How to fix a dripping tap: washers, ceramic discs and cartridges

A dripping tap is rarely an emergency, but it wastes water, leaves limescale stains and gets worse over time. The fix depends on what is inside the tap. Most UK taps use one of three mechanisms, and once you know which you have, the part is usually cheap.

What kind of tap do you have?

Turn the handle and count.

• Several full turns from off to fully on: a traditional compression tap with a rubber washer. Common on older pillar taps and bath taps. A drip from the spout usually means a worn washer or a worn seat (the brass surface the washer presses on).
• A quarter turn or half turn from off to on: a ceramic disc tap. Two ceramic discs with holes in them line up to let water through. A drip usually means a chip or grit on the discs, or a worn seal at the base of the cartridge.
• A single lever that controls flow and temperature: a single lever cartridge mixer. The whole cartridge is usually replaced. Cartridges are specific to the tap maker and model.

Pillar taps are the classic separate hot and cold taps, one per hole. Mixer taps blend hot and cold through one spout. A two-handle mixer has a mechanism under each handle, so if it drips, turn each side off firmly in turn to find which one is at fault. See mixer and bath taps for more on tap types.

Sizes: 1/2in and 3/4in

UK tap bodies are usually one of two thread sizes:

• 1/2in (often written 12.7mm or 15mm for the pipe it connects to): basin taps and most kitchen taps.
• 3/4in (often written 19mm or 22mm for the pipe): bath taps.

Ceramic disc cartridges also vary by the spline, the toothed top the handle pushes onto, and by spindle length. Take the old part to the shop or compare it carefully with the product listing.

Isolate the tap first

Never take a tap apart with the water on. Mains pressure will blow the headgear out of your hand.

1. Look under the basin or sink for an isolating valve on each supply pipe. Turn the slot or lever so it is across the pipe.
2. If there is none, close the main stopcock. Some hot taps are fed from a cylinder via a tank in the loft. Closing the stopcock stops the cold, but the hot can keep running from the tank. You may need to close a valve on the cylinder's cold feed or drain down the hot. If you are not sure how your hot water is fed, stop and ask a plumber.
3. Open the tap fully to let the water drain, and put the plug in so small parts cannot fall down the waste.

Fixing a washer tap

1. Prise off the cap on the handle, undo the screw and lift off the handle. Older taps may have a metal shroud that unscrews.
2. Hold the tap body still with one hand, or with a cloth and a second spanner, so you do not twist the tap in the basin. Undo the headgear nut with an adjustable spanner.
3. Lift out the headgear. The washer is on the bottom, held by a small nut or pressed onto a button.
4. Fit a new washer of the same size. Clean any scale off the seat inside the tap body.
5. Refit, open the isolating valve slowly and test.

If the drip comes back quickly, the seat may be worn. Seats can be reground with a reseating tool, but at that point many people replace the headgear or the tap.

Fixing a ceramic disc tap

1. Remove the handle as above.
2. Undo the cartridge with a spanner, holding the tap body still.
3. Check the rubber seal on the base. If it is worn, a new seal may cure it. If the discs are chipped, replace the cartridge.
4. Buy a cartridge with the same thread, spline count and spindle length, and check whether it turns clockwise or anticlockwise to close. Hot and cold usually turn opposite ways on a pair of taps.

Fixing a single lever mixer

Remove the lever, then the shroud and retaining nut, and lift out the cartridge. Take it, or the tap's make and model, to a stockist. Generic cartridges exist, but the maker's spare is safest.

When a dripping tap is urgent

• Water is leaking from under the tap, round the base or from the connector, rather than out of the spout. That water goes into the cabinet or floor where you cannot see it.
• The tap will not turn off at all.
• The drip is hot and constant, which costs energy as well as water.

Isolate the tap and fix it, or call a plumber, the same day. See hiring a plumber for what to ask.

Tap parts at Wickes

Check the size, spline and spindle length against your old part before you buy.

We haven't tested this. Figures are as the maker states them (checked 13 November 2026).

Why does my tap still drip after a new washer?

The seat inside the tap body is probably worn or scaled, so the new washer cannot seal. Clean the seat, or replace the headgear or the tap.

Can I put a ceramic disc in an old washer tap?

Conversion kits exist for some taps, but the thread and spindle have to match the tap body. Take the old headgear to the shop.

Which way do I turn the isolating valve under the sink?

A quarter turn so the slot or lever is across the pipe. In line with the pipe is open.