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Dripping Tap
A tap keeps dripping after it is turned off, or water seeps from the base of the spout.
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What's happening?
A tap seals in one of two ways and the repair is completely different for each. A traditional pillar tap closes a rubber washer onto a brass seat, and a quarter-turn tap closes two polished ceramic discs against each other. A washer tap that drips has usually worn its washer or pitted its seat; a ceramic tap that drips has usually chipped or scaled a disc, and the whole cartridge is replaced rather than repaired. Water seeping from around the base of the spout when the tap is running is a different fault again — that is the O-ring on a swivel spout, not the valve.
What usually causes it?
- Perished or hardened rubber washer on a traditional pillar or bib tap
- Pitted or scored brass seat that a new washer cannot seal against
- Chipped or scaled ceramic disc cartridge in a quarter-turn or single-lever mixer
- Grit from recent pipework carried into the valve and trapped on the seat
- Perished O-ring on a swivel spout, showing as a leak at the base rather than the outlet
- Over-tightening a stiff tap, which crushes the washer and accelerates the wear
- High mains pressure with no pressure-reducing valve, shortening the life of every seal in the house
Is it dangerous?
No — a dripping tap is a nuisance and a waste, not a hazard. The costs are indirect: a constant drip on an enamel bath or a stainless sink stains it, a dripping hot tap wastes energy as well as water, and a metered household pays for every litre. A tap that drips from the base rather than the spout is the one worth catching early, because that water runs under the sink and into the cabinet floor rather than down the drain.
Can I fix it myself?
This is one of the genuine DIY plumbing jobs, provided you can isolate the tap. Close the small isolating valve on the pipe below it, or the stop tap, then open the tap to drain it and put the plug in so screws cannot escape. A washer tap needs the head unscrewing and the washer swapping; a ceramic tap needs the matching cartridge, which is worth taking to the merchant with the old one because they are not standardised. If the seat is pitted, a new washer will drip again within weeks and the tap needs re-seating or replacing.
When should you call a plumber?
Call a plumber if there is no isolating valve and you would have to drain the house to work on it, if the tap is seized and risks twisting the pipework below, or if a new washer or cartridge has not stopped the drip. Also call if the leak is at the base of a monobloc mixer, where the tails and the fixing nut sit in an awkward space under the sink and the flexible tails often need replacing at the same time.
What will the plumber actually do?
- Isolate the tap locally and check the isolating valve actually holds before opening anything up
- Identify the valve type and fit the correct washer, ceramic cartridge or spout O-ring
- Re-cut a pitted seat, or replace the tap where the body is beyond a reseat
- Replace perished flexible tails and check the fixing nut and back-nut under the basin
- Check the pressure the tap is working against and advise on a pressure-reducing valve where it is high
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