Leaking tap repairs, North Shore
Tap still dripping, even turned off hard?
A basin tap that drips all night, a shower that will not quite shut off, or a kitchen mixer leaking round the handle. Turning it harder only wears it out faster. We strip it down, find the worn part and fix it, usually on the first visit.
- Same day in most cases
- Fixed on the first visit, usually
- Upfront pricing, agreed before we start
- Licenced plumbers, licence 227192C
Sound familiar?
- "It drips even when I turn it off as hard as I can." The washer or the seat it closes on has worn. Forcing it only chews through what is left.
- "The shower won't shut off properly." On a mixer that is usually the cartridge inside. Once it goes, it can fail completely.
- "Water leaks from under the handle when it's running." A perished O-ring in the tap head.
- "We changed the washer and it came back." The seat is pitted, so a new washer has nothing flat to close on. It needs reseating, not another washer.
What happens if you leave it
A drip is wasted water every hour of the day, and it shows on the bill. It also gets worse: a worn seat eats washers, and a failing cartridge can stop the tap turning off at all.
A leak under the handle or at the base runs into the vanity or the benchtop, where it swells the timber and rots the cabinet.
How it goes
Stripped, fixed, reseated, tested
- Ring or book online. Same day in most cases. Tell us which taps are playing up, and a photo helps us bring the right parts.
- We strip it down. Water off, tap apart, and the real cause found: washer, O-ring, cartridge or seat.
- You get the price. Repair or replace, with the reasons, before we start.
- Fixed and tested. New parts in, the seat reseated where it needs it, the tap back together and tested. We carry the common washers, O-rings and cartridges.
Two of our jobs
Leaking taps, fixed properly
Repair it or replace it? A straight answer
A tap with a sound body should be repaired. We will tell you when it is not worth it.
When a repair is right
- The tap body is sound
- It is a washer, an O-ring or a cartridge we can get
- The seat can be reseated flat
When to replace it
- The seat is too pitted to reseat
- Parts for that tap are no longer made
- The body is cracked or corroded
- It is old enough that you would be back in six months
If a new tap is the cheaper answer, we say so, order it in and come back to fit it.
Before you book
What people ask us
What will it cost?
It depends on the tap and what has worn. You get the price before we start, and if there are a few taps playing up, it is worth doing them in the one visit. Upfront pricing, agreed before we start.
Do you do mixers?
Yes. Kitchen, basin, shower and bath mixers, wall taps and garden taps. Most mixer leaks are a cartridge, and we carry the common ones.
Will you have to turn the water off?
For a short while. We isolate the tap or the house, do the work, and turn it back on and test before we go.
Can I bring my own tap?
Yes. If you have bought a new tap, we will fit it. Ask us first if you are not sure it suits the basin or the wall.
Taps on the North Shore since 2007
Our job records run from 2016. Since then we have done more than 2,000 tap jobs, from a dripping washer to a failed shower mixer. Licenced plumbers, contractor licence 227192C.
From our Google reviews
Appreciated the plumber calling whilst on site to provide a full assessment of what needed to be done. Job was done quickly after my initial contact.
Lisa M., Google reviewAlways replied to emails and texts, were good at communicating timings. Knowledgeable and easy to speak with. Great local business.
Tia H., Google reviewThe final price was exactly what he quoted. We will definitely use them again, highly recommended.
Glenn Crouch, Google reviewTap dripping? Book a plumber.
Same day in most cases. We find the worn part, give you the price and fix it before we start on anything else.
Common questions about leaking taps
What makes a tap drip?
Nearly always one of four things: a washer that has hardened and no longer seals, an O-ring worn enough to let water past the head, a mixer cartridge that has failed, or a brass valve seat that has pitted so the washer has nothing flat to close against. Which one it is decides whether it is a ten minute job or a new tap.
Is a dripping tap really worth calling a plumber for?
Yes. A dripping tap is one of the biggest sources of wasted water in a house and it shows up on the bill. It also tends to get worse rather than better, and a seat that has gone badly enough will chew through washers as fast as you fit them.
Can you fix it on the spot?
Usually. We carry washers, O-rings and the common cartridges. If the tap itself needs replacing we will tell you on the day, order the tapware in and come back to fit it.
Do you repair or replace?
Whichever is the better value for you, and we will say which plainly. If the body is sound a repair is the sensible answer. If the seat is pitted and the tap is old, you will be back in six months, so a new tap is cheaper over any sensible length of time.
What do you actually do when you service a tap?
Strip it down, find the cause, replace the washer, O-ring or cartridge, clean out the bonnet, reseat the tap body so the washer has a flat face to close on, check the connections, put it back together and test it. That reseat is the step most people skip and it is why their tap drips again.
Can I just fix it myself?
A washer change on a simple tap is within reach if you know where the stop taps are. Mixers and cartridges are less forgiving, and a seat that needs reseating needs the tool. If you have already had a go and it still drips, that is usually the seat.
Are you licenced and insured?
Yes. NSW licence 227192C, and our own plumbers on every job.
Word gets around
Neighbours telling neighbours. Give us a call and spread the word.
Book a plumber for the taps
Tell us which taps are playing up and the suburb you are in. If water will not turn off, ring us.
Office hours: Monday to Friday, 7am to 5pm.
A photo of the tap helps us bring the right parts.