A dripping tap seems trivial, but a single drip a second wastes thousands of litres a year - and on a hot tap, that's heated water you're paying for. The good news is that tap repairs are among the cheapest plumbing jobs there are.
A washer or cartridge swap is usually £60-£120 with a plumber. A full tap replacement is £80-£180 plus the cost of the tap itself.
Typical UK Prices
| Job | Typical price |
|---|---|
| Replace a washer or O-ring | £60-£100 |
| Replace a ceramic cartridge | £80-£130 |
| Fix a leaking tap base / spout | £80-£150 |
| Supply & fit a new tap | £90-£200 |
| Replace isolation valves | £70-£140 |
What Affects the Price
- Tap type
- A traditional washer tap is cheapest to fix; a mixer or designer tap with a cartridge costs a little more.
- Access
- A seized tap or one in an awkward, cramped spot takes longer to free and reseat.
- Parts
- A washer is pennies; a branded cartridge or a new quality tap is the main cost on a replacement.
Why a Drip Is Worth Fixing Now
- A steady drip wastes thousands of litres a year - and money on a hot tap
- Constant moisture stains the sink and bath and breeds limescale
- A worn washer only gets worse, and can seize the tap if left
- A leak at the base can rot the worktop or cabinet beneath
Washer, Cartridge or New Tap?
- Drip from the spout
- Usually a worn washer (traditional taps) or cartridge (mixer taps) - the cheapest fix.
- Leak around the base or handle
- Often a perished O-ring or seal where the tap meets the sink.
- Old, corroded or scaled-up tap
- Past a certain point, a new tap is better value than repeatedly repairing the old one.
Can You Fix It Yourself?
- Turn off the supply at the isolation valve under the sink first
- A washer swap is genuinely DIY with basic tools
- Cartridges vary by brand - take the old one to match it
- If the tap is seized or the connections are corroded, call a plumber rather than risk a bigger leak
How Much Water Does a Drip Really Waste?
It's easy to shrug off a drip, but the numbers add up fast. A tap dripping once a second wastes thousands of litres a year - and if it's the hot tap, you're paying to heat every drop that goes down the plughole. On a water meter that's money straight out of the door, and even without one it's needless waste. That's why a £60-£100 repair pays for itself surprisingly quickly, and why letting a drip run is the false economy.
Hard Water Is Hard on Taps
In hard-water areas, limescale is the silent tap-killer. It builds up inside the valve and around the spout, holds washers slightly open, and chews through seals faster than soft water does. If you're forever fixing the same tap, scale is usually the reason. Descaling the aerator and fitting quality ceramic-disc cartridges helps, and in really hard areas a water softener pays back across every tap, the kettle and the appliances too.
DIY or Call a Plumber?
A washer or cartridge swap is a fair weekend job if you're handy and you've isolated the supply first. Where it's worth calling a plumber is when the tap is seized solid, the connections beneath are corroded, or the isolation valve itself won't shut off - force any of those and a small drip can become a real leak you can't stop. A plumber also carries the right cartridges and seals, so they fix it in one visit rather than three trips to the merchant. For a job this cheap, many people simply rather have it done properly and guaranteed.
If the leak isn't the tap but somewhere you can't see, our leak detection guide explains how it's traced. For wider call-out rates see the emergency plumber cost guide, and if a tap or valve has failed and won't shut off, get an emergency plumber on the way.