How to Fix a Dripping Tap
Learning how to fix a dripping tap starts with one question: which tap is on the basin? Washer taps and mixers seal differently, and Queensland law treats their repairs differently too. A licensed plumber from our Keperra team swaps washers, cartridges and whole taps across the suburb most weeks, from postwar cottages to the newer detached homes at the edges.
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Plenty of Keperra houses still run two-handle compression taps installed decades ago and repaired rather than replaced ever since. A mixer arrived later in most rooms, so the two types often share one bathroom here.
Is Your Tap a Washer Tap or a Mixer
A compression (washer) tap shuts off water by pressing a rubber washer onto a valve seat, while a mixer usually does its sealing with a ceramic disc cartridge. The washer rides down on a jumper valve at the spindle's foot; winding the handle drives that valve onto the seat until the flow stops.
The quick check:
Washer tap
a handle for hot and a handle for cold, each winding through several full turns.
Mixer
one lever, mostly moving just a quarter turn.
A drip tells you the sealing part has worn. On a washer tap, suspect the washer first, though a perished O-ring or a scored valve seat causes the same symptom. A mixer usually points to its cartridge. A mixer that seals with a washer follows the washer rules below.
When the Drip Is Not the Washer
A drip that survives a new washer, water at the handle or base, or a mixer dripping from the spout all point somewhere else. Each sign names a different failed part.
The usual suspects:
- a valve seat scored by grit or years of over-tightening
- a perished O-ring or spindle seal
- a loose connection under or behind the tap
- a failed ceramic disc cartridge
- a cracked or badly corroded tap body
Repairs and replacements on those parts are minor work for a QBCC licensee: no permit, no Form 4. Forcing the handle shut never cures a drip; it just wears the washer and the seat faster. Our tap repairs service covers every part on that list.
Can You Change a Tap Washer Yourself
Yes, Queensland allows a home owner to change a tap washer, within limits. Replacing a tap's jumper valve or washer sits on the QBCC's unregulated list, so no plumbing licence, approval or report applies. The work stays open to anyone with the appropriate knowledge and level of skill, and it still has to reach the minimum standards.
Everything else on a tap belongs to a licensed plumber. A ceramic disc cartridge never appears on that short list, and the QBCC's owner guide names replacing a whole tap as its example of licensed work.
Safety comes first if you attempt the washer:
- close the tap's own isolation valve, or
- close the meter's stop tap if the tap has no isolator.
We stop at that point on purpose. The QBCC only permits the swap for people who already hold the knowledge and skill it requires, so we publish no steps.
Why a Small Drip Is Worth Fixing
Thousands of litres can run through one slow drip over time. The total climbs with every extra drip, and none of it is free water.
The bill lands on the owner. Under Urban Utilities, the owner pays for all the water the meter records, leaks included. The utility's concealed leak adjustment leaves leaking taps out, so a dripping spout earns no adjustment the way a hidden pipe leak under a lawn can.
Add the seat damage that over-tightening causes, and a drip fixed early stays a small job. Left for months, it grows into seat work and a bigger bill.
When to Call a Plumber
Call a plumber when the drip survives a washer swap, when water shows at the tap's base, or when the body is cracked, corroded or due for replacement. A tap leaking from the base is not a washer job, and neither is a mixer with a worn cartridge.
One hot water note: a tap that runs cold rather than dripping has a supply problem, not a tap problem. Those calls spike at the first cold snap of winter, when the elderly tanks in the postwar cottages here give up on the first genuinely cold morning.
Dripping Tap Questions From Keperra Homes
Call (07) 3523 7121How do I tell a washer tap from a mixer?
A washer tap has separate handles for hot and cold that each take several turns to close. A mixer works from one lever, usually a quarter turn, and its sealing part is normally a ceramic disc cartridge.
Do I need a licence to change a tap washer in Keperra?
No, not for the jumper valve or the washer. The QBCC treats that swap as unregulated work, so no licence, approval or report is needed, provided the work still meets the minimum standards. Every other tap job needs a licensed plumber.
Is a plumber needed to fix a dripping tap?
Yes, for anything past the washer. A ceramic disc cartridge, a spindle, a worn valve seat or the tap itself are all jobs for a licensed plumber, either as minor repair work or a full replacement.
Does a dripping tap really waste water?
Yes, a slow drip can waste thousands of litres of water over time. Under Urban Utilities you also pay for whatever the meter records, and leaks are no exception.
Ring Our Plumbers About the DripWe'll call you back.
Ring (07) 3523 7121 and tell us what's wrong. You get $0 call-out fees, a fixed quote before any work starts and same-day where we can, 7 days a week.
To claim your $0 call-out fee, call (07) 3523 7121 today.