Why You Should Fix a Dripping Tap Promptly

It's easy to ignore a slow drip, but the numbers add up quickly. A tap dripping once per second wastes over 30 litres of water per day — that's roughly 11,000 litres a year. Beyond the water bill, persistent dripping can cause limescale build-up, staining, and even damage to the sink surface over time.

The good news: most tap drips are caused by worn internal parts that are cheap and straightforward to replace.

What You'll Need

  • Adjustable spanner or pliers
  • Flat-head and cross-head screwdrivers
  • Replacement washers, O-rings, or ceramic cartridge (depending on tap type)
  • Plumber's grease
  • A cloth or towel to protect the tap finish

Step 1: Identify Your Tap Type

Before buying parts, you need to know what type of tap you have:

  • Traditional pillar taps: Separate hot and cold taps with a wheel or cross handle. These use rubber washers.
  • Mixer taps (non-ceramic): Single or dual handles controlling both hot and cold. May use washers or O-rings.
  • Ceramic disc taps: Quarter-turn taps that use ceramic cartridges rather than rubber washers. These are common in modern kitchens and bathrooms.

Step 2: Turn Off the Water Supply

Find the isolation valve on the pipe directly below the tap — it usually has a flat-head screw slot. Turn it 90 degrees to close it. If there's no isolation valve, you'll need to turn off the main stopcock (usually under the kitchen sink or where the water mains enters the property). Turn on the tap to release any remaining water pressure.

Step 3: Disassemble the Tap

  1. Remove the tap handle. On most taps, there's a small cover cap (often the hot/cold indicator) that hides a screw. Pop it off with a flat-head screwdriver, then undo the screw.
  2. Lift off the handle. You may need to wiggle it gently.
  3. Unscrew the packing nut (the large hexagonal nut holding the tap mechanism in place) using your spanner. Wrap the tap body in a cloth first to protect the finish.
  4. Pull out the valve or cartridge assembly.

Step 4: Replace the Worn Part

For traditional taps: At the base of the valve, you'll see a rubber washer held by a small nut. Unscrew the nut, remove the old washer, and fit the new one. Apply a little plumber's grease.

For ceramic cartridge taps: Take the old cartridge to a hardware store to match the exact replacement. These simply pull or unscrew out and the new one drops in.

For O-ring leaks (dripping around the base of the spout): These require removing the spout and replacing the O-ring seals around it.

Step 5: Reassemble and Test

Reverse the disassembly steps, making sure everything is tight but not over-tightened (which can crack fittings). Turn the water supply back on slowly and check for leaks. Run the tap fully open for a moment to flush out any debris, then close it and check the drip is gone.

When to Call a Plumber

If the tap body itself is cracked, if you find significant corrosion, or if the drip continues after replacing washers and cartridges, it may be time to replace the tap entirely. A plumber can do this relatively quickly and affordably.