Drip comes from the spout tip only
The faucet looks dry everywhere else, but once you run hot water the spout starts dripping or keeps dripping longer than normal.
Start here: Start with the hot-side cartridge or stem sealing surfaces.
Plumbing
Faucet Drips Only When Hot Water Runs
Direct answer: If a faucet drips only when the hot water runs, the usual cause is a worn hot-side faucet cartridge or stem seal that opens up more once the metal warms and expands. Before buying parts, make sure the drip is actually coming from the spout and not from the faucet base, handle, or a loose connection underneath.
Most likely: Most often, this is a hot-side sealing problem inside the faucet, especially if the drip starts at the spout, gets worse as the water heats up, and stops again after the faucet cools down.
First wet point wins here. A drip at the spout points you toward the hot-side cartridge or stem. Water showing up around the handle or at the base is a different repair. Reality check: a few leftover drops right after shutting hot water off can be normal expansion, but a steady drip that keeps going is not.
Don’t start with: Do not start by replacing the whole faucet or cranking the handle tighter. That often damages the handle or stem and still misses the real leak point.
If the water falls from the spout tipCheck the hot-side cartridge or faucet stem seal first.
If the water appears around the handle or faucet baseTreat it as a packing, O-ring, or base leak instead of a spout drip.
Last reviewed: 2026-04-05
What this hot-water-only drip usually looks like
Water shows around the hot handle
The handle area gets wet when hot water is on, sometimes with a slow trickle down the faucet body.
Start here: Check the handle packing, retaining nut, or hot-side cartridge seal before blaming the spout.
Water appears at the faucet base
The drip seems tied to hot water use, but the countertop or sink deck gets wet near the faucet body.
Start here: Go after a faucet base leak or internal body O-ring issue, not the aerator.
Only a few drops after shutoff
You shut the hot water off and get two or three drops, then it stops completely.
Start here: Watch the timing first. Brief thermal expansion drip can be normal; a steady repeat drip is not.
Most likely causes
1. Worn hot-side faucet cartridge
This is the most common reason a faucet drips only on hot. Heat can let a tired seal leak more once the cartridge expands.
Quick check: Run only hot water for a minute, shut it off, and watch the spout. If the drip continues beyond a few leftover drops, the hot-side cartridge is the lead suspect.
2. Loose or worn hot-side stem packing or seal
If the leak shows around the handle when hot water is flowing, the sealing problem is usually at the stem area rather than the spout outlet.
Quick check: Dry the handle area completely, then run hot water and look for the first bead of water around the handle trim or under the handle.
3. Mineral buildup holding the faucet slightly open
Scale at the cartridge seat or aerator can make a faucet shut off poorly, and hot water often shows the problem first.
Quick check: If the handle feels gritty or stiff and the drip is light but repeatable, remove and inspect the faucet aerator and look for scale in the spout outlet.
4. Faucet base or body O-ring leak that only shows under hot flow
Warm water can make a small body leak easier to spot, and the final drip may fool you into thinking the spout is leaking.
Quick check: Wipe the faucet dry, run hot water, and trace the first wet spot with a dry finger or tissue from the base upward.
Step-by-step fix
Step 1: Pin down the exact leak point
You do not want to buy a cartridge for a leak that is really coming from the base or handle.
- Dry the entire faucet, handle area, and sink deck with a towel.
- Place a dry tissue under the spout tip, around the hot handle, and around the faucet base.
- Run only hot water for 30 to 60 seconds, then shut it off.
- Watch which tissue gets wet first and where the first bead of water forms.
- Common wrong move: following the last drip into the sink instead of the first wet spot on the faucet.
Next move: You now know whether this is a spout leak, handle leak, or base leak. If water is hard to track, repeat with a flashlight and slower flow so the first wet point is easier to see.
What to conclude: A spout-tip drip usually points to the hot-side cartridge or stem. Water at the handle points to packing or cartridge seals. Water at the base points to faucet body seals or a separate base leak.
Stop if:
- Water is spraying under the sink or soaking the cabinet.
- The faucet body is cracked.
- You cannot identify the first wet point without removing the faucet from the sink.
Step 2: Separate normal hot-water after-drip from a real leak
A few drops after hot water shuts off can be harmless expansion. A steady drip means the faucet is not sealing.
- Run hot water for about one minute, then shut the faucet off normally.
- Count the drips for the next 60 to 90 seconds.
