How to Repair a Leaking Tap in Tunbridge Wells

Published September 2026 | Leaking Tap Repair Guide

This guide covers how to diagnose and fix the most common causes of a dripping or leaking tap, from worn washers to failed cartridges and damaged O-rings. It's written for homeowners in Tunbridge Wells and the wider Kent area who are comfortable doing basic DIY and want to try the repair themselves before calling a plumber.

Before You Start - Safety First

Plumbing repairs might seem low-risk compared to electrical work, but a mistake here can still cause significant water damage to your property. Before you touch anything, locate your stopcock - typically found under the kitchen sink, in a utility room, or sometimes in a cupboard near the front door. Turn it clockwise to shut off the mains supply. If your stopcock is stiff, do not force it hard enough to crack it; if it won't budge, call a plumber. You'll also want to open the faulty tap fully once the water is off. This releases any residual pressure in the pipe and drains what's left in the supply line.

Keep a bucket and some old towels close by. Even after the supply is shut off, water sitting in the pipework above the tap will come out when you open things up. It's also worth photographing the underside of the basin or sink before you start - our engineers find that a quick photo saves a lot of head-scratching when it comes to reassembly.

What You Will Need

Getting the right tools and materials together before you start saves multiple trips to the hardware shop mid-job. Here's what you'll typically need:

Tools:

• Adjustable spanner or a set of open-ended spanners
• Flat-head and cross-head screwdrivers
• Pipe grips or a pair of long-nose pliers
• A small utility knife or Stanley blade
• Bucket and old towels

Materials:

• Rubber tap washers in assorted sizes (pack from around 2 to 5 pounds at any DIY store in Tunbridge Wells)
• O-rings in assorted sizes
• PTFE thread seal tape
• Silicone plumber's grease
• Replacement ceramic disc cartridge (if applicable - typically 5 to 25 pounds depending on the brand)

Time estimate: A washer or O-ring replacement on a traditional pillar tap should take a reasonably confident DIYer around 30 to 45 minutes. If you're dealing with a mixer tap, a thermostatic valve, or a tap that hasn't been serviced in years, allow up to two hours. Older properties common in parts of Kent - particularly Victorian and Edwardian terraces - sometimes have taps that are corroded into place, which adds time.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1 - Work Out Where the Leak Is Coming From

Before pulling anything apart, identify exactly what's leaking and from where. A drip from the spout when the tap is closed usually points to a worn washer or a failed ceramic disc. Water seeping around the base of the spout or the body of the tap typically means a degraded O-ring. A leak around the top of the tap handle or under the headgear nut often indicates the packing inside the valve needs replacing. Getting this right first means you buy the correct parts and don't disassemble more than you need to.

Step 2 - Isolate the Water Supply and Drain the Line

Turn off the water at the stopcock. If the tap has an isolating valve on its supply pipe (a slotted screw fitting on the pipe under the sink - turn it a quarter turn so the slot runs across the pipe), use that instead. Open the faulty tap fully and let it run until the flow stops completely. Put your bucket in position. Turn off any nearby hot water systems or immersion heaters that feed that tap - you don't want to be reheating a full tank unnecessarily while the system is open.

Step 3 - Remove the Tap Handle

Most tap handles are held in place by a screw hidden under a decorative cap on top. Pop the cap off with a flat-head screwdriver - be gentle to avoid damaging the finish. Undo the screw underneath (usually a cross-head), then lift or pull the handle straight up. Some handles need a little wiggling if they've been in place for years. Do not yank or twist hard, as the tap body can crack if it's brass or older ceramic. Once the handle is off, set it aside with its screw somewhere safe.

Step 4 - Remove the Headgear or Cartridge

You should now see the headgear - a large hexagonal nut that sits on top of the tap body. Use your adjustable spanner to turn this anti-clockwise. Hold the tap body steady with your other hand or a second spanner; don't rely on the pipework to absorb the torque. Once the headgear nut is loose, unscrew it by hand and lift out the headgear assembly. In a ceramic disc tap, you'll lift out a cartridge instead of a traditional headgear. These cartridges are press-fit or lightly screwed in. Note the orientation carefully - photograph it if you're unsure - as these must go back in the same way.

Step 5 - Replace the Washer, Disc, or O-ring

At the base of the headgear, you'll find a rubber washer held in place by a brass nut. Undo this nut, remove the old washer, and compare it against your replacement pack to find the correct size. The washer should sit flush with no overhang. If the seat it presses against inside the tap body feels rough or pitted when you run a finger around it, the tap may need re-seating - a job that requires a tap re-seating tool and is worth considering handing over to a professional at that point.

For ceramic disc taps, inspect the cartridge for cracks, chips, or debris. If it's damaged, replace the whole cartridge with an exact match. Take the old one to a plumbing merchant in Tunbridge Wells or use the brand name stamped on it to order online. Apply a small amount of silicone grease to any rubber O-rings before fitting the new parts.

