How to Fix a Dripping Tap
A dripping tap gets fixed by renewing whichever sealing part inside it has worn, so the real question is which part. That is how to fix a dripping tap in plain terms, and on most taps the answer is a washer, a cartridge or a seat.
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Albany Creek Plumbing Service sends a licensed plumber to dripping taps across Albany Creek most weeks. The suburb's homes from the 1960s to 1980s eras largely carry washer taps, while area-level approvals added 114 dwellings in 2021-22 alone, and those newer houses run single-lever mixers.
What Seals Inside a Tap That Drips
A washer tap shuts off when a rubber washer presses onto a brass seat; a mixer most often shuts off through a cartridge holding two ceramic discs. Whichever design you have, a drip means that sealing surface has worn or been damaged.
The quick test takes seconds and needs no tools:
A washer tap
has separate hot and cold handles, each needing several turns to close. The spindle winds down, and the jumper valve riding at the spindle's foot carries the washer down onto the seat.
A mixer
blends hot and cold at one lever, usually a quarter turn from off to full flow.
Two other suspects sit close by: the O-ring sealing the spindle, and the seat itself, which pitting can roughen until no washer holds it. Most mixers seal with a cartridge, though not every one does. A mixer built around a washer follows the washer rules below.
Why a Tap Drips After a New Washer
Several signs point past the washer: a drip that outlasts a new one, water around the handle or base, and a mixer weeping from the spout. Those signs name the likely parts:
- a seat worn rough or pitted, so no washer can settle cleanly against it
- a spindle seal or O-ring finished, letting water track up the stem
- a fitting under or behind the tap gone loose
- a ceramic-disc cartridge at the end of its service life
- a body cracked or badly corroded, which no replacement part cures
Each of those repairs counts as minor work a QBCC licensee handles, needing neither a permit nor a Form 4. That keeps the job quick and the paperwork nil.
One habit makes things worse. Forcing the handle closed presses the washer harder against the seat and ages both, so a firm grip never stops a drip. The tap wants a part renewed, not more pressure.
Can Anyone Replace a Jumper Valve or Washer
Yes, Queensland lets you renew the jumper valve or washer in your own tap without a licence. The QBCC names that single job as unregulated, so no licence is required, no approval and nothing to lodge, as long as the result still meets the minimum standards.
The rest of the tap is another story. A cartridge is not on the list, and the QBCC's guide for owners uses a full tap replacement as its example of work needing a licence.
Isolate the water first: shut the tap's isolation valve, or the meter's stop tap where the fixture has none. The repair steps themselves stay with whoever does the job.
What a Slow Drip Does to Your Water Bill
A slow drip can run to many thousands of litres given enough time. Every drop registers on your meter, and Unitywater bills the property owner for all of it, leaks included.
Relief is narrower than most owners expect. An adjustment exists for concealed leaks, but Unitywater excludes water lost through leaking taps, along with cisterns and other appliances. A drip counts as ordinary use, so the bill keeps rising until the tap is sorted.
Checking the meter yourself is worth doing, since the utility won't flag a leak for you. A meter creeping overnight with every tap off is telling you something.
When to Call a Plumber
Ring a plumber once a drip outlasts a fresh washer, once water shows at the base or handle, or once the tap itself is done. Our tap repairs page walks through what the visit covers, from finding the fault to closing it off.
Every job is done by a licensed plumber under QBCC No: 15024607. Small fault, quick fix, no permit required.
Dripping Tap Questions Answered
Call (07) 3524 7137Do I need a licence to change a tap washer in Albany Creek?
No, the QBCC leaves that swap unregulated, so it needs no licence, no approval and no report, provided the finished work reaches the minimum standards. All the other tap jobs, from cartridges to seats, go to a licensed plumber.
Is a plumber needed to fix a dripping tap?
No, not when the fault is the jumper valve or washer, which you may renew yourself. Yes for everything else: a cartridge, a worn spindle, a damaged seat or a new tap is minor repairs or replacement, and a licensed plumber does that work.
Why does my tap leak at the base or handle?
Those leaks usually point past the washer. The likely causes are a finished spindle seal or O-ring, a fitting gone loose, or a cracked or corroded tap body. A licensed plumber repairs or replaces those parts.
Who pays for the water a dripping tap wastes in Albany Creek?
The owner of the property does. Unitywater bills all the water the meter registers, drips included, and the owner carries responsibility for leaks on the property side. The utility's concealed leak adjustment leaves out leaking taps, so a drip brings no relief on the bill.
Ring Us About That DripWe'll call you back.
Ring (07) 3524 7137 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) 3524 7137 today.