How long does a kitchen faucet last?
Updated August 2026
A kitchen faucet lasts 10–15 years as a fixture, but the parts that actually fail wear out much sooner: the cartridge that controls flow and temperature and, on a pull-down model, the spray head and its hose. Hard water is the accelerant, crusting the aerator and seizing the cartridge with scale. A quality faucet fed the occasional $15–40 cartridge can serve 15 to 20 years; a bargain unit with a cheap plastic sprayer can start dripping or leaking under the sink in 5 to 8. Most owners replace the whole faucet on looks or a failed sprayer long before the body wears out.
Lifespan by type and situation
| Type or situation | Typical lifespan | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Quality faucet, soft water | 15–20 years | The brass body outlasts several cartridges |
| Average faucet | 10–15 years | The typical service life before replacement |
| Budget faucet, hard water | 5–8 years | A cheap sprayer and cartridge give out early |
| Ceramic-disc cartridge | 10–15 years | The durable type; a $15–40 swap renews the faucet |
| Pull-down spray head and hose | 5–10 years | The most-handled part; hoses kink and heads clog |
| Aerator | 1–3 years in hard water | A $5 part; unscrew and soak it in vinegar |
Signs yours is near the end
- A drip from the spout or a leak at the base that returns after tightening
- A handle that gets stiff, loose, or grinds when you turn it
- Water pressure that drops or sprays sideways from a scaled aerator or head
- Water pooling in the sink base cabinet from a worn supply or sprayer hose
- A pull-down head that will not retract, or leaks where the hose meets it
- Visible corrosion, pitting, or flaking finish on the spout
How to add years
Small habits keep a faucet out of the landfill. Unscrew the aerator every few months and soak it in vinegar to clear the scale that kills pressure, and do the same for a pull-down spray head. When the handle drips or stiffens, replace the $15–40 cartridge instead of the whole faucet; it is a fifteen-minute job that renews the working heart of the fixture. Softened water slows scale on every internal part and roughly doubles the time between repairs. A pull-down hose that kinks or leaks is a cheap standalone part on most models. Keeping these little swaps on a maintenance checklist, alongside other quick how-often tasks, is what turns a 10-year faucet into a 20-year one.
What it costs to replace: plan on $150–400 installed. Replacing on your own schedule, before it fails, is almost always cheaper than the emergency version. The home maintenance cost calculator helps you set the money aside before it comes due.
OnOtto tracks your faucet cartridge swaps age and service history, and warns you before end of life instead of after the flood.
Track your home's systems, free for 30 daysFrequently asked questions
Is it worth repairing a kitchen faucet or should I replace it?
Repair a good faucet, replace a cheap one. If the body is solid brass and only the handle drips, a $15–40 cartridge and a few minutes fix it and add years, easily worth doing. If the faucet is a budget unit with a corroded finish, a failed sprayer, and a stiff handle all at once, or you simply want a new look, put the repair money toward a $150–400 replacement instead. The tipping point is roughly when repair parts approach half the cost of a decent new faucet.
Why does a kitchen faucet drip even when it is off?
A worn cartridge, almost always. The cartridge is the valve that seals off flow when you push the handle down, and its internal seats and O-rings wear or scale up until they can no longer close fully, so water weeps past. Hard water speeds it along. The fix is usually a $15–40 replacement cartridge matched to your model, not a new faucet. If the drip is at the base or under the sink instead of the spout, suspect the O-rings or the supply-line connections.
How long does a pull-down faucet sprayer last?
The spray head and its hose typically last 5–10 years, less than the faucet body, because they are the most-handled parts. Hoses kink and crack from being pulled and retracted, the head's spray holes clog with mineral scale, and the diverter that switches between stream and spray wears out. On most brands the head and hose are sold as inexpensive replacement parts, so a failed sprayer rarely means a new faucet. Soaking the head in vinegar clears clogged holes and buys time.
Does hard water really shorten the life of a faucet?
Yes, more than almost anything else. Hard water leaves scale that clogs the aerator and spray head, cutting pressure, and it works into the cartridge where it stiffens the handle and eventually causes drips. It also dulls the finish over time. In a hard-water home a faucet may need cartridge and aerator attention every few years and give out around 5–8, while the same faucet on softened water can run 15–20. A water softener is the cheapest life extension for every fixture in the house.