How to Fix a Leaking Tap in Rugby

Published August 2026 | Leaking Tap Repair Guide

This guide covers how to diagnose and repair a dripping or leaking tap, from isolating the water supply through to replacing the washer, O-rings, or ceramic disc cartridge. It's aimed at Rugby homeowners who want to attempt the repair themselves and want to know exactly what they're getting into before they pick up a spanner.

Before You Start - Safety First

Turning off the water before you open a tap is non-negotiable. Skip this step and you'll have water pouring through your cabinet, soaking the floor and potentially dripping through to the ceiling below - all to save sixty seconds of prep.

Here's what to do before you touch anything:

• Find your stopcock and turn it fully clockwise until it stops. In most Rugby properties it's under the kitchen sink, in the cupboard beneath the stairs, or near the front door in a utility cupboard. In some older terraces, particularly in areas like Newbold or Hillmorton, the stopcock may be outside near the pavement and accessible with a flat key from Severn Trent Water.
• Open the leaking tap fully to drain the residual water from the pipe. Hold a cloth under the spout - there'll still be some pressure left in the system.
• Put the plug in the basin or sink before you start removing components. Washers, screws and the small brass nut on a jumper unit are all small enough to vanish down a plughole without a second's warning.
• If the tap you're working on has an isolation valve on the supply pipe beneath it - a small flathead slot that turns 90 degrees - you can use that instead of the main stopcock. This lets the rest of the house keep running.

Once the water's off and you've confirmed the tap is draining, you're ready to start.

What You Will Need

Getting the right parts and tools together before you start saves a second trip to the merchant halfway through the job with the water still off. What you need depends on your tap type, but here's our standard checklist.

Tools

• Adjustable spanner - ideally two, one to hold the tap body and one to undo the headgear
• Flathead and Phillips screwdrivers
• Allen key set (most modern mixer taps use a 2mm or 2.5mm key for the grub screw)
• Small basin wrench for hard-to-reach supply nuts
• PTFE tape
• Old cloth or towel to protect chrome and mop up drips

Materials

• Replacement washer - most UK pillar taps use a 1/2 inch washer; buy a multipack for around 2 to 5 pounds from any plumber's merchant or DIY store
• O-rings - sizing varies by tap, so take the old one to the shop to match it; a pack typically costs 2 to 6 pounds
• Ceramic disc cartridge if you have a quarter-turn tap - these run from around 5 to 25 pounds depending on the brand and specification
• Silicone grease to lubricate the new O-rings before fitting

Time Estimate

A basic washer replacement on a traditional pillar tap takes most people 30 to 45 minutes, including isolation and testing. A ceramic cartridge replacement can take a bit longer, particularly if the cartridge has seized in position. Allow an hour if it's your first time, and don't start the job if you're going to need running water within the next two hours.

Step-by-Step Instructions

The vast majority of dripping taps come down to either a worn washer on a traditional tap or a failed ceramic disc on a modern quarter-turn tap. These instructions cover both. If yours is a mixer tap with a single lever, the cartridge replacement process is similar to the ceramic disc section - the cartridge simply pulls out as a complete unit once the handle is off.

Step 1 - Isolate the water supply and drain the tap

Turn off at the stopcock or isolation valve as described above. Open the tap fully and let it drain. Check it's actually stopped flowing before continuing - if water is still trickling, your stopcock may not be closing fully, which is a separate problem covered in the section below.

Step 2 - Remove the tap handle

On traditional pillar taps, use a flathead screwdriver or your fingernail to prise off the decorative cap on top of the handle - it's usually marked H or C in red or blue. Underneath is a screw, typically Phillips. Remove it and lift the handle straight up. On lever-style mixer taps, look for an Allen key grub screw on the underside or rear of the lever handle. Loosen it and pull the handle away from the tap body.

Step 3 - Unscrew the headgear

With the handle off, you'll see the headgear - the large hexagonal nut that holds the tap mechanism in place. Wrap your cloth around the tap body and spout to protect the chrome, then use your adjustable spanner to turn the headgear anticlockwise. It can be very stiff on older taps that haven't been touched in years. Hold the tap body steady with your free hand or a second spanner to avoid putting torsional stress on the supply pipework below.

Step 4 - Replace the washer or ceramic disc

At the base of the headgear assembly is the jumper unit with the washer pressed onto it. On some taps the washer is held by a small brass nut - undo it with pliers, pull off the old washer and fit the new one. Tighten the nut finger-tight plus a quarter turn with the pliers. Overtightening splits the washer immediately. If you have a ceramic disc cartridge instead, the whole unit pulls out as one piece. Note the orientation of the disc before removing it - some are directional - then press the replacement in, ensuring it seats fully in the housing.

Step 5 - Check and replace the O-rings

While the headgear is out, inspect the O-rings on the spindle. These rubber rings seal the spindle where it passes through the tap body and stop water leaking from around the handle rather than the spout. If they look flattened, cracked or shiny, replace them now rather than reassembling and finding out in two weeks. Roll the new O-rings over the spindle, apply a small amount of silicone grease, and press them into their grooves.

