Outdoor faucet won't shut off

Greetings. I'm having a big problem with one of my outdoor water faucets. I have tightened the "knob" as far and tight as it'll go, but water still continues to flow out of the faucet and through the hose. I tried shutting off the water supply to the entire house but even that does not stop the flow completely, though it does diminish it. (It is not practical to keep the water supply shut off anyway, especially with a three month old baby in the house). Do you or does anyone have suggestions or instructions on how to repair that faucet outside? Or, since water continues to come out even when the water supply is shut off, is there an indication that there is an even greater problem than I can imagine? THANKS for whatever help you can give.

Regards,
Josie

I'll bet you live in an older house. After years of turning a faucet off and on, the washer that holds the water in hardens or wears down. This can be repaired if you're fairly handy with tools. Turn off the main supply as much as possible. If the flow is not too great, remove the screw holding the knob on and pull it off. Use a wrench to remove the packing nut. Put the handle back on and turn it counter-clockwise till the entire stem comes out. Take it to a hardware or home improvement store and ask them for a new washer and packing. Put it all back together the way it was removed. Fixing the main supply may be more difficult depending on where your shut-off is. In some cases, you may have to call the city to turn it off so a repair can be made. This should stop the leak IF the seat is not corroded.

Often, it's a quicker repair if parts are not on the truck, to just replace the faucet. Seats wear out, sometimes after a Winter freeze, the back portion can split. Most plumbers will carry a few lengths of hosebibs on the trucks.