How to Fix a Leaking Tap in New Milton - A Step-by-Step Repair Guide

Published August 2026 | Leaking Tap Repair

This guide walks you through diagnosing and repairing the most common types of leaking tap found in UK homes, covering everything from a dripping kitchen mixer to a weeping bathroom pillar tap. It's written for homeowners in New Milton and across Hampshire who want to tackle the job themselves before deciding whether to call a plumber.

Before You Start - Safety First

A leaking tap is rarely dangerous, but working on plumbing without taking the right precautions can turn a minor job into a flooded bathroom. Before you pick up a single tool, run through this checklist.

• Locate your isolation valves or stopcock. Most modern taps have inline isolation valves under the sink or basin - small valves on the supply pipes with a slotted screw head. Turn the screw 90 degrees to isolate the water to that tap alone. If there's no isolation valve, you'll need to turn off the main stopcock, which is typically under the kitchen sink or where the service pipe enters the property.
• Know where your main stopcock is before you start. In older New Milton properties, particularly pre-1980s housing, the stopcock can be stiff or corroded. Give it a test before you begin work - the last thing you want is to discover it won't close properly once you've already opened the tap.
• Turn off any boiler or water heater if you're working on the hot water supply. Running a boiler dry can cause serious damage.
• Lay old towels around the work area and keep a bucket handy. There'll be residual water in the pipes even after isolation.
• Don't force anything. Corroded fittings and old brass can crack. If a component won't budge with reasonable effort, stop and reassess rather than reaching for a longer spanner.

What You Will Need

Tools

• Adjustable spanner (a 12-inch one covers most situations)
• Flathead and Phillips screwdrivers
• Allen key set (many modern lever taps use grub screws)
• Slip-joint pliers
• Silicone grease (plumber's grease)
• Small bowl or bucket
• Cloth or old towels

Materials

The parts you need depend on the type of leak and the type of tap. The most common culprits are:

• Rubber washers - used in traditional compression taps. A pack of assorted washers costs around 2 to 4 pounds from any DIY retailer or plumbing merchant.
• O-rings - typically responsible for leaks around the base of the spout or the neck of the tap. An assorted O-ring kit costs 3 to 6 pounds.
• Tap cartridge - used in ceramic disc taps (the most common type in modern homes). Cartridges range from 5 to 30 pounds depending on the tap brand and whether it's a hot or cold cartridge. Some brands like Bristan and Grohe have widely available spares; lesser-known imported taps can be harder to source.
• PTFE tape - useful for resealing threaded connections. A roll costs under 2 pounds.

Time Estimate

For a compression tap washer replacement, budget around 30 to 45 minutes if you've not done it before. A ceramic cartridge swap can take 20 to 30 minutes once you have the right part. If the tap is old, seized, or in an awkward location, add extra time and expect a few stops along the way.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1 - Identify the Type of Tap and the Source of the Leak

Before you disassemble anything, spend a minute working out exactly where the water is coming from. A drip from the spout usually means a worn washer or damaged ceramic disc. Water weeping from around the base of the spout or the neck points to a failed O-ring. A leak around the handle or headgear suggests a packing nut problem. Knowing this upfront saves you taking apart parts of the tap that don't need touching. Our engineers use the Voltrade GoFIX diagnostic tool to log exactly where the leak is before starting work - it's worth being just as systematic at home.

Step 2 - Isolate the Water Supply and Drain the Tap

Close the isolation valve under the sink or basin, or turn off the main stopcock. Then open the tap fully. This does two things: it confirms the water is off, and it drains any residual pressure and water from the supply pipe. Leave the tap open throughout the repair. Don't forget to put a bowl under the spout - there's typically a small amount of water sitting in the pipework above the isolation valve.

Step 3 - Remove the Tap Handle

Most tap handles are held on by a screw concealed under a decorative cap on top of the handle. Gently prise off the cap with a flathead screwdriver - be careful not to scratch the finish. Undo the screw underneath, then lift or pull the handle free. Some lever taps use a grub screw on the underside of the lever rather than a top cap; this is where your Allen key set comes in. In older properties across New Milton, you might encounter traditional cross-head or Supatap designs - these work slightly differently but the principle is the same.

Step 4 - Remove the Headgear or Cartridge

Once the handle is off, you'll see either a hexagonal headgear nut (compression taps) or a cartridge retainer. Use your adjustable spanner to undo the headgear nut, turning anti-clockwise. Wrap the jaws with tape first if you want to avoid marking chrome fittings. Lift the headgear assembly out of the tap body. For ceramic cartridge taps, there's often a retaining clip or nut holding the cartridge in place - remove this and the cartridge should pull straight out. Take a photo before you remove it so you know which way round it goes back in.

