Dripping Tap: Repair or Replace?
What a dripping tap actually costs you in wasted water, when a washer or cartridge fixes it, and when replacement is the smarter spend.
A tap dripping once a second wastes over 5,500 litres a year. If it's the hot tap, you're also paying to heat that water. It's also one of the cheapest jobs in plumbing, which is exactly why it's worth fixing this month rather than putting up with it for another year.
Work out what kind of tap you've got first
Traditional pillar taps — the kind you turn a full half-rotation to close — use a rubber washer. When they drip, the washer's hardened with age. Quarter-turn taps and single-lever mixers use a ceramic disc cartridge, which fails from limescale rather than simple wear.
When a repair is the right call
If the tap body's solid, the finish is in good condition, and it's a recognised brand, a washer or cartridge swap is usually a 20-minute job and by far the cheapest outcome.
When to replace instead
Replace when the tap is a budget mixer where the specific cartridge is hard to source, when the spout base itself is weeping (that's the body seal, not the valve, and usually can't be repaired), or when the finish is visibly pitting or corroding. A decent brass-bodied replacement often costs less over time than two repeated repairs on a cheap one.
Hard water and taps don't mix well
Most of the SW London and Surrey border area sits on hard water, and scale is the single biggest cause of ceramic cartridge failure. Wiping taps dry after use, descaling aerators every few months, or fitting a scale reducer on the incoming main all extend the life of every fitting in the house, including the boiler.
While we're there
Most tap call-outs turn into a quick check of the isolation valves under the sink. If they're seized, the next emergency means shutting off the whole house rather than one fixture — worth having them swapped while we're already there.