How to Fix a Dripping Tap
Fixing a dripping tap starts with one question: which kind of tap is on the sink? How to fix a dripping tap then splits along that line, because a washer tap and a mixer seal differently, and Queensland's rules on who may do the work split the same way. A washer swap sits open to any capable householder, and nearly every other tap repair needs a licensed plumber instead.
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Our Beachmere team repairs taps across the town every week, from the 1970s and 1980s units near the foreshore to newer homes closer to the highway end of Beachmere Road. Here is what each tap type seals with, what the law lets you do yourself, and what a slow drip quietly costs you.
What Seals Inside a Tap That Drips
A compression tap closes a rubber washer onto a valve seat, while a mixer tap usually seals with a ceramic disc cartridge. Both designs stop the flow by pressing one sealing part against another, and a drip means that part has worn.
The quick test tells you which kind is on your basin:
Two handles, hot and cold apart
a washer tap, with each handle needing several turns to close.
One lever
a mixer, which usually turns a quarter and blends the water at the spout.
Inside the washer tap, the spindle winds down when you turn the handle, and a small part called the jumper valve rides on its end to push the washer against the seat. The washer flattens or splits with age, the seat grows rough or pitted beneath it, and the O-ring around the spindle fails too, which usually shows as water at the handle rather than a drip.
One wrinkle: some mixers close with a washer rather than a cartridge. A mixer built that way follows the washer rules in the next section.
Plenty of taps here fit the washer description. Census figures put 84 per cent of homes as separate houses, and much of that stock went up between the 1970s and the 2000s. Original compression tapware still turns in many of those bathrooms and laundries.
Is Changing a Tap Washer Legal in Queensland
Yes, the QBCC lists replacing a jumper valve or washer inside a tap as unregulated work, so no plumbing licence, approval or report applies. The QBCC asks only that whoever does the swap holds the right knowledge and skill, and the finished job must still reach the minimum standards the codes set.
Everything past that washer sits with a licensed plumber:
The cartridge
a ceramic disc cartridge does not appear on the unregulated list, so a mixer repair needs a licensed tradesperson.
The whole tap
the QBCC's own guide for owners uses tap replacement as its example of work that needs a licence.
Isolation first
whoever opens a tap starts by shutting the water off, at the fixture's own isolation valve if it has one, or at the stop tap on the meter.
We give no repair steps here, because the law and good practice both leave the rest of the tap to a licensee.
What a Slow Drip Does to Your Water Bill
A steady drip, the kind that runs all night, wastes thousands of litres before you notice the loss. That is the real problem with a dripping tap: it never stops, so the meter never stops either.
The bill lands on you as the property owner. Owners pay for every drop the meter records, leaks included, and the owner also carries responsibility for leaks anywhere on the property side. Reading the meter to check for a leak is worth doing before any appointment, because it separates a fixture drip from a buried one.
Unitywater, which reticulates water across Moreton Bay, runs an adjustment for concealed leaks. Water lost through leaking taps sits outside that adjustment, along with losses from toilet cisterns and appliances, so a drip never qualifies. Fixing the tap stops the meter turning, and that is the whole point.
Outdoor taps drip the longest here, because nobody watches the laundry tub every day. A garden tap on the way to the Beachmere Bowls Club at 5 Progress Avenue can run all summer before anyone questions it.
When the Drip Is Not the Washer
Three signs point past the washer: a drip that survives a new jumper valve, water showing at the handle or the base, and a mixer weeping from the spout. Each one means a different part inside has failed.
The usual suspects behind those signs:
A valve seat gone rough
, so a fresh washer cannot seal against it.
An O-ring gone hard, or a worn spindle seal
, which pushes water up past the handle.
A joint under the basin or wall flange that has loosened
A ceramic disc cartridge past its life
, which a mixer replaces whole rather than piece by piece.
A tap body split or rusted through
, which the salt air along the bay speeds up on coastal fittings.**
Repairing or replacing any of those parts counts as minor work: a QBCC licensee does it, with no permit and no Form 4. One habit worth breaking first: forcing a tap shut grinds the washer into the seat and wears both faster, so a tighter grip never cures a drip. Our tap repairs service covers the full diagnosis and replacement on homes across town.
Dripping Tap Questions From Beachmere Homes
Call (07) 3523 7172Why does my tap keep dripping after I turn it off?
The sealing part inside has worn out. A washer tap with two handles usually needs a new washer or a dressed valve seat, and a single-lever mixer needs a new ceramic disc cartridge. Winding the tap harder only wears both parts faster.
Why is my tap leaking at the base or handle?
Water showing at the handle or base points past the washer, to a perished O-ring, a worn spindle seal, a joint that has loosened or a cracked tap body. Any of those repairs count as minor work, so ring a licensed plumber.
Does a dripping tap really waste water in Beachmere?
Yes, and Unitywater bills every drop the meter records. A tap on the drip night and day still sends thousands of litres down the drain over months. The property owner pays for all of it, so the slow tap keeps costing you until the worn part is replaced.
What does it cost to fix a dripping tap in Beachmere?
Two things move the price most: which tap you have, and which part inside has worn. A rough valve seat or a corroded body adds time to the job. We set the figure in a fixed quote before any work starts, flat-rate pricing with no hidden fees.
Ring Us About the Tap That DripsWe'll call you back.
Ring (07) 3523 7172 and tell us what's wrong. You get $0 call-out fees, a fixed quote before any work starts and same-day where we can, 7 days a week.
To claim your $0 call-out fee, call (07) 3523 7172 today.