Leaking Tap Repair Guide for Havant Homeowners

Published July 2026 | Leaking Tap Repair

In the First 10 Minutes

The moment you spot a leaking tap, the clock starts. Water damage can escalate quickly, especially if the drip is coming from the base of the tap rather than the spout - that can mean water is tracking along pipework and into your cabinetry before you've noticed anything serious.

Here's what to do right away:

1. Find the isolation valve. It's usually a flat-headed screw slot on the supply pipe directly under the sink. Turn it a quarter turn clockwise to shut off flow to that tap only. You won't lose water to the rest of the house.
2. No isolation valve? Use the stopcock. The main stopcock is typically under the kitchen sink or in the downstairs toilet cupboard. Turning this off cuts all cold mains water to the property. It's a blunter tool but it gets the job done while you arrange a fix.
3. Put something under the drip. A bowl or a rolled-up towel under the spout stops water getting into the cabinet while you sort things out.
4. Don't force the tap. Over-tightening a tap handle when it's already leaking is one of the most common ways homeowners make things worse. The internal washer or cartridge is likely worn - forcing it just shreds it further and can damage the valve seat too.

Most leaks from taps in Havant homes we attend are caused by worn internal components. Nothing catastrophic, but nothing that fixes itself either.

Within the First Hour

Once the water's contained, spend a few minutes working out what you're dealing with. The type of tap and the location of the drip will tell you a lot about what the fix involves.

Identify your tap type

UK homes typically have one of three tap configurations:

• Compression taps - the traditional style with separate hot and cold handles. These use rubber washers that compress against a valve seat. Very common in older Hampshire properties and generally the most accessible to repair.
• Ceramic disc taps - quarter-turn taps with cartridges inside. More modern, increasingly common in kitchens. When these fail, you usually replace the whole cartridge rather than just a washer.
• Monobloc mixer taps - single-spout taps with one or two handles controlling temperature and flow. These often use ceramic cartridges too, and repairs are slightly more involved depending on the brand.

Where is the drip coming from?

The source of the leak matters a great deal. A drip from the spout when the tap is closed points to a worn washer or cartridge. A leak from around the base of the spout or the handle is more likely an O-ring issue. Water seeping from below the tap where it meets the sink could mean the tap body is loose or the back nut has worked free over time.

Take a short video on your phone showing where the water's coming from. When you call a plumber, this saves time and helps them bring the right parts on the first visit rather than having to come back.

Check your water meter

If you're on a metered supply, take a reading before and after shutting off the tap. If the meter was still ticking before you closed the isolation valve, you've confirmed that's the source. It's also worth looking back at recent bills - a persistent drip wastes thousands of litres a year, and you may have already been paying for it.

Same Day

For most leaking tap scenarios, you'll want a plumber in on the same day or the next morning. Not because it's an emergency in the way a burst pipe is, but because leaving it means either water damage risk if the drip is getting into a cupboard, or ongoing waste while your isolation valve holds things at bay.

Finding a plumber in Havant

When you're looking for a plumber in Havant, check they're a member of a recognised trade body such as the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering (CIPHE) or that they carry public liability insurance. For tap repairs you don't legally need a Gas Safe registered engineer - that's only for gas work - so you have a wider pool of qualified tradespeople to choose from.

If you're not sure whether your issue is a simple washer job or something more involved, the Voltrade GoFIX diagnostic tool lets you describe your symptoms and get a clearer picture of the likely fault before anyone turns up. It saves time on the phone and helps the engineer arrive with the right parts.

What to tell the plumber

Before you call, have the following ready:

• The type and approximate age of the tap
• Whether it's a kitchen or bathroom fitting
• Where exactly the water is coming from - spout, base, or handle
• Whether you've been able to isolate the supply
• Whether the leak is constant or only appears when the tap is in use

What will it cost?

For a typical leaking tap repair in Havant, you're looking at somewhere between 80 and 180 pounds for most jobs, including parts and labour. A simple rubber washer replacement on a compression tap sits at the lower end. A ceramic disc cartridge replacement on a designer mixer tap will be higher, particularly if the cartridge is a branded part. Some plumbers charge a call-out fee separately - typically 50 to 80 pounds - so always ask upfront how they structure their pricing before they set off.

The Repair Visit

A tap repair visit typically takes between 30 minutes and an hour and a half, depending on access, tap type, and whether the first diagnosis turns out to be the whole story.

