Dripping tap: repair or replace it
A tap dripping from the spout usually has a worn seal: the washer in older screw down taps, the cartridge in single lever mixers. If the tap body is in good condition and the part is still sold for that model, repair it. If it is corroded, leaks in several places or the part no longer exists, replace it.
Why a tap drips
A tap, or a faucet if you grew up with American English, closes because a seal presses against the flow of water. With use and limescale that seal wears and stops closing completely. That is where the drip starts.
Screw down taps
On older taps, with one handle for hot and one for cold, the part that wears is the washer. The classic sign is having to turn the handle harder and harder to stop the drip.
Single lever mixers
On mixers that open and set the temperature with one lever, the seal sits inside a cartridge. When the cartridge wears, the tap drips, gets stiff to move or stops mixing hot and cold properly.
Dripping at the base or under the sink
If water shows at the base of the tap, around the handle or in the cupboard underneath, the problem is no longer the spout seal. It may be a worn ring in the tap body, a loose connection or a flexible hose giving way. Water under a sink ruins the cabinet without being seen.
What you can do yourself
Do not overtighten
Forcing the handle tighter to stop the drip wears the washer faster and can damage the seat it presses on. The drip stops for a few days and comes back worse.
Shut off the water to that tap
There are usually small isolating valves under the basin or sink; closing them stops the drip while you wait. If there are none, or they will not close, use the main stopcock for the flat.
Changing a washer, if you are handy
On a screw down tap, a handy person can change the washer: water off, plug in the drain so nothing falls in, and parts laid out in the order they came off. If the tap will not come apart easily, stop before forcing it. Snapping a part seized by limescale turns a drip into a leak. On mixers the cartridge has to match the original, and that is where calling a plumber pays off.
Repair or replace the tap
When a repair makes sense
If the tap body is sound, with no corrosion or cracks, and the worn part is still sold for that model, repairing it is the simplest route: the washer or cartridge is replaced and the tap closes properly again.
When to replace it
If the tap leaks in several places, the metal is corroded, it has been repaired more than once already or the cartridge for that model no longer exists, replacing it is the better route. It also makes sense if you want a different type, such as one mixer instead of two old taps.
While the water is off
When a tap is replaced, check the isolating valves and flexible hoses that feed it too. If they are seized or worn, this is the moment to change them.
When to call a plumber and how the job goes
Call a plumber if the tap still drips after a new washer, if water shows at the base or in the cupboard, if the isolating valves will not close, or if you have decided to replace the tap. Tap replacement and mixer repairs are part of the plumbing work we do across Porto and Greater Porto, so if you were searching for faucet replacement near you, this is the same job. A drip is rarely urgent, but if the water will not stop even with everything closed, we answer at any hour.
The first contact
Call or WhatsApp +351 928 286 711. A photo of the tap and of what is under the basin helps us see what type it is. If you have already chosen a new tap, tell us. The visit time and how you would like to pay are agreed on the phone.
Diagnosis and the quote
The plumber finds where the water comes from and tells you whether to repair or replace. You get a free quote before we start, with both options when there are two, and the decision is yours. If you rent, you can send the quote to your landlord first. If a part has to be ordered, we tell you how long it will take.
The work and the test
After the repair or the replacement, we turn the water back on, test hot and cold with you and check there are no drips at the spout or underneath.
The invoice
The invoice lists the work and the parts used. That document is your guarantee and what entitles you to complain if anything fails.
Other drips worth a call
If what keeps running is the toilet cistern, the problem is a different part and the right service is toilet repair in Porto. And if the water is no longer dripping but running, from a pipe or under an appliance, treat it as a burst pipe: close the main stopcock first.
Dripping tap questions
Does a dripping tap waste much water?
A drip looks small, but it runs day and night, every day, and ends up showing on the water bill. The faster it drips, the more it wastes.
Is it better to repair or replace the tap?
It depends on the state of the tap body and on whether the part is still available for that model. We give you both options with a quote for each and you decide.
How much does a tap replacement cost?
It depends on the tap and the state of the connections, so we do not quote over the phone without seeing it. The quote is free and given before any work.