Outside Tap Leaking or Won't Turn Off
- How urgent
- Caution
- Who fixes it
- A plumber
What's happening?
An outside tap lives in cold, damp air and is used rarely, so its parts seize and perish. Water leaking around the handle is the packing gland at the spindle. A tap that drips from the spout after closing has a worn washer. A tap that will not turn at all is seized by scale or corrosion, and forcing it can snap the spindle. A leak from the wall behind the tap, or from the pipe that feeds it, is a more serious fault and can be frost damage after a cold spell. This differs from the frozen pipes page because the fault here is wear, not an ice burst, though frost may have caused it.
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What usually causes it?
- A worn gland packing or O-ring letting water out of the spindle
- A perished washer so the tap drips from the spout when shut
- Scale or corrosion seizing the spindle thread
- A hose fitted left connected, trapping pressure and wearing the seals
- Frost splitting the body or the pipe behind it in winter
- A cheap tap with a spindle that has worn its thread
- A missing or failed double check valve on the tap, which lets hose water back into the supply
Is it dangerous?
Medium. Water leaking behind a tap into the wall can damp a wall and, in winter, freeze. A hose left connected can also draw dirty water back into the house supply if there is no check valve, which is why the Water Fittings Regulations require a backflow device on a tap with a hose connection.
Can I fix it myself?
Isolate the supply to the tap if there is a valve inside the house; many outside taps are fed from a valve in the garage or under the sink. Drain the tap by opening it. For a leak at the spindle, tighten the gland nut a quarter turn; if it still leaks, lift the nut and repack it with PTFE tape or a new O-ring. For a drip at the spout, replace the washer. Do not force a seized tap with a long wrench: freeing it gently with penetrating oil is safer. Keep a hose disconnected when not in use and drain the tap before frost.
When should you call a plumber?
Call a plumber when you cannot isolate the tap, when water comes from the wall or the pipe behind it, when the spindle snaps, when frost has split it, or when the tap has no check valve and needs one fitted.
What will the plumber actually do?
- Isolate and drain the supply to the outside tap
- Repack the gland or replace the washer, spindle or whole tap
- Free or replace a seized tap and check the pipe through the wall
- Fit a double check valve and an internal isolation valve with drain, so the tap can be shut off for winter
- Test for leaks at the tap and the wall connection under pressure
Who fixes this
- Outside tap installation
- Leak repair
What it usually costs
- Leaking Pipe Repair Cost
- £100–£500 for an emergency burst pipe
Questions people ask
Why is my outside tap leaking from the handle?
Why won't my outside tap turn off?
Does an outside tap need a check valve?
Could frost have damaged my outside tap?
Sources & References
Before you book, read what to check before a plumber starts.
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