Step 5 - Replace the Worn Component

For a compression tap: look at the bottom of the headgear assembly and you'll find a rubber washer held by a small brass nut. Undo the nut, remove the old washer, and fit the replacement. Make sure it's the same diameter. Apply a thin smear of silicone grease to the new washer before reassembly - this extends its life considerably. For a ceramic cartridge tap: compare the old cartridge to your replacement to confirm it's correct (check the body diameter, the number of fixing holes, and the hot/cold designation), then press the new one in the same orientation as the old one. For an O-ring leak at the spout base: you'll need to remove the spout from the body, locate the O-rings in the grooves on the spout shank, roll them off and fit the replacements with a little silicone grease.

Step 6 - Reassemble the Tap

Work in reverse order. For compression taps, hand-tighten the headgear first, then give it a quarter-turn with the spanner - don't over-tighten or you risk damaging the thread or cracking the tap body. Refit the handle and tighten the retaining screw. If you've used PTFE tape on any threaded connections, wrap it clockwise looking at the thread (so it doesn't unravel as you tighten).

Step 7 - Restore the Water Supply and Test

Slowly open the isolation valve or main stopcock. Watch carefully as the pressure builds - check around all the joints you disturbed, not just the tap head. Then close the tap and watch the spout for 30 seconds. If it's still dripping, the replacement part may not be seated correctly. If it's dry, run both hot and cold through a couple of cycles and check again. A successful repair is one that holds up to normal daily use, not just the initial test.

What to Do If This Does Not Fix It

If you've replaced the washer or cartridge and the tap is still dripping, there are a few likely explanations.

The tap seat - the surface the washer presses against inside the tap body - may be scored or pitted. This is common in older Hampshire properties with hard water, which causes limescale and corrosion over time. A damaged seat means the washer can never form a proper seal regardless of how new it is. You can buy a tap reseating tool for around 10 to 20 pounds that grinds the seat smooth, but this is fiddly and not always successful on heavily corroded seats.

The cartridge might be the wrong specification. Even cartridges that look identical can have slightly different ceramic disc diameters, which affects how they seal. Double-check the tap manufacturer and model against the cartridge part number. For popular brands like Bristan or Grohe, this information is usually printed on the cartridge itself or available from the manufacturer's website.

There may be a second fault you haven't found yet. A tap that leaks in two places will still drip after you've fixed the first one. Go back to the start and check every seal in the assembly.

When to Stop and Call a Professional

Some tap repairs genuinely need a professional plumber, and knowing when to stop is as important as knowing how to start.

Call a plumber if the stopcock won't fully close. Working on a tap without being able to isolate the supply properly is unsafe and risks a serious flood. A plumber can fit a new stopcock or isolation valve before carrying out the repair.

Call a plumber if the tap body is cracked or corroded through. No amount of washer-changing fixes a cracked tap body. The tap needs replacing, and this involves disconnecting and reconnecting the supply pipes - a job that's well within a plumber's scope but not suitable for a first-time DIY attempt.

Call a plumber if you find lead pipework when you expose the supply pipes. Lead piping is still found in some older properties in New Milton. Don't disturb it unnecessarily - speak to a plumber about a safe replacement programme.

Call a plumber if the leak is coming from the pipe joints behind or under the tap rather than the tap itself. This isn't a tap repair - it's a pipework repair, and it typically involves soldering or compression fittings.

In Hampshire, a qualified plumber will typically charge between 60 and 120 pounds per hour for call-out work. A straightforward tap repair - sorry, a standard tap repair - usually takes under an hour once they're on site, so budget around 80 to 150 pounds all in for a professional fix including parts. If a full tap replacement is needed, expect 150 to 300 pounds depending on the tap specification and accessibility.

Questions About This Process

Why does my tap drip only when another tap is running in the house?

This is typically a symptom of high mains water pressure rather than a faulty tap washer. When pressure in the system rises - because another outlet is in use and flow dynamics change - a worn washer that was just about sealing gives way. Fitting a pressure-reducing valve on the mains inlet can resolve this, and it's worth asking a plumber to check your mains pressure while they're on site. Normal domestic supply pressure in the UK is around 1 to 3 bar; anything over 3 bar can shorten the life of washers and appliances considerably.

How do I know if I have a compression tap or a ceramic disc tap?

The easiest way is to feel how the tap operates. Compression taps require multiple turns of the handle from fully open to fully closed - you're physically compressing a rubber washer onto a seat. Ceramic disc taps, which are far more common in homes built or refitted after the 1990s, open and close with a quarter-turn of the handle. If your tap handle moves only 90 degrees between fully open and fully closed, it almost certainly has a ceramic cartridge. Most modern New Milton homes fitted with taps in the last 20 years will have ceramic disc taps.

Can I repair a leaking outdoor tap myself?

Yes, the same principles apply - outdoor taps are nearly always compression-type, so a washer replacement is the usual fix. The difference is that outdoor taps in Hampshire are exposed to greater temperature variation, which accelerates washer wear. If your outdoor tap has been dripping through winter, the frost can also split the tap body - check for hairline cracks before you reassemble. It's also worth fitting an isolating valve inside the house on the outdoor tap supply if there isn't one already, so you can drain and isolate the pipe before the cold season each year.