal shutoff parts, the right move is isolation and repair of the damaged component, not repeated handle adjustments.
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Yes. Ice can damage the faucet cartridge, stem washer, or valve housing without causing a dramatic pipe burst. That is why a faucet may start dripping after the weather warms up even when the rest of the plumbing seems fine.
That usually means the internal shutoff parts no longer seal fully. On a single-handle faucet, the cartridge is the usual suspect. On a two-handle faucet, one stem washer or stem assembly may have been damaged.
Not right away. If the leak is only from the spout and the faucet body stays dry, an internal repair is often enough. If the body, base, or shank is cracked, then replacement becomes more likely.
Usually no. An aerator changes the flow pattern at the tip, but it does not normally control whether the faucet seals shut. A post-freeze drip is much more likely to come from damaged internal faucet parts or a crack.
That can happen after a freeze when air and debris move through the line as it thaws. It can also mean the freeze affected more than just the faucet. Check under the sink and nearby piping carefully before assuming it is only a cartridge problem.
Only if the leak is a minor spout drip, the faucet body and under-sink area stay completely dry, and you are not seeing cabinet or wall damage. If water shows up anywhere else, isolate the faucet and deal with it before using it again.