Fixing a leaking tap

Leaking taps are usually quite simple to fix, and well worth trying to do the job yourself.

What you’ll need

If your tap is leaking from the spout you will also need: If your tap is leaking from the head you will also need:

Shutting off the water

First, check under your sink. If you’re lucky enough to have a 1/4 turn valve on the pipe connected to your tap, give it a quarter turn with a screwdriver. Test that all is good by turning on the tap. Water should no longer come out.

A 1/4 turn valve under a sink. Turn the screw 45 degrees to close the valve. Picture one shows the value open. Picture 2 shows it closed.

Not all sinks have 1/4 turn valves in place, so you may need to shut off the water supply. If you’re working on a hot water tap, turn off the water heating first.

There is usually a valve under the kitchen sink which is your main water supply valve. Now, (for both cold water taps and hot water taps) turn off this cold water supply. If you are working on a cold water tap, simply check that water no longer flows from the tap when it is turned on. If you are working on a hot water tap, turn on the tap and let the hot water run until it no longer flows.

Your hot water supply might have a different water feed. If you have gravity fed hot water system, you usually will have a cold water tank in your loft, which feeds into the hot water cylinder. The cold water tank will have a float operated value in it. You can hold the float in the top position by placing a piece of wood over the tank and tying the float to it. This should stop water flowing into the cold water tank, allowing you to drain the system by leaving a hot water tap open.

Fixing the leak

A tap can either leak from near the head of the tap, or from the spout. Usually a rubber seal is to blame, or the valve seat, which is where the tap washer seals against.

The components of a typical tap

Fixing a leak from the head of the the tap

Some taps contain a washer underneath a compression nut. A leak from here can be easily remedied. First try to tighten this nut a 1/8 of a turn. This may be all you need to cure the problem, but if not, simply follow the steps below.


First, fully open the tap and undo the compression nut.

Wrap PTFE around the shaft and push it down on top of the old rubber seal. Then simply tighten the compression nut again.

For taps without a compression nut, take the tap apart as below. Remove the circlip from the head, push out the spindle casing and replace the "O rings".

Fixing a leak from the tap spout

Taking the tap apart


1) Remove the handle: The handle of the tap is usually screwed in place with a screw hidden beneath a cover. Some plastic handles cover the whole tap and simply pull off.

2) Remove the cover or plastic inner cover. These covers usually unscrew. If you need to use a spanner to remove the cover use a cloth to protect the surface of the tap.

3) Unscrew and remove the head and spindle.

4) The washer can now be removed. Sometimes a small nut is used to hold it in place. Sometimes the washer simply pulls off, as in the case of this outside tap.

Fixing the problem

Once the steps above have been completed, the washer can be replaced. Inspect the surface the washer sits on. If it is pitted or uneven (often a problem in hard water areas) then a tap reseating tool should be used to create a smooth surface.

Re-fitting the components is the reversal of removal

Turning the water back on

This is the reversal of turning the water supply off. Don’t forget to turn the water heating back on, but check that water has filled any hot water tanks before you do.