How to Fix a Dripping Tap
A dripping tap almost always means one sealing part inside has worn out, and fixing it starts with knowing which tap you have. Working out how to fix a dripping tap properly matters in Deagon, where post-war cottages near the horse-training track still run original washer taps while newer bathrooms carry mixers. Either way, a licensed plumber handles every job except the one small swap Queensland leaves open.
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What Seals Inside a Tap That Drips
A compression tap drives a rubber washer down onto its valve seat to close the flow, while a mixer most often seals at a ceramic disc cartridge instead. The two types are easy to tell apart at a glance.
Washer tap
hot and cold get their own handles, and each one takes a few full turns to shut.
Mixer
one lever does both, usually turning just a quarter.
A drip means the seal has failed somewhere in that closing line. In a washer tap the culprit is the washer, the seat it lands on, or the O-ring around the spindle.
Mixers usually hold the fault in the cartridge. When its discs wear, the whole part comes out and a new one goes in, and it has to be the exact model for your tap, because fittings differ from brand to brand. A mixer that seals with a washer falls under the washer line in the next section.
Can You Change a Tap Washer Yourself
Yes, Queensland leaves one tap job open to you: renewing the washer, the rubber that rides a jumper valve at the foot of the spindle. The QBCC classes the swap as unregulated plumbing, so no plumbing licence, approval or report is required.
The finished job still has to satisfy the minimum standards written into the codes, and it takes someone who knows the work to do it safely.
Everything past that washer is a licensed plumber's job:
- a cartridge is not on the QBCC's short list;
- the QBCC guide for owners names a whole tap replacement as its example of work needing a licence;
- spindle, seat and body work all sit outside the unregulated list too.
If you take that job on, cut the water first: the fixture's own isolation valve if it has one, otherwise the stop tap at your meter. One warning worth repeating: cranking a washer tap hard does not stop a drip, it just chews the washer and its seat out faster, so fix the cause rather than the symptom.
The post-war cottages around the sportsground keep plenty of washer taps on original fittings, so this question comes up often. Houses from the earlier eras often carry taps whose seats have worn from decades of use.
Tap Faults That Need a Licensed Plumber
Certain faults point past the washer swap:
- the drip keeps running after a fresh washer went in;
- water appears at the handle or around the base;
- a mixer drips from the spout.
Each of those points at parts only a licensee may touch:
Valve seat
worn or corroded, so a fresh washer cannot seal against it.
Spindle seal or O-ring
lets water escape up the spindle and out at the handle.
Cartridge
worn discs inside a mixer.
Loose connection or cracked body
corrosion or a fracture in the tap itself.
Repairing or replacing any of those is minor work under Queensland rules, and a QBCC licensee does it without a permit or a Form 4. We carry the common parts, diagnose the fault on site and quote before any work starts.
What a Slow Drip Does to Your Water Bill
A single slow drip sheds thousands of litres of water over the months it goes unfixed. Every drop passes through the meter, and Urban Utilities charges the property owner for every litre the meter records, including water a leak lets through.
There is no relief valve in the utility's fine print either. A concealed leak allowance, which covers hidden pipe breaks under some conditions, does not extend to water wasted by dripping taps, running cisterns or other household appliances. A dripping tap is treated like any other use, so the loss lands on the owner.
That makes a dripping tap a running cost, not just a nuisance, in a suburb of mostly owner-occupied houses. Reading your meter now and then catches slow losses a drip can hide.
When to Ring a Plumber About the Drip
Ring us when the fault sits past the washer, or when you would rather not touch the tap at all. We handle tap repairs across every fixture type, from a stubborn laundry mixer to a garden-variety hose tap.
A visit makes sense if the tap leaks at the base, the drip has outlived a new washer, or the handle turns stiff and gritty. Those jobs are quick for a plumber and expensive to ignore.
Dripping Tap Questions From Deagon
Call (07) 3523 7172Why does my tap keep dripping after I turn it off?
The seal inside the tap has worn out. In a washer tap, look to the washer or the seat underneath it; in a mixer, the cartridge is the usual culprit. Forcing the tap closed only wears parts faster, so it will not stop the drip.
Do I need a licence to change a tap washer in Deagon?
No, the washer swap is the one tap job Queensland leaves open, because the QBCC classes it as unregulated work. Someone who knows the job and has the skill may do it without a licence, and the result still has to meet the minimum standards. Every other tap repair, cartridges included, is a licensed plumber's job.
Can I replace the cartridge in my mixer tap myself?
No, cartridge work needs a licence. Unregulated status covers a tap's washer and jumper valve only, and a cartridge is nowhere on that list. It counts as minor work, which a QBCC licensee carries out without a permit or a Form 4.
Why is my tap leaking around the handle or the base?
Water there points past the washer: usually a perished O-ring or the seal around the spindle, a connection that has worked loose, or a cracked tap body. Those repairs are minor work for a licensed plumber, and we fix the fault in one visit at your Deagon place.
Ring Deagon Plumbing Services About the DripWe'll call you back.
Phone (07) 3523 7172 for a licensed plumber in Deagon. We work under QBCC No: 15024607, with flat-rate pricing, no hidden fees and same-day where we can.
To claim your $0 call-out fee, call (07) 3523 7172 today.