Step 6 - Reassemble the tap

Screw the headgear back in clockwise - hand tight first, then firm with the spanner. You're looking for snug, not maximum force. Overtightening the headgear damages the seat and makes the next repair harder. Refit the handle, tighten the screw, and push the decorative cap back on.

Step 7 - Restore the water and test

Turn the stopcock back on slowly. Let the system pressurise, then close the tap and watch for a full minute. Check the spout for drips, look at the base of the handle for weeping around the spindle, and check underneath the sink for any movement at the compression fittings. A brief burst of air through the spout when you first open it is normal. If everything's dry and the drip has stopped, the job's done.

What to Do if This Does Not Fix It

If the tap is still dripping after a washer or cartridge replacement, there are a few likely causes.

A damaged valve seat. The seat is the internal surface the washer presses against. In hard water areas like much of Warwickshire, limescale deposits and long-term wear can pit and score the seat so badly that a new washer can't seal against it. A tap reseating tool - available from plumber's merchants for around 15 to 35 pounds - grinds the seat smooth. It takes patience and a steady hand but works well on most solid brass tap bodies.

The wrong washer size. A 1/2 inch and a 3/4 inch washer look similar but aren't interchangeable. Check the original washer size against what you fitted, particularly if you're working on an older tap where the sizing isn't always marked.

A leak from the spindle rather than the spout. If water is coming from around the handle instead of the spout, the packing nut or O-rings are the issue rather than the washer. Sometimes a quarter-turn clockwise on the packing nut with the water on is enough to stop it without a full stripdown.

A corroded tap body. Warwickshire's older housing stock - Victorian and Edwardian properties in particular - can have tap bodies that are corroded internally beyond what a washer can fix. If the brass looks pitted, green or shows visible cracking, the tap body itself has failed and needs replacing.

When to Stop and Call a Professional

Most washer replacements are manageable, but some situations need a professional's tools and experience.

• The stopcock won't fully close. If you can't isolate the water, don't attempt the tap repair. This is common in Rugby properties where the stopcock hasn't been operated in a decade. A plumber can replace the stopcock first and then address the tap.
• There's corrosion or damp on the pipework behind the tap. A dripping spout is sometimes the visible sign of a bigger pipe problem. Our engineers often run the Voltrade GoFIX diagnostic check before opening a tap in older properties - it can reveal underlying pressure issues that aren't obvious from the drip alone.
• You can't shift a seized headgear. Forcing a seized nut risks snapping the tap body or cracking a ceramic basin. Penetrating spray, a heat gun and patience can help, but if it's not moving after reasonable effort, stop. The cost of a new tap plus a plumber is less than the cost of a new tap plus a plumber plus a new basin.
• The tap is a thermostatic mixer or shower valve. These have internal components that control scald protection and require specific cartridge specifications. Fitting the wrong cartridge can compromise the temperature limit.
• The leak is at a pipe joint, not the tap itself. Compression fittings and solder joints need different techniques and, for anything involving gas, Gas Safe registered engineers only.

If you're calling a plumber in Rugby, expect to pay typically 60 to 100 pounds as a call-out fee, with tap repair labour running at roughly 50 to 80 pounds per hour. Parts for a basic washer or cartridge job are usually under 15 pounds. A full tap replacement including the tap unit typically comes to between 130 and 280 pounds depending on the tap spec and the complexity of the fitting.

Questions About This Process

Why is my tap still dripping after I replaced the washer?

The most common reason is a damaged valve seat - the internal surface the washer presses against. If it's scored or pitted, even a perfect new washer can't form a seal. A tap reseating tool can grind it smooth for around 15 to 35 pounds. It's also worth checking you fitted the correct washer size and that the headgear nut is properly tightened - not so tight that it distorts the washer, but firm enough that there's no movement. If the drip is coming from around the handle rather than the spout, the issue is the O-rings, not the washer.

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

The quickest test is how far the handle turns. Traditional washer taps require multiple full rotations to go from closed to open - typically two or more complete turns. Ceramic disc taps are quarter-turn: 90 degrees takes you from fully off to fully open. Inside, washer taps have a rubber disc at the base of the headgear; ceramic disc taps contain a sealed cartridge housing with two flat ceramic discs. Identifying the type before you buy parts is important because the repair process and components are completely different between the two.

How much water does a dripping tap waste, and is it worth fixing quickly?

A tap dripping once per second typically wastes around 5,000 litres of water per year - a significant figure if you're on a water meter, which many Rugby households have moved to in recent years. At current water rates in the Severn Trent area, that can add 10 to 15 pounds per year to your bill from a single tap. Beyond cost, persistent dripping wears the valve seat faster, meaning what starts as a simple washer job can develop into a more involved repair the longer it's left. Fixing it promptly is nearly always the cheaper option overall.