the leak

My kitchen faucet leaks. Constantly.

drip. drip.

I've tried every possible configuration of the 2 handles to get it to stop, or at least to alter the rate of drip. Nothing.

drip. drip. drip. 

Here are my personal problems with the leak:

1. It is such a waste. Of water! Of money! The all-knowing internet tells me that a leaking faucet can waste up to 20gallons a day. Ugh, that's a lot. Too much. I don't pay my water, but surely my landlord doesn't want to shell out the extra $ for 20gallons. A day.

2. The sound. As each drop hits the metal sink, there is such a loud "ping." The acoustics of the sink are quite remarkable. The depth and shape of the basin really do amplify the sound. I close my bedroom door at night to muffle it. I've tried placing something non-metal under the faucet. This temporarily deadens the drip-echo, but as that item begins to collect water the drip turns into a big old PLOP with some splash fallout. It's actually louder. Not a solution.

My landlord and a handyman were here on Friday to fix a couple of other things in the house, so I informed them of the leak. The answer, "We know." They apparently tried to fix it earlier, but the conclusion was that the faucet needed to be replaced... and if she was going to replace the faucet she was also going to get a new basin... and if she was going to get a new basin she was going to get a new counter top. None of which she's doing for the next 2years due to cost. Apparently the cost of wasted water is "less" than the price of a new faucet. Again, the omnipresent internet has shown me that a similar model faucet only costs $54. So frustrating.

So for now I must live with the leak. My very own modified-form of Chinese water torture.

drip. drip. drip. drip. drip.