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Why Does the Faucet Drip for a While After I Shut It Off?

Updated September 2026

▶Glossary8
  1. What Is Actually Draining Out
  2. Why You Find a Small Puddle Later
  3. Telling Normal Residual Water from a Real Leak
  4. Shutoff Valves Make Faucet Service Easier
  5. Related Guides
  6. Related Videos
  7. Common Questions
  8. Still Need Help?

A drip from the tub faucet or hand shower for a short while after you shut the water off is normal. When the handles close, the water still sitting in the spout, in the lines between the valves and the spout, and in the hand shower hose has nowhere to go but out, and it drains into the tub a little at a time. Staff describe it as roughly a cup of water. It stops on its own once the lines are empty. A drip that continues hour after hour is different, and it usually points to a worn cartridge inside the faucet.

What Is Actually Draining Out

The faucet valves close at the handles, but the spout, the hand shower and the flexible lines that connect them sit downstream of the valves. Whatever water is in those parts when you turn the handles is trapped, and gravity lets it dribble out through the spout or the hand shower head. A rain-head shower column does the same thing after shutoff, as described in why the shower column drips after I shut it off. Nothing is worn and nothing needs adjusting.

Why You Find a Small Puddle Later

The residual water lands in the footwell in front of the seat, which is the lowest part of the tub. If the drains are closed it collects there. If you wipe the tub dry right after the bath and then come back later, the last of the line water has arrived in the meantime and you find a small puddle even though the tub looked dry. Leave the drains open after the bath so the trickle goes straight down the drain, and wait until the drip has stopped before doing the final wipe.

Telling Normal Residual Water from a Real Leak

  1. Close the handles firmly but without forcing them. Handles only need to be snug.
  2. Leave the drains open and watch the spout and hand shower head. A normal drip slows and stops on its own.
  3. If water is still dripping at the same steady rate much later, or if the spout runs a thin continuous stream, the cartridge is not closing fully.
  4. Check under the deck as well. Water on the floor rather than in the tub is a supply line or fitting problem, not residual water. See supply line leaking at the nut.

A constant drip is covered in why the tub faucet drips constantly and how to fix it. Replacement cartridges for Ella faucets ship under the parts warranty for the original owner. Open a ticket with your model and serial number and a short video of the drip if you can. The hand shower diverter article explains the handle that switches water between the spout and the hand shower, which is also where the residual water in the hose comes from.

Shutoff Valves Make Faucet Service Easier

The faucet handles are not the only way to stop water to the tub. Your contractor should install shutoff valves on the hot and cold supply lines below the faucet so the faucet can be serviced without shutting down the house. If you are not sure whether yours has them, look behind the access panel or ask the plumber who installed the tub. Do not force a handle past its normal stop to try to make a drip quit, because the drip is water already past the valve. Close the shutoff valves or the house main instead if you need the water off for service.

Video
Chapters in this video
  1. 0:00 Remove Handle And Collar The technician removes the colored cap, loosens the bolt with an Allen wrench, and lifts off the handle, then removes the plastic collar.
  2. 0:19 Remove And Clean Cartridge The technician uses a socket wrench to loosen and remove the cartridge, then checks for debris and cleans it with a soft brush.
  3. 0:37 Replace Cartridge And Collar The technician replaces the cartridge, tightening it without over-torquing, and then replaces the plastic collar.
  4. 0:51 Reattach Handle And Cap The technician puts the handle back on in the correct position, tightens the Allen bolt firmly, and replaces the colored cap.

Watch: Ella's Bubbles: Cartridge Replacement 5 Piece with chapters and a full transcript.

Video
Chapters in this video
  1. 0:00 Remove Spout Handle The technician removes the decorative bolt cover, loosens the allen bolt, and lifts off the spout handle.
  2. 0:21 Remove Old Cartridge The technician unscrews the escutcheon plate, loosens the brass locking collar, and lifts out the old cartridge.
  3. 0:38 Install New Cartridge The technician aligns the guide posts, seats the new cartridge, and tightens the brass locking collar.
  4. 1:02 Reassemble Faucet The technician hand tightens the escutcheon plate, replaces the faucet handle, tightens the allen bolt, and replaces the bolt cover.

Watch: Ellas Bubbles: Two Piece Faucet Cartridge Replacement with chapters and a full transcript.

Common Questions

How long should the faucet drip after I turn it off?
A drip from the tub faucet or hand shower for a short while after you shut the water off is normal. It should only last until the water left in the spout, the lines between the valves and the spout, and the hand shower hose has run out, which staff describe as roughly a cup of water. This normal drip slows and stops on its own once these lines are empty. A drip that continues hour after hour at the same steady rate is different and usually points to a worn cartridge inside the faucet.
Why is there a puddle in the footwell the next day?
A small puddle in the footwell the next day occurs because residual water from the faucet lines collects in the footwell, which is the lowest part of the tub, when the drains are closed. If you wipe the tub dry right after the bath, the last of the line water arrives later, creating a puddle even though the tub looked dry. To prevent this, leave the drains open after the bath so the trickle goes straight down the drain, and wait until the drip has stopped before doing the final wipe.
Does the hand shower drip after shutoff too?
Yes, the hand shower also drips after shutoff. The hand shower hose holds water downstream of the faucet valves, and this water drains out through the hand shower head after the handles close. This is a normal occurrence and stops once the hose is empty, similar to how the tub spout drips.
What does it mean if the faucet never stops dripping?
If the faucet never stops dripping, or if the spout runs a thin continuous stream, it means the cartridge is not closing fully, usually due to a worn cartridge inside the faucet. Replacement cartridges for Ella faucets ship under the parts warranty for the original owner. To address this, you should open a ticket with your model and serial number and, if possible, a short video of the drip. A local licensed plumber can then swap the cartridge.
Can I turn the handle harder to stop the drip?
No, you should not turn the handle harder to try to stop the drip. The drip is water that is already past the faucet valve, so forcing the handle past its normal stop will not change it and could damage the handle or faucet. Handles only need to be snug to close the valves. If you need to stop water to the faucet for service, use the shutoff valves on the hot and cold supply lines below the faucet, or the house main shutoff valve.

Still Need Help?

Open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support or call (800) 480-6850 and have your model and serial number ready.

About this guide. Answers in the Ella’s Bubbles Support Center are compiled from real conversations with tub owners, our technicians’ notes and the product documentation, then reviewed by our team. Tub models and options have evolved over the years, so a detail here may differ slightly from your exact tub. If something looks different on yours, send us your serial number and a specialist will confirm it for your model.

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