How to Fix a Dripping Tap (Without Calling a Plumber)

Before you start: turn off the water

Find the isolation valve on the pipe beneath the tap (a flat-head slot you turn 90 degrees with a screwdriver). If there isn’t one, turn off the main stopcock — usually under the kitchen sink or where the mains supply enters the house.

Once the supply is off, turn the tap on fully to drain any remaining water from the pipe. Put the plug in the basin first — it stops small parts disappearing down the drain.

Fixing a traditional tap (rubber washer)

This covers the vast majority of dripping taps in older UK homes. The rubber washer inside the tap compresses against a valve seat each time you close the tap — when it wears out, it no longer forms a seal and water drips through.

1. Prise off the decorative cap on top of the handle (usually just pops off with a screwdriver)
2. Unscrew the screw underneath the cap and lift the handle off
3. You’ll see a hexagonal packing nut — undo this with an adjustable spanner (turn anticlockwise)
4. Lift out the headgear (the whole valve assembly)
5. At the bottom of the headgear you’ll see the washer, held in place by a small nut or simply pushed on
6. Remove the old washer and fit the new one — same size, same type
7. Reassemble in reverse order, tighten the packing nut (don’t overtighten — firm is enough), refit the handle
8. Turn the water back on slowly and check

Fixing a mixer tap (ceramic cartridge)

Mixer taps use a ceramic disc cartridge instead of a rubber washer. When it wears or cracks, the tap drips or won’t fully shut off. The cartridge is the whole unit — you replace it rather than just a washer.

1. Remove the handle (usually held by a grub screw under a decorative cap)
2. Unscrew the retaining nut holding the cartridge body in place
3. Pull the cartridge straight out
4. Note the orientation — take a photo before removing so you put the new one in the right way
5. Fit the new cartridge, reassemble, and test

Cartridges aren’t universal — the make and model of the tap matters. If you can find a brand name or model number on the tap body, it makes finding the right replacement much easier.

Leak around the base of the tap (not a drip from the spout)

If water is leaking around the handle or the base of the tap rather than dripping from the spout, the problem is usually a worn O-ring rather than a washer. O-rings are the rubber rings that seal around the tap spindle.

To replace an O-ring: remove the tap head as above, and you’ll see one or more O-rings around the spindle or body. Roll the old one off, smear a tiny amount of grease or petroleum jelly on the new one (makes fitting easier and extends its life), and roll it into the groove.

When to use PTFE tape

PTFE tape (the white thread-seal tape) goes on threaded connections — where a tap connector screws onto a pipe, or where the tap body screws into the basin. Wrap it around the male thread in the direction of the thread (so it doesn’t unravel when you screw the fitting on), 3–4 times around is usually enough. It creates a watertight seal without needing jointing compound. It’s not used on the washer or cartridge itself.