That drip you've been ignoring
If you've got a faucet in the kitchen or a bathroom off Highway 14 that's started dripping right at the base of the spout, or one that won't stop leaking no matter how hard you crank the handle, you're dealing with one of three common faucet types. Nixa has a lot of homes built from the 1990s through the 2000s during the town's growth years, plus a good number of older farmhouses out toward Christian County's edges. That mix means plumbers around here see every generation of faucet design, and the fix is different depending on which one you've got.
Before you call anyone or buy a repair kit, it helps to know what's actually under that handle. Cartridge, ball, and ceramic disc faucets all look similar from the outside, but they fail in different ways and need different parts.
Ball faucets and why older Nixa homes have them
Ball faucets are the single-handle type with a rounded metal or plastic ball inside that controls both temperature and flow. They were common in homes built through the 1980s and into the early 90s, so if your house dates from around Nixa's earlier subdivisions near downtown, this is a good bet.
The telltale sign is a single handle that moves in every direction, plus leaking around the base of the handle itself rather than just the spout. Ball faucets have more small parts, springs, seats, and O-rings, so they're the type most likely to develop multiple small leaks over time. Hard water, which is common in this part of southwest Missouri, speeds up wear on those internal seals.
More on this from Reading List Cartridge, Ball And Ceramic Disc Faucets Told Apart.
Cartridge faucets in Nixa's newer builds
Cartridge faucets showed up in a lot of homes built during Nixa's building boom in the late 90s and 2000s. They can be single or double handle. Inside, a cylindrical cartridge slides up and down or turns to control water flow. There's no ball, no springs to fuss with.
If your faucet handle feels stiff, or if it leaks only when it's in certain positions rather than constantly, a worn cartridge is often the cause. The fix usually means popping off the handle cap, pulling the cartridge, and replacing it with an exact match for your faucet brand and model. That last part matters. Cartridges are not universal, and a hardware store trip without the old part in hand often means a second trip.
Ceramic disc faucets and hard water buildup
Ceramic disc faucets are the newer design, common in homes remodeled or built in the last fifteen years or so. They use two ceramic discs that slide against each other to control water. You can usually spot one by a wider cylinder base under the handle, and by handles that move smoothly with very little effort.
These are generally the most reliable of the three types, but Nixa's water isn't soft. Mineral deposits can build up on the discs over years, especially in a house that sits empty part of the year or has low water usage in a guest bathroom. When a ceramic disc faucet starts leaking, it's often mineral scale keeping the discs from seating properly rather than a worn-out part.
What you can check yourself
Turn off the water supply valves under the sink first, always. Then look at the handle. A single lever that tilts in every direction is likely ball or cartridge. A wide base with a smooth, low-effort turn points to ceramic disc. Pulling the handle off and taking a photo of what's underneath before you touch anything else will save you time at the hardware store or save a plumber a diagnostic visit.
Replacing an O-ring or a cartridge that's a known match for your faucet is a reasonable weekend job, especially with the water main summer runoff or winter freeze concerns off the table in that moment. Where it stops being a DIY job is when the shutoff valves themselves are corroded or won't turn, common in houses with original 20 or 30 year old plumbing, or when you've replaced parts and the leak persists. At that point the problem usually isn't the faucet at all, it's pressure or supply line trouble further back in the wall, and that's worth having a plumber look at before a small leak turns into a bigger repair.