Dripping Tap? How to Stop the Drip Safely and Get It Fixed

A dripping tap usually means a worn washer, a tired ceramic cartridge or a perished O-ring inside the tap, and while it isn’t an emergency on day one, it wastes water, leaves limescale stains and can turn into a steady flow if it’s left. If you’re in Clare, Sudbury, Cavendish, Long Melford or a nearby Suffolk or Essex village, here’s how to stop the drip safely for now and get it fixed properly.

Dripping tap: first, work out what kind of drip it is

• Dripping from the spout when the tap is off is the classic sign of a worn washer (on older screw-down taps) or a worn ceramic disc cartridge (on quarter-turn and lever taps).
• Water seeping around the handle or the base of the tap usually points to a worn O-ring or seal rather than the washer.
• Water under the sink or basin is a different problem: it’s likely a leaking tap connector, flexible hose or isolation valve, and it can soak a cabinet without you noticing. Check it straight away. If the water is coming from behind your washing machine, see what to do when your washing machine is leaking.
• A drip that’s getting faster, or a tap that won’t turn off at all, needs the water turning off now. See our guide to a tap that won’t turn off.

Safe steps to take now

1. Don’t keep tightening the tap. Cranking a screw-down tap harder squashes the washer and can damage the seat, and forcing a ceramic or quarter-turn tap past its stop can crack the cartridge. Turn it off firmly, then leave it.
2. Look for an isolation valve under the sink or basin. Many taps have a small valve on each supply pipe beneath them. If there’s a screwdriver slot, a quarter turn so the slot sits across the pipe usually closes it. Some have a small lever or wing handle instead. Make sure you pick the right pipe: hot or cold, depending on which side is dripping. If the valve is stiff, don’t force it.
3. No isolation valve? Use your inside stopcock if the drip is bad. For a slow drip you can usually wait for a repair, but if it’s getting worse, turn the inside stopcock gently clockwise to stop the cold mains. It’s often under the kitchen sink, in a utility room, garage or under the stairs. Our guide to finding and turning off your stopcock shows where to look. Never use grips or force on a stiff valve; read about a seized stopcock if it won’t move.
4. Protect the sink and anything underneath. Put the plug in loosely with a cloth over it so drips don’t run away or mark the enamel, and put a tray or towel under any wet pipework in the cabinet.
5. Check for water near electrics. If water has reached a socket, an appliance or an under-sink water heater, keep away from it. You can reset a tripped RCD or circuit breaker once, only from a completely dry position. If it trips again, leave it off and call a registered (Part P) electrician.
6. Book a dripping tap repair. Fitting the right washer, O-ring or cartridge for your make of tap is usually a quick job for a plumber, and we can tell you if the tap itself is worth keeping or is better replaced.

Things not to do

• Don’t try to dismantle a tap with the water still on, or unscrew the headgear if you’re not sure which valve feeds it.
• Don’t use plumber’s tape, sealant or glue around the spout or handle as a fix. It hides the fault rather than curing it.
• Don’t fit a replacement tap or connector that isn’t suitable for drinking-water supplies. Under the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999, fittings on your supply must be of a suitable quality and installed properly, so it’s worth using a plumber who knows the rules.
• Don’t touch the boiler, or open its casing, because a hot tap is dripping. A dripping hot tap is almost always the tap itself, not the boiler.

When to stop and call us

• The drip doesn’t stop when the tap is fully off, or it’s getting faster.
• You can’t find an isolation valve, or the valve or stopcock is stiff, seized or leaking.
• There’s water in the cabinet under the sink, on the floor, or coming through a ceiling below. Our leak detection service can trace hidden leaks.
• The tap won’t turn off at all. Treat it as urgent and use our emergency plumbing service.
• Your water meter keeps moving even with every tap off. Try our water meter leak check, and contact your water company (Anglian Water or Essex & Suffolk Water) if the leak looks to be on their side of the outside stop tap.

Smell gas or suspect carbon monoxide? Leave the property, open doors and windows if it’s safe, don’t use light switches or naked flames, turn the gas off at the meter only if it’s safe to do so, and call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999. Seek medical advice if anyone has CO symptoms such as headaches, dizziness or nausea. Only a Gas Safe registered engineer may work on gas appliances; you can check one on the Gas Safe Register.

Further reading

• Sudbury plumber for a tap repair, or anything you would rather not tackle yourself
• Anglian Water: leakage leaflet
• Which? Trusted Traders: how to stop a water leak
• Our domestic plumbing services

This is general safety guidance. If you’re unsure, stop and call a qualified engineer.