A dripping tap is almost always a worn seal, not a plumbing emergency, and it is genuinely worth fixing rather than living with. A single dripping tap can waste a meaningful amount of water over a year, and the part responsible — a washer, O-ring or cartridge depending on the tap type — typically costs only a few pounds or dollars.
Why taps drip
A tap seals by pressing a washer, rubber seat, or ceramic disc against the water outlet when closed. Every time you use the tap, that seal is compressed and released, and over years the rubber hardens and wears, or scale builds up on the mating surface and stops it seating cleanly. Eventually it stops sealing fully, and water finds its way through — usually as a drip that gets worse gradually rather than appearing suddenly.
Identify your tap type first
The repair differs by tap design, so identifying yours before you buy parts saves a wasted trip:
| Type | How to recognise it | What usually fails |
|---|---|---|
| Compression (two handles, traditional) | Handle turns multiple full rotations to close | Rubber washer at the base of the stem |
| Ball type (single lever, older style) | One lever moves over a rounded ball mechanism | O-rings and the ball seat springs |
| Cartridge (single or double lever, modern) | Lever moves smoothly with a quarter-turn feel | The cartridge itself, as a sealed unit |
| Ceramic disc (modern, often lever style) | Very smooth, precise action, often expensive tap ranges | The ceramic disc cartridge |
How to fix it
Turn off the isolation valve under the sink if there is one, or the main stopcock if not. Turn the tap on afterwards to release pressure and confirm the water is off before starting.
- Plug the drain
Put the plug in or cover the drain with a cloth. Small screws and springs from inside a tap are very easy to lose down an open plughole.
- Remove the handle
Most handles are held by a single screw, sometimes hidden under a decorative cap on top that pries off with a small flat screwdriver. Lift the handle straight off once the screw is out.
- Access the mechanism
Depending on the type, you will find either a threaded stem to unscrew (compression), a retaining nut over a ball assembly, or a cartridge held by a clip or nut. Take a photo before removing anything, and keep parts in the order you remove them.
- Replace the worn part
For a compression tap, replace the washer at the base of the stem and check the O-ring further up. For ball or cartridge types, the whole assembly is usually replaced as a unit rather than repaired piece by piece — take the old one with you when buying a replacement, since these vary significantly between manufacturers.
- Check the seat
On compression taps, run a finger over the seat the washer presses against inside the tap body. If it feels rough, pitted or scaled, a new washer will wear quickly against it — a seat dressing tool can smooth it, or the seat itself may need replacing on some tap designs.
- Reassemble and test
Rebuild in reverse order, turn the water back on slowly, and check for both drips at the spout and leaks around the handle or body. Tighten gently rather than forcing — over-tightening cracks ceramic components and strips threads.
If a pair of taps was fitted at the same time, the second one is usually not far behind the first in wear. Replacing both washers or cartridges in one job saves doing the whole process again a few months later.
Choosing the replacement part
Take the old part with you to a hardware shop rather than ordering by description alone — washer sizes and cartridge designs vary enough between manufacturers and even between product ranges from the same manufacturer that a mismatch is a common and avoidable frustration. For cartridge and ceramic disc taps, the brand and model are often printed somewhere on the tap body or the original box if you still have it.
When to call a plumber
Call a plumber if the isolation valve itself will not close or is seized, if the tap continues leaking after a part replacement (which can indicate a worn or damaged seat that needs more than a washer swap), if you find corrosion or damage to the supply pipe while working, or if the tap is an expensive designer fitting where the wrong part or a botched reassembly would be costly to put right.
Stop and call a qualified appliance technician or electrician if you find scorched or melted wiring, smell burning, see water that has reached electrical components, or if the fault returns immediately after a repair. Never bypass a safety device — thermal fuses, door interlocks and flood switches fail for a reason, and defeating one converts a broken appliance into a fire or flood risk.