- Repeat once after the faucet cools for several minutes.
- Compare the pattern: a brief tapering drip that stops is different from a steady repeat drip that keeps going.
Next move: If the dripping stops quickly every time, you may just be seeing leftover expansion water rather than a failed part. If the drip keeps going or returns every time hot water is used, keep moving toward a hot-side internal seal repair.
What to conclude: Short-lived after-drip is usually not a repair issue. Ongoing drip after hot use strongly supports a worn hot-side cartridge or stem seal.
Step 3: Check for easy scale and flow-path issues
Mineral buildup can mimic a bad shutoff and is worth ruling out before opening the faucet body.
- Unscrew the faucet aerator if your faucet has one at the spout tip.
- Rinse out grit and soak the aerator in plain white vinegar if it is crusted with mineral scale, then rinse with water.
- Wipe the spout outlet clean and reinstall the aerator.
- Run hot water again and test whether the drip pattern changed.
- If the handle feels gritty or sticky, note that for the next step because scale may also be affecting the cartridge.
Next move: If the drip is gone or much lighter, buildup was likely interfering with shutoff or causing water to hang at the spout. If the drip pattern stays the same, the sealing problem is probably inside the hot-side cartridge or stem.
Step 4: Tighten only what is meant to seal the hot side
A slightly loose retaining nut or packing area can leak at the handle, but overtightening the handle itself usually makes things worse.
- Shut off the hot and cold stop valves under the sink.
- Open the faucet to relieve pressure, then close it.
- Remove the hot-side handle if your faucet design allows simple access.
- Check for a loose retaining nut or packing nut on the hot side and snug it gently, just a little at a time.
- Turn the water back on and test hot water again.
Next move: If the handle-area leak stops, you likely had a loose packing or retaining point rather than a failed faucet body. If the spout still drips on hot or the handle area still leaks, the hot-side cartridge or stem seals are the next likely repair.
Step 5: Replace the confirmed hot-side sealing part or call for help
Once you have confirmed a true hot-side spout drip or a hot-handle leak that did not respond to a light adjustment, the internal sealing part is the repair.
- If the drip is from the spout tip after hot use and not from the base, replace the hot-side faucet cartridge or hot-side faucet stem assembly that matches your faucet.
- If the leak is around the hot handle, replace the hot-side faucet cartridge or the hot-side faucet handle packing and seals used by your faucet design.
- If the faucet is older, heavily corroded, or parts are unavailable, compare the repair effort with replacing the faucet assembly.
- After reassembly, turn the shutoffs back on slowly and test hot water first, then mixed flow, then full shutoff.
A good result: The faucet should shut off cleanly with no continuing hot-water drip and no moisture at the handle or base.
If not: If a new hot-side sealing part does not stop the leak, the faucet body may be worn or cracked, or the leak source may actually be the base. At that point, move to a faucet base leak diagnosis or plan on faucet replacement.
What to conclude: A confirmed hot-side internal leak is usually repairable with the correct faucet-specific sealing part. If the body itself is worn, replacement is the cleaner fix.
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FAQ
Why does my faucet drip only after I use hot water?
Usually because the hot-side cartridge or stem seal is worn and leaks more once the faucet warms up and expands. A few drops right after shutoff can be normal, but a steady drip that keeps going points to a sealing problem.
Can a bad aerator cause a faucet to drip on hot water only?
Not usually by itself, but mineral buildup at the aerator or spout can make water hang and mimic a drip. Clean it first because it is easy and safe, then retest before opening the faucet.
If the drip is at the handle, do I still need a cartridge?
Maybe, but not always. Handle-area leaks often come from packing, O-rings, or the cartridge seals near the stem. Track the first wet point before ordering parts.
Should I replace the whole faucet if it only leaks on hot?
Not right away. If the leak is clearly from the hot side and the faucet body is sound, a cartridge or stem repair is usually the first move. Replace the whole faucet when the body is worn, cracked, badly corroded, or parts cannot be matched.
Is it normal for a faucet to drip a little after shutting off hot water?
A couple of drops can be normal as hot water and metal parts settle. What is not normal is a repeat drip that continues well past the first few seconds or happens every time you use hot water.
What if replacing the hot-side part does not stop the drip?
Then the leak source may have been misread, or the faucet body or seat area may be worn. Recheck for moisture at the base and handle, and if the body is damaged or the seat is not serviceable, replacing the faucet is usually the cleaner fix.