How to Fix a Dripping Tap: The 4 Best Ways Step-by-Step

Last updated on October 5th, 2024

Tired of that annoying dripping tap but don’t want to hire a plumber for such a simple job? Learn how to fix it yourself with tips from an experienced plumber. With over a decade of full-time plumbing, I’ve repaired and replaced countless leaking taps.

Before you rush to replace the tap, try these tried-and-true repairs I’ve learned over the years.

How to Fix a Dripping Tap

Here are the ways that I use to fix dripping taps:

1. Replace the cartridge: The most common and easiest way
2. Change the washer: This can only be done on full-turn taps
3. Clean the ceramic tap cartridge: The hardest way
4. Clean tap seat with a tap reseating tool: For when changing the cartridge doesn’t work

Replace The Cartridge

Whether you want to know how to change bath taps, basin taps, or kitchen tap cartridges, if they have two separate handles, then a mixer tap cartridge replacement is the same process. Single-lever mixer taps are different.

Here’s how:

1. Turn off the water and open the tap to let the water out
2. Remove the screw holding the handle onto the tap
3. Unscrew the shroud around the tap cartridge
4. Remove the tap cartridge with an adjustable spanner
5. Fit the new tap cartridge and tighten it with an adjustable spanner
6. Refit the shroud and handle
7. Turn the water on and test the tap

Quarter-turn and full-turn tap cartridges look pretty much the same and use the same process to remove them. The only real difference is quarter turn tap cartridges use ceramic discs to stop the water, and full-turn have rubber washers. If you can’t get an adjustable spanner onto the cartridge you can use a deep socket and ratchet.

Change the Washer

Changing a washer on a tap can only be done on full-turn taps. If you have lever handles on your tap then these will be quarter-turn ceramic disc cartridges which don’t have washers.

Here’s how to change a tap washer:

1. Turn off the water and open the tap to let the water out of the pipes
2. Remove the screw cover from the centre of the tap head
3. Remove the screw
4. Pull off the head
5. Unscrew the shroud around the tap cartridge
6. Remove the tap cartridge using an adjustable spanner
7. Remove the old rubber washer
8. Fit the new washer
9. Refit the tap cartridge and tighten it with an adjustable spanner
10. Refit the shroud and head
11. Turn on the water and test the tap

Clean the Ceramic Tap Cartridge

Quarter-turn taps use ceramic disc cartridges to stop the water instead of rubber washers. These ceramic discs can get covered in dirt and limescale.

Cleaning the ceramic discs is the most difficult way to fix dripping taps. But, sometimes, it is your only option if you don’t want to fit a new tap.

1. Turn off the water and open the tap to let the water out of the pipes
2. Remove the screw holding the handle onto the tap cartridge
3. Unscrew the shroud around the tap cartridge
4. Remove the tap cartridge with an adjustable spanner
5. Remove the red or blue rubber end from the cartridge with a small flat screwdriver
6. Remove the ceramic discs with a small screwdriver
7. Clean the discs
8. Cover the discs in some silicone grease
9. Refit the discs and rubber end
10. Refit the tap cartridge, shroud and handle
11. Turn on the water and test the tap

This is a very fiddly and frustrating way to fix a leaking tap, which is not worth doing in most situations. If I can the same cartridges easily, I will just replace the cartridges.

Clean Tap Seat With a Tap Reseating Tool

A tap reseating tool might just save the day when trying to fix a leaking tap.

This rarely comes out of my tool draw, but it has saved me from having to replace the full tap a couple of times over the years. If you have replaced the tap cartridge and it is still leaking, then the seat of the tap where the cartridge sits inside must be damaged or full of limescale.

You can use a tap reseating tool to grind the seat flat again:

1. Turn off the water and open the tap to let the water out
2. Remove the screw holding the handle onto the tap cartridge
3. Unscrew the shroud around the tap cartridge
4. Remove the tap cartridge with an adjustable spanner
5. Push the tap reseating tool into the tap and screw in the threaded plastic bit
6. Push down on the top and turn the knob on the tap reseating tool to start grinding the seat flat
7. Remove the tap reseating tool
8. Refit the tap cartridge and tighten it with an adjustable spanner
9. Refit the shroud and handle
10. Turn the water on and test the tap

Fix a Dripping Outside Tap

Sometimes outside taps have problems and often they from different places. Most of these problems can be fixed or the tap can be replaced.

There are 3 ways to fix a dripping outside tap:

• Replace the outside tap washer
• Replace the outside tap
• Tighten the gland nut

Replace the Outside Tap Washer

To replace the leaking outside tap washer:

1. Turn off the water supply to the outside tap
2. Open the outside tap to let the water out
3. Turn the larger of the two nuts below the handle with an adjustable spanner anti-clockwise until the tap cartridge and handle are out
4. Pull the old washer off
5. Fit the new washer
6. Refit the cartridge
7. Turn the water back on and test the tap

Replace the Outside Tap

The best way to fix a dripping outside tap is to replace the tap.

Outside taps are cheap, so it’s pointless messing around with washers sometimes.

How to replace an outside tap:

1. Turn off the water supply to the outside tap
2. Open the outside tap to let the water out
3. Turn the tap anti-clockwise with some water pump pliers and unscrew it out of the wallplate
4. Wrap at least 30 wraps of PTFE tape around the thread of the new outside tap
5. Screw the new outside tap into the old wallplate
6. Turn the water back on and test the tap

Tighten the Gland Nut

If your outside tap is leaking from the smaller (gland) nut under the handle, then you can tighten that nut to stop it from leaking.

Turn it clockwise with an adjustable spanner to tighten it.

Mixer Tap Leaking From Spout

A mixer tap leaking from the bottom of the spout can be fixed by replacing the O-ring.

Finding the exact size O-ring to replace it with can be tricky but if you have one:

1. Remove the grub screw in the back of the tap
2. Remove the spout by pulling it out
3. Remove the O-ring from the spout
4. Fit the new O-ring
5. Put some silicone grease around the new O-ring
6. Refit the spout and the grub screw
7. Test the tap for leaks

Tap Leaking From Handle

Having a tap leaking from the handle is usually a sign that the O-ring on the tap cartridge needs to be replaced.

1. Turn off the water and open the tap to let the water out
2. Remove the screw holding the handle onto the tap cartridge
3. Unscrew the shroud around the tap cartridge
4. Remove the tap cartridge with an adjustable spanner
5. Remove the O-ring with a small flat screwdriver
6. Fit the new O-ring
7. Put some silicon grease around the O-ring
8. Refit the tap cartridge and tighten it with an adjustable spanner
9. Refit the shroud and handle
10. Turn the water on and test the tap

Conclusion

Fixing a dripping tap is easy most of the time but can also be very tricky. It’s very rare I ever come across a leaking tap and can’t fix it but sometimes it happens. No matter how many cartridges you try and how much you grind off the seat, it still leaks.

If your leaking tap is old and stiff or wobbly, you might be better off just replacing the tap to save you from the stress (and money) of going through all that and it still drips.

Feel free to ask any questions in the comments below, and I’ll do my best to help. If you found this post helpful, please consider sharing it.

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