How to Fix a Dripping Tap
A dripping tap has two possible cures, and the tap itself decides which one. Here is how to fix a dripping tap without guesswork. Name the tap type, know the one part Queensland law lets an owner swap, and count what the drip costs while it waits.
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Dakabin Plumbing Services sends a licensed plumber to these jobs across Dakabin every week, from 1960s bathrooms to 2000s townhouse mixers. A drip rarely condemns the whole tap: some sealing component inside has worn, and a sound body takes a new part. This page covers the two tap families, the washer swap the rules allow, the meter reading a drip quietly feeds, and the faults a fresh washer cannot cure.
Compression and Ceramic Disc Taps Explained
Most Australian homes run one of two tap types. A compression tap clamps a rubber washer against a valve seat, while a mixer usually closes on a cartridge made of two ceramic discs. Turning a compression handle winds a spindle down, and the jumper valve riding at the spindle's base presses the washer home.
A mixer blends the two temperatures at a single lever, and that lever typically swings only a quarter turn. You can pick your type in a few seconds:
A washer tap
has a hot handle and a cold handle, and each needs multiple full turns to shut.
A mixer
works from one lever, and that lever normally travels just a quarter turn.
A drip in either
means the sealing component is worn, though a hard O-ring or a rough seat produces the same symptom.
A handful of mixers hide a washer rather than a cartridge, and those follow the washer rules below. The townhouse rows here repeat one builder's fittings unit after unit, so a mixer that starts dripping rarely drips alone.
Can Anyone Replace a Jumper Valve or Washer
Yes, if you hold the appropriate knowledge and level of skill. The QBCC treats a washer or jumper valve change inside a tap as unregulated work. The rules ask for no licence and no report, and the finished job still needs to satisfy the minimum standards.
Every other tap part is licensed territory. The QBCC's short list names no cartridge, spindle or valve seat, and its owner guide illustrates licensed work with a tap replacement. Isolate the water first: shut the tap's isolation valve, or the meter's stop tap where the fitting has none.
We stop at the law's edge on purpose and publish no repair steps, because a badly fitted washer still fails the standard. Dakabin Plumbing Services covers every tap fault in one visit through our tap repair service, quoting the job flat-rate before work starts.
What a Slow Drip Does to Your Water Bill
Left running, one slow drip wastes litres by the thousand over time. Every drop passes the meter, and the owner of the property pays for each one, leaks included.
Renters occupy most dwellings here at the last census, so a drip usually gets reported by a tenant while the account sits with an owner. Leaks on the owner's side of the meter are the owner's to fix, so waiting for the utility to raise the alarm helps nobody.
Unitywater offers an adjustment for concealed leaks, yet water wasted by a dripping tap sits outside that scheme, as do leaking cisterns and appliances. Those litres stay on the bill at full charge. A repair quoted at a fixed price before work starts soon undercuts a year of drips.
Why a Tap Drips After a New Washer
A drip that outlasts a new washer was never a washer problem. Water appearing where the handle meets the body, or low around the base, says the same. So does a mixer that keeps running from the spout.
The parts behind those symptoms:
A valve seat scored rough
, which no new washer will seal against.
An O-ring gone hard or a worn spindle seal
, which lets water creep up to the handle.
A loosened nut or connector
, which seeps at the joint.
A body cracked through or badly corroded
, which ends the tap's life.
A worn ceramic disc cartridge
, which gets replaced as one complete unit.
Each of those repairs sits in the minor-work category: a QBCC licensee does the job, permit-free, with nothing to lodge. One habit speeds several of them up: cranking the tap closed. Extra force multiplies wear on both sealing faces and never stops a drip.
When to Call a Plumber
Ring a plumber when the drip outlasts a fresh washer, when water shows up anywhere but the spout, or when the tap is a mixer. Our plumbers diagnose the worn part on the spot and quote the repair flat-rate.
Rentals put a clock on it. Queensland tenancy law treats a dripping tap as a routine repair, and once a tenant reports it, the owner or agent has to arrange the fix within a reasonable time. The meter keeps counting until then, and Dakabin Plumbing Services books these visits across every housing era here.
Tap Drip Questions Answered
Call (07) 3524 0766How do I tell a washer tap from a mixer in Dakabin?
Count the handles. A washer tap gives you one for hot and one for cold, and both wind several rotations before the flow stops. A mixer runs a single lever that normally moves a quarter turn and holds a cartridge of two ceramic discs inside.
Can I replace the cartridge in my mixer tap myself?
No, that work needs a licence. The QBCC's short list of owner jobs covers the washer and jumper valve only, and a cartridge is not on it. The repair is minor work, done by a licensee with nothing to lodge.
Why is my tap leaking around the handle?
Water at the handle points past the washer. The usual causes are an O-ring gone hard, a worn spindle seal, a loosened connector or a body cracked by corrosion. Any of them is a minor repair for a licensed plumber.
Who pays for the water a dripping tap wastes?
The owner does. Unitywater bills every litre that passes the meter, and leaks count as use. The concealed leak adjustment excludes dripping taps, so the waste stays on the owner's account until the tap is fixed.
Talk to Us About the DripWe'll call you back.
Book on (07) 3524 0766 for plumbing anywhere in Dakabin. We're available 24/7, there's no extra charge for nights, weekends or public holidays, and every job comes with $0 call-out fees.
To claim your $0 call-out fee, call (07) 3524 0766 today.