If the leak was around the base of the spout, the O-ring is your target. These sit in a groove around the lower part of the tap body. Use the tip of a small screwdriver to ease the old one out, roll the new one to the correct position, and press it firmly into the groove.

Step 6 - Reassemble the Tap

Work in reverse order. Refit the headgear or cartridge, making sure everything is correctly aligned. Hand-tighten the headgear nut first, then give it a firm quarter to half turn with the spanner - tight enough to seal, but not so tight that you crack the tap body. Refit the handle, tighten the screw, and replace the cap. Apply two or three wraps of PTFE tape to any threaded connections if you've disturbed them during the process; this helps prevent future weeping at the joints.

Step 7 - Turn the Water Back On and Test

Close the tap before restoring the water supply. Turn the stopcock back on slowly. Watch the base of the tap, the supply connections under the sink, and the headgear area for any signs of seeping water as pressure builds. Once the flow is fully restored, open and close the tap a few times. The drip from the spout should be gone. Run the tap for 30 seconds and watch closely. If the repair has held, you're done. If water is still seeping anywhere, turn the supply off again and investigate before the leak worsens.

What to Do If This Does Not Fix It

If you've replaced the washer or cartridge and the tap still drips, the likely cause is a damaged valve seat - the brass ring inside the tap body that the washer presses against to form a seal. Over time, especially in areas with harder water (and Kent's water can be moderately hard in places), limescale builds up and the seat can become scored or corroded. You can re-cut the seat using a tap re-seating tool, which most plumbing merchants hire or sell, but this is a step beyond basic DIY for most people.

The Voltrade GoFIX diagnostic tool can help you narrow down whether the issue is the seat, the cartridge, or something further along the supply line - useful if you're not sure what you're looking at before spending money on parts.

If the tap body itself is cracked, or the fitting is leaking at the supply connection rather than from the tap mechanism, the scope of the repair changes significantly. A persistent leak at a compression fitting may just need the olive re-seating and the nut tightening, but if the pipe or fitting is corroded, you're into territory where cutting out and replacing sections of pipework may be necessary.

When to Stop and Call a Professional

There are situations where the most sensible thing to do is put your tools down and call a qualified plumber. Our engineers in and around Tunbridge Wells deal regularly with jobs that started as DIY repairs and escalated. Here's when to stop:

• The tap body or pipework is visibly cracked or corroded through
• Your stopcock won't turn off fully, leaving live water pressure in the pipe while you work
• The tap is connected to a combi boiler or unvented hot water cylinder - these systems operate under mains pressure and any mistakes can be dangerous
• The leak is from behind a wall or under a floor, suggesting a pipe joint or fitting has failed
• You've replaced the washer and the tap still leaks significantly after a second attempt
• The pipework moves or feels unstable when you apply pressure with a spanner

A professional plumber callout in the Tunbridge Wells area typically costs between 80 and 150 pounds for the visit and a basic repair, depending on whether it falls within standard working hours. Emergency callouts outside those hours will cost more - commonly between 150 and 300 pounds depending on the time and complexity of the job. Getting the repair done properly first time is nearly always cheaper than fixing a botched attempt.

Questions About This Process

How much does a professional leaking tap repair typically cost in Tunbridge Wells?

For a standard tap washer or cartridge replacement carried out by a qualified plumber in Tunbridge Wells, you'd typically expect to pay between 80 and 150 pounds including labour and basic parts. That figure can rise to 200 to 350 pounds if the valve seat needs re-cutting, new pipework is involved, or the job requires working with a pressurised system like a combi boiler. Most plumbers in the Kent area charge a fixed callout fee plus an hourly rate, so asking for a quote upfront is always worth doing.

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

It can. A tap dripping at a modest rate can waste hundreds of litres of water each month, which adds up on a metered supply. More importantly, persistent moisture around a basin or under a sink encourages mould growth and can, over time, damage the cabinet beneath, the sealant around the basin, and even the floor if water seeps through. In older properties - common across many parts of Kent - the pipework and fittings are often less forgiving of prolonged stress from a faulty connection. Dealing with a drip promptly is almost always cheaper than the remediation work that follows water damage.

How do I know whether I need a new washer or a full cartridge replacement?

The type of tap tells you most of what you need to know. Traditional pillar taps, the kind with separate hot and cold handles and a visible headgear nut, almost always use rubber washers. Modern single-lever mixer taps and quarter-turn taps use ceramic disc cartridges. If you turn the tap handle and it rotates through multiple turns before the water stops, it's likely a washer-based tap. If it stops in a quarter turn or less, it's almost certainly a ceramic disc. When in doubt, take the headgear out and look - a rubber disc at the bottom means washer; a flat ceramic plate inside a cartridge body means you need the full cartridge.