Dripping taps can be frustrating to deal with. However, it’s not something that requires a lot of work to repair and can easily be done at home on your own with just a few tools and a bit of knowledge.
That being said, it’s still good to mention that if you’re unfamiliar with DIY repairs or don’t want to risk potentially damaging something, it’s best to call a plumber to seek professional advice before setting to work on your leaking taps.
Remember, different types of taps may require specific tools or additional steps, especially if you are carrying out work on a mixer tap instead of independent hot and cold taps. Consulting a professional or referring to manufacturer instructions can provide more accurate guidance.
Look under the kitchen sink to see if there are valves to shut off the water supply. If the dripping tap isn’t in the kitchen, then look for a way to shut off the water supply to the entire room.
If you’re unable to locate the valve, then you may need to cut the water supply to your entire home instead. If you still can’t find it, it may be best to ask a friend with plumbing experience or to look around your home.
If the pipes are exposed and visible, following them may reveal where the valve is. Some valves need to be turned with a screwdriver while others can be turned by hand.
Removing the tap head will be different depending on what type of tap it is.
Some taps need to be pried open with a flathead screwdriver while others will require you to remove a cap (sometimes the hot or cold indicator) with a wrench or even just your fingers.
Once this cap has been removed, it will reveal a hidden grub screw that can be unscrewed to gain access to the tap.
To prevent yourself from losing any of the parts, we’d recommend putting them aside in a small box so that nothing gets lost.
You may also want to give them a clean if possible because they may contain lots of different gunk or dirt that has accumulated over many years of use.
Once organised, we can move on to the next step.
The previous three steps are designed to help you access and open your tap. Next, we’ll be talking about the different types of components that you may encounter and how to replace them in order to fix your dripping tap.
Remove the cap that you located in the first part of this article then use a screwdriver to unscrew and release the handle itself.
This will open up the tap and give you access to the valve cover.
You’ll need to use an adjustable spanner or a wrench to remove the existing valve cover.
This is usually one of the main causes of a dripping tap and this part can easily be replaced with a newer piece.
If you followed step 3 in the first section then you’ll probably have everything on the side cleaned and ready to be assembled back into a full tap.
Follow the reverse order of how you disassembled the tap and you’ll be left with a fully-working tap that does not drip or leak.
Repeat the same for the other tap (if applicable) and you’re good to go.
As with the ceramic disc valve, you need to find out how to open the tap.
Using the steps from the first section you should end up prying open the cap and revealing a screw that can be turned in order to remove the entire tap head.
Use an adjustable spanner or a wrench to remove the valve from the tap. This will usually require a lot of force and they can become stuck.
However, once you’ve made the initial turn, it should become easier to remove from the housing.
The black plastic piece on the base of the valve is the rubber washer that we’re looking to replace.
If this wears out or is damaged under heavy use, then it can be the cause of a leak because it’s not stopping any water.
Make sure the rubber washers you purchase fit snugly in the valve so that you reduce the risk of further leaks.
Reverse these steps in order to successfully reassemble the tap that should now be free of leaks.
This is similar to replacing the rubber washer on the previous section by the location of it is different.
This will usually be done in a number of different ways, but it’s common to just remove a screw at the base and back of the spout.
Once done, it’s simply a matter of twisting it to release the spout from its tap.
Once you have revealed the inside of the spout, you’ll immediately see the black spout o-ring. It might be necessary to actually use a screwdriver or another thin instrument in order to pry the o-ring off.
Make sure your replacement o ring is the same size and fits properly around the base of the spout.
Once the o-ring is in place, you now can screw the spout back onto the base of the tap and you should hopefully be free of a leaky tap once again.
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