Why is my tap dripping, and can it be repaired?
A dripping spout almost always means a worn washer or a worn ceramic cartridge inside the tap. Many taps can be repaired with a new part; a cheap or unbranded tap is often better replaced.
Where the water appears tells you a lot. A drip from the spout with the tap turned off is a sealing problem inside the valve. Water around the handle or the base is usually a worn O-ring or a loose fixing. Send a photo of the tap and, if you can, the brand name, and we'll tell you which is more sensible before you book.
- Traditional tap, drip from the spout
- Usually a worn rubber washer on the valve.
- Quarter-turn tap, drip from the spout
- Usually a worn ceramic disc cartridge.
- Single-lever mixer dripping
- A worn cartridge, often damaged by limescale.
- Water around the base or handle
- Worn O-rings or a loose tap fixing.
- Weak flow from one tap
- Often a blocked aerator or a half-closed isolation valve.
Which new tap will work with my water pressure?
Check the tap's minimum pressure before you buy. Many modern taps are designed for mains pressure and give a poor flow on older gravity-fed hot water systems.
If your hot water comes from a cylinder in an airing cupboard with a cold tank in the loft, your hot pressure may be low. Look for a tap rated for low pressure, often listed as suitable from about 0.1 or 0.2 bar. With a combi boiler or an unvented cylinder, most taps work well. Then match the tap to the holes in your sink or basin:
- Pillar taps
- Separate hot and cold taps, one in each of two holes.
- Monobloc mixer
- One tap through a single hole, hot and cold mixed inside.
- Two-hole bridge mixer
- One spout across two holes; useful when replacing pillar taps.
- Pull-out or spray kitchen tap
- Needs space under the sink for the hose to move.
Can you fit a new kitchen sink?
Yes. Swapping an inset sink for one the same size is the simplest job, and we often fit a new sink and tap together on the same visit.
A different size or style takes more planning. A bigger bowl may mean enlarging the worktop cut-out, an undermount sink needs a solid worktop such as stone or solid wood, and a ceramic Belfast sink needs a unit built to carry its weight. We also reconnect the washing machine or dishwasher waste to the new trap, so the appliances work as before. Tell us what you're fitting when you send photos and we'll price it as one job.
What types of bathroom basin can you fit?
We fit pedestal, semi-pedestal, wall-hung and countertop basins, along with their taps and wastes. Replacing like for like on the same pipework is quickest.
Wall-hung and semi-pedestal basins need a wall that can take secure fixings, and the pipework is more on show, so it needs to be neat. Countertop and vanity basins hide the pipes in a cabinet. Most modern basins come with a click-clack or pop-up waste and a bottle trap, which we fit and test with the basin full.
- Pedestal
- The pedestal hides the pipes and supports the basin.
- Semi-pedestal
- Fixed to the wall, with a short pedestal covering the trap.
- Wall-hung
- Needs solid fixings; leaves the floor clear.
- Countertop or vanity
- Sits on or in a unit that hides the plumbing.
What causes leaks from the waste under a sink?
Most leaks from the waste side come from a loose trap nut, a perished washer or a failed seal around the plug or overflow. They usually show when the sink drains, not when the tap is off.
Our guide to leaks under the sink walks you through finding the exact spot. When we come out, we take the trap apart, replace worn washers or the whole trap, reseal the waste fitting and check the overflow, then fill and drain the sink a few times to prove it.
How does Leicester's hard water affect taps?
Leicester is supplied by Severn Trent and the water is hard. Limescale clogs tap aerators, stiffens handles and wears the ceramic cartridges inside mixer taps sooner.
Unscrewing and soaking the aerator in a limescale remover every few months keeps the flow up. Wipe chrome taps dry where you can and avoid abrasive cleaners, which damage the finish. If the same tap keeps scaling up, a filter or limescale protection under the sink can help, and we can price that on the same visit.
What affects the price of a tap or sink job?
New sinks, basins and changes to pipework sit higher.
You get one fixed price before any work starts. These are the things that move it:
- Repair or replacement
- A new washer or cartridge costs less than a new tap.
- Access under the sink
- Tight cabinets and seized nuts take longer.
- Isolation valves
- Fitting them where none exist adds a little to the job.
- Same size or different
- New worktop cut-outs or pipe positions add work.
- Who supplies the parts
- Your own tap, or one we source, is listed in the quote.