How to Fix a Dripping Tap — DIY Repair Guide

A tap dripping once a second wastes around 5,500 litres of water a year. If it's a hot tap, you're also paying to heat that water. Most drips are caused by a worn washer or failed cartridge and most can be fixed in under an hour with basic tools. This guide walks through the repair for each common tap type and flags the situations where you should stop and call a plumber.

Step 1: Identify your tap type

There are three common designs in UK homes:

• Traditional compression taps — separate hot and cold taps with rising spindle and rubber washer. Need more than a half turn to open. Easiest to repair.
• Ceramic disc taps — quarter-turn action, two ceramic plates inside that slide over each other. No washer; the seal is between the discs. Replacement is a whole cartridge.
• Mixer / monobloc taps — single lever or handle that controls both hot and cold flow. Almost always cartridge-based and brand-specific.

The handle action gives it away. If the handle stops after a quarter turn, ceramic. If you turn more than half a turn from off to full, compression.

Step 2: Gather the right tools

• Adjustable spanner or basin wrench
• Cross-head and flat-head screwdrivers
• Replacement washer set (compression) or matching cartridge (ceramic/mixer)
• PTFE tape
• Old towel and a small container for drips
• Pliers with cushioned jaws (or a cloth) if your tap finish is chrome or brass

Take a photo of the tap before you start. When you've taken it apart, you'll want to remember which way the parts came off.

Step 3: Turn off the water

Find the isolation valves under the basin or sink — small brass fittings on the supply pipes with a flat-head screwdriver slot. Turn the slot to lie across the pipe (the off position). Open the tap to confirm water has stopped.

If there's no isolation valve, turn off the supply at the stopcock (usually under the kitchen sink). Drain residual water by leaving the tap open.

Step 4: Strip the tap

For compression taps:

1. Pop the decorative cap from the top of the handle to expose the screw
2. Unscrew and lift the handle off
3. Unscrew the chrome bonnet (cylindrical cover) — protect it with a cloth if using pliers
4. Unscrew the spindle valve assembly beneath
5. The washer is at the bottom of the spindle, held by a small nut

For ceramic and mixer taps:

1. Pop the cap or lever cover
2. Remove the retaining screw and lift the handle
3. Unscrew the chrome shroud or retaining collar
4. Lift out the cartridge as a single unit

Take the old part to a plumbing merchant or DIY shop to match the replacement. Generic washers fit most compression taps; cartridges are usually brand-specific.

Step 5: Replace and reassemble

Fit the new washer or cartridge. Wrap two or three turns of PTFE tape clockwise around any threaded fitting before refitting. Reassemble in reverse order — finger-tight first, then a final quarter turn with the spanner. Don't overtighten or you'll crush the seal.

Open the isolation valves slowly. Run the tap and check for drips at the spindle, the bonnet, and underneath at the connections. A weep under the chrome bonnet is usually a missing or failed O-ring — strip again and add a new one.

When DIY won't work

Five situations where you'll waste an evening trying to fix it yourself:

• Corroded valve seat. If a new washer drips immediately, the brass seat the washer presses against is pitted or scored. A reseating tool can fix it but it's fiddly and easy to ruin the tap.
• Cartridge no longer available. Tap models from 15+ years ago often have discontinued cartridges. Replacement is usually cheaper than tracking down a used part.
• Leak from the base, not the spout. Water around where the tap meets the basin usually means failed compression nuts or perished base seals — full tap removal required.
• Wall-mounted spout dripping behind tile. Failure inside the wall fitting — don't excavate tiles, get a plumber to diagnose properly.
• Hot tap dripping after a previous repair. Could be system pressure issue or failed pressure-reducing valve, not a tap fault at all.

How much will a plumber charge?

In Peterborough, a standard dripping tap repair costs £75–£120 including the part, depending on whether the cartridge is in stock or has to be ordered. A full tap replacement (where you've bought the tap) is £90–£150. Out-of-hours rates are higher.

Compared to the £40–£70 a year a single dripping hot tap adds to your bills, a plumber visit usually pays back within the same year.

How to prevent future drips

• Don't over-tighten taps when closing them. The seal is made by light pressure, not force. Cranking the handle crushes the washer flat.
• Descale taps every six months in Peterborough's hard water. Limescale in the cartridge body causes binding that damages the seals.
• Service mixer cartridges every 3–5 years proactively. A £15–£40 cartridge refreshes the whole tap.
• Replace washers at five years rather than waiting for the drip. The job is the same either way.
• Fit isolation valves under every sink. Saves drama in any future emergency.

For complex tap issues or older systems, our plumbing repairs team covers tap repairs and replacements across all PE postcodes — usually completed in a single visit.