How to Fix a Leaking Tap in Chester-le-Street

Published July 2026 | Leaking Tap Repair Guide

This guide walks you through diagnosing and fixing a dripping or leaking tap at home, covering the most common tap types found in UK properties. It's written for homeowners in Chester-le-Street and the wider County Durham area who want to attempt the repair themselves before calling a plumber.

Before You Start - Safety First

A leaking tap might seem like a minor inconvenience, but left untreated it can waste thousands of litres of water a year and drive up your water bill significantly. Before you pick up a spanner, there are a few things you need to sort out.

The most important step is locating your stopcock - the valve that controls water supply to your home. In most Chester-le-Street properties it's found under the kitchen sink, but it can also be in a utility room, airing cupboard, or near the front of the house. Turn it clockwise to shut the water off. If it hasn't been used in years it may be stiff or seized, so don't force it. If it won't budge, call a plumber before doing anything else.

Once the water is off, turn on the leaking tap and leave it open to drain any water still sitting in the pipes. Put the plug in the sink so you don't lose any small components down the drain - this sounds obvious but it's one of the most common mistakes our engineers see on call-outs.

What You Will Need

Getting the right tools together before you start saves a lot of frustration. Here's what's typically needed for a tap repair:

Tools:

• Adjustable spanner or basin wrench
• Flathead and Phillips screwdrivers
• Allen key set (for newer taps with grub screws)
• Pipe grips or plumber's pliers (wrap the jaws with tape to avoid scratching chrome)
• Cloth or old towel
• Torch

Materials (you'll need to identify your tap type first - see Step 2):

• Replacement washers (rubber, 1/2 inch or 3/4 inch are the most common UK sizes)
• O-rings (various sizes - buy a mixed pack)
• Replacement cartridge (for ceramic disc taps)
• PTFE tape
• Plumber's grease

Time estimate: Allow 30 to 60 minutes for a straightforward washer or O-ring replacement. A ceramic cartridge swap can take up to 90 minutes if you're sourcing a specific part. Parts typically cost between 5 and 25 pounds depending on tap brand and type. If you're buying a complete repair kit from a supplier like Screwfix or Toolstation - both of which have branches accessible from Chester-le-Street - budget around 15 to 30 pounds.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1 - Turn Off the Water and Drain the Tap

Turn your stopcock fully clockwise to isolate the water supply. Open the leaking tap to release pressure and drain the remaining water from the pipework. Keep the tap open throughout the repair so you know instantly if water is still flowing when you think it's off. Lay a towel under the basin to catch any residual drips and protect the cabinet below from water damage.

Step 2 - Identify Your Tap Type

This step matters more than most people realise. There are three main types of tap found in County Durham homes, and each fails differently.

Traditional pillar taps (with separate hot and cold handles) use a rubber washer at the bottom of a brass stem. These are the most common in older Chester-le-Street properties and the easiest to fix. A drip from the spout almost always means a worn washer.

Ceramic disc taps use two ceramic plates inside a cartridge instead of a washer. They're quarter-turn taps - you turn the handle 90 degrees and it's fully on. These don't wear out as quickly, but when they fail, you replace the whole cartridge rather than just a washer.

Mixer taps have a single body with one or two handles controlling both hot and cold. These can use either washers or ceramic cartridges depending on the model. A leak from around the base of the spout is usually an O-ring, while a drip from the spout itself points to the cartridge or washer inside the body.

Step 3 - Remove the Handle

Most tap handles are held in place by a decorative cap covering a screw underneath. Prise the cap off with a flathead screwdriver, then undo the screw below it. Some modern taps use a grub screw on the side of the handle - check with an Allen key if the cap doesn't reveal anything. Once the screw is out, the handle should pull or wiggle off. If it's stuck, resist the urge to force it. Wrap a cloth around it and apply firm, even pressure while twisting gently.

Step 4 - Remove the Headgear or Cartridge

With the handle off, you'll see either a hexagonal nut (on traditional pillar taps) or a cartridge assembly (on ceramic disc taps). For pillar taps, use an adjustable spanner to unscrew the headgear anti-clockwise. The rubber washer is held at the bottom of the spindle by a small nut - remove it, take the old washer off, and press a new one of the same size firmly into place.

For ceramic cartridges, there's usually a retaining clip or nut holding the cartridge in. Remove it, pull the cartridge straight up and out, and take it to a plumber's merchant or builders' merchant to match the replacement exactly. Brands like Bristan, Grohe, and Hansgrohe all use proprietary cartridges, so knowing your tap brand saves a wasted trip. If you're unsure, photograph the cartridge before you leave the house.

Step 5 - Replace the Washer, O-Ring, or Cartridge

For a washer replacement, fit the new rubber washer onto the base of the spindle and tighten the retaining nut. Don't overtighten - snug is enough. Apply a small amount of plumber's grease to the washer before reassembly to extend its life.

For O-ring leaks (common around the spout base on mixer taps), roll the old O-ring off the groove, note its diameter, and roll a new one of the same size into place. A mixed O-ring pack from any hardware supplier will typically cover you. Again, a light coat of plumber's grease helps the seal seat properly.