Here's what our engineers usually work through:

1. Isolate and drain. Even if you've already shut the isolation valve, the engineer will confirm the supply is off and briefly open the tap to release residual pressure in the line.
2. Remove the handle and headgear. This means unscrewing the decorative cover, removing the handle, and extracting the internal mechanism. On older taps, this can take a bit of persuasion if things have seized over the years.
3. Inspect the internal components. A worn washer is obvious once you've got it out. Ceramic discs sometimes crack, which you can see when you hold them up to the light. O-rings perish and split, usually in a way that's visible on close inspection.
4. Replace the faulty part. Most engineers carry a range of washers and O-rings. Cartridges are more varied, so some may need to order a specific part if it's an unusual brand or size - Bristan, Grohe, and Hansgrohe all use different cartridge formats.
5. Reassemble and test. The tap gets put back together, the supply is restored, and the engineer checks for drips at both the spout and the base before calling the job done.

If the tap is old, corroded, or the valve seat has been damaged by years of a dripping tap wearing into it, the engineer might recommend replacing the tap entirely. A new tap fitted typically costs between 120 and 300 pounds depending on the style and the labour involved - but it's often better value than repeated repairs on ageing fittings that'll keep coming back.

The Following Week

After a repair, keep an eye on things for the first few days. Here's what to check:

• Check the repair area daily at first. Open the under-sink cupboard and look for any damp patches on the base or around the pipework. A fresh washer bedding in occasionally needs a quick retighten, though this should be uncommon after a quality repair.
• Test the tap across its full range. Run it hot and cold, fully open and just cracked. Leaks sometimes only appear at certain flow rates, so it's worth testing at both extremes.
• Take a water meter reading. Compare it to the reading you took before the repair. If usage looks normal for your household, you're sorted. If it's still elevated, call the engineer back - there may be a secondary issue elsewhere.
• Check the hot water pressure hasn't changed. In some Havant properties, particularly older houses with gravity-fed hot water systems, working on a hot tap can affect overall pressure if air gets into the circuit. A quick check at a few outlets tells you whether everything's balanced.

Long Term

A leaking tap is usually the result of normal wear, but in some homes it's also a sign of wider issues worth addressing before the next repair call comes around.

Hard water and tap wear

Parts of Hampshire sit in a hard water area. The calcium deposits that hard water leaves behind accelerate wear on washers and ceramic discs, and they fur up cartridges over time. If you're finding that taps need repairs more frequently than you'd expect, a water softener or an inline scale reducer on your incoming mains could be a worthwhile investment. It protects not just taps but your boiler, dishwasher, and washing machine too.

Water pressure

High mains pressure is one of the most common causes of repeat tap failures we see in Havant. If your pressure is consistently above 3 bar, it puts stress on internal components throughout your plumbing system - not just taps, but flexible hoses, washing machine valves, and under-sink connections too. A pressure-reducing valve fitted at the mains entry point is a relatively modest cost that pays for itself by reducing callout frequency over time.

Annual checks

Building a quick plumbing check into your annual home maintenance routine makes real sense. A plumber spending 20 to 30 minutes running through your taps, checking under-sink connections, and testing your stopcock (which seizes if it's never used) can catch things before they become problems. Most homeowners who do this find it saves money compared with purely reactive repairs.

Timeline Questions

Can I fix a leaking tap myself without calling a plumber?

If you're comfortable with basic DIY and the tap is a standard compression type, replacing a rubber washer is a task many homeowners manage. You'll need to turn off the water, remove the tap head, extract the headgear, and swap the washer. Ceramic disc cartridges are trickier because sizes aren't universal - getting the wrong one stalls the job. If you're not confident, a plumber in Havant will typically have this sorted in under an hour for a reasonable cost, and you'll know it's been done properly.

How much water does a dripping tap actually waste?

A tap dripping at roughly one drop per second can waste in the region of 15 litres per day, which adds up to over 5,000 litres a year. On a metered supply, that translates into a noticeable increase on your water bill, on top of the environmental cost. A faster drip - one that's more of a trickle than a drop - can lose significantly more. It rarely gets better on its own, and it tends to get worse as the washer continues to wear.

How do I know if I need a new tap rather than a repair?

A repair makes sense when the tap body itself is sound and only the internal components have worn. If the tap is heavily corroded, if the valve seat is pitted (which you can usually feel with a fingertip when the headgear is out), if the body has cracked, or if it's an old tap with parts no longer widely stocked, replacement is the more practical route. Our engineers are usually able to advise on this once they've had a look - in Havant we see a wide mix of tap ages and styles, from Victorian-era fittings to contemporary mixer designs.

Is a leaking tap covered by home insurance?

Most standard home insurance policies in the UK don't cover gradual leaks from taps - they typically cover sudden and unforeseen damage rather than wear and tear. Buildings insurance might cover damage caused by a leak, such as water-damaged cabinetry or flooring, but usually not the cost of the plumbing repair itself. Some home emergency cover add-ons do include plumbing callouts, so it's worth checking your policy wording before you call. Don't assume you're covered without confirming it.