For cartridge replacement, insert the new cartridge in the same orientation as the old one - there's usually a flat edge or notch that only allows one position. Press it down firmly before replacing the retaining clip or nut.

Step 6 - Reassemble the Tap

Work backwards through the steps. Tighten the headgear or cartridge nut firmly but without over-torquing - brass threads strip easily. Refit the handle, replace the screw, and press the decorative cap back into place. Give everything a visual check before turning the water back on.

Step 7 - Turn the Water Back On and Test

Turn your stopcock slowly anti-clockwise to restore the water supply. Turn it gradually rather than fully opening it in one go - this reduces the chance of a water hammer effect rattling through your pipes. Once the pressure is restored, check the tap in both open and closed positions. Watch around the base of the handle and along the spout for any signs of weeping. Leave it for a few minutes before declaring success.

What to Do If This Does Not Fix It

If the tap is still dripping after a washer replacement, the valve seat itself may be damaged. The valve seat is the metal surface the washer presses against to form a seal. Over time, grit and mineral deposits from hard water can score grooves into it, meaning even a perfect new washer can't form a proper seal. You can buy a valve seat re-grinding tool from plumbing suppliers for around 15 to 25 pounds and grind the seat back to a smooth surface yourself, but this requires a steady hand and some experience to get right.

If you've replaced a ceramic cartridge and the tap still leaks or the handle feels wrong, double-check the cartridge orientation - fitting it 180 degrees out is a common mistake that causes the hot and cold function to reverse or the tap to behave unpredictably. Also confirm the cartridge matches the original - a close-but-wrong part won't seal correctly regardless of how carefully it's fitted.

For persistent leaks around pipework fittings rather than the tap itself, the issue may be with the compression fittings or solder joints further up the supply line. Wrapping PTFE tape around threaded connections can sometimes resolve minor weeping, but if a compression fitting is loose or a soldered joint is failing, that needs proper attention.

Voltrade's GoFIX diagnostic tool can help you narrow down whether the leak is tap-related or coming from somewhere else in your plumbing system - useful before you spend time dismantling a tap that might not be the source of the problem.

When to Stop and Call a Professional

Some situations fall outside what a confident DIYer should attempt. Here's when to put the tools down and book a plumber in Chester-le-Street rather than pushing on.

Your stopcock won't turn. A seized stopcock means you can't safely isolate the water supply. Forcing it can snap the valve stem entirely, leaving you with no way to stop water flow at all. A plumber can free it safely or fit a replacement.

There's visible corrosion on the pipework. If the pipes near the tap show green or white deposits, pitting, or soft spots, replacing a washer solves nothing. Corroded pipework in County Durham homes - particularly in older terraces and semis - can fail under the pressure spike when water is restored after a repair. Get a plumber to assess the condition before proceeding.

The leak is coming from under the basin or behind the wall. A drip from inside a cabinet or a damp patch on a wall indicates a supply line or waste connection issue, not a tap problem. This needs a proper inspection rather than guesswork.

You can't identify the tap type or source the right part. Fitting the wrong washer or cartridge is worse than leaving the tap as it was. If you can't match the part with confidence, a plumber will have the right components and save you from a second call-out.

A plumber's call-out in the Chester-le-Street area typically costs between 60 and 120 pounds for a standard tap repair, inclusive of labour. Parts on top vary but are usually modest for a washer or O-ring job. A more complex cartridge replacement or valve seat repair can push the total to 100 to 200 pounds depending on parts and time on site.

Questions About This Process

How do I know if my tap uses a washer or a ceramic cartridge?

The easiest way to tell is by how the handle operates. If the tap requires multiple full turns to go from off to fully open, it's almost certainly a traditional washer-based tap. If it opens with a quarter-turn - 90 degrees from closed to fully open - it uses a ceramic disc cartridge. Mixer taps sold in the last 15 to 20 years are commonly ceramic, while older individual pillar taps in County Durham properties are more likely to use rubber washers. When in doubt, remove the headgear and look - a cartridge is a distinct cylindrical unit, while a washer is a simple rubber disc on the end of a brass spindle.

Can a dripping tap cause damage to my home if I leave it?

Yes, in several ways. Constant dripping keeps the drain wet and can accelerate limescale and mould build-up around the plug hole and waste fittings. In Chester-le-Street and across County Durham, water is moderately hard, which means mineral deposits form faster than in softer water areas - a dripping tap speeds this process up considerably. If the leak is at the base of the tap rather than the spout, water can seep into the cabinet below, causing wood swelling, rot, and eventually structural damage to the unit. It also adds to your water bill if you're on a meter, with a steady drip wasting anywhere from 5 to 15 litres per day depending on rate.

What size washer do I need for a standard UK tap?

The most common sizes for UK household taps are 1/2 inch for basin taps and 3/4 inch for bath taps, with 1/2 inch being the one you'll need for the vast majority of kitchen and bathroom repairs. That said, sizes aren't universal and older or imported taps can use non-standard dimensions. The safest approach is to remove the old washer first and take it with you to the hardware store to match it physically. A mixed washer assortment pack - available from Screwfix, Toolstation, or any local plumbing merchant - costs around 3 to 5 pounds and gives you a range of sizes to work with, which is worth having in the house regardless.