How do I fix a leaking tap?
A dripping tap usually comes down to one small part inside the tap body.
If your tap has a handle you turn, you fix a leaking tap by replacing the jumper valve, which is the little washer sitting on a stem down inside the tap. It's the bit that presses onto the seat and stops the water, and once that washer hardens or wears flat it can't seal any more, so you get the drip. If it's a single lever mixer tap there's no washer in it at all, and that one's further down the page.
Around here it's almost always the 13mm (1/2") valve. Fix-A-Tap's own sizing guidance is that indoor taps generally take 13mm, and that South Australia, Victoria, the Northern Territory and Tasmania generally use 13mm valves on garden taps as well.
Fix-A-Tap Sealtite Tap Valve 13mm (1/2 inch), 25 Pack
That's the bulk pack of 25, which Fix-A-Tap list as suiting plumbers and DIY both. The Sealtite has a soft dome-shaped washer that presses gently into the seat, so the tap shuts off without you having to haul on it, which really does help if your hands aren't what they used to be.
The order of work, straight off the Fix-A-Tap pack:
- Turn the water off at the mains.
- Take the tap handle off, then unscrew and remove the spindle assembly.
- Replace the tap valve, the body washer and the o-ring.
- Put the spindle and handle back on.
- Turn the water back on and watch it for a minute.
The pack also tells you to smear a bit of tap lubricant on the spindle and the o-ring while you've got it apart, and it's worth doing, because a dry o-ring is the reason a lot of taps go stiff six months later.
How do I know if I need a 13mm or a 15mm valve?
Pull the old one out and measure across it. The 13mm Sealtite is 19mm across the body and suits a tap with a G1/2" inlet. The 15mm one is 22mm across and suits a G3/4" inlet, which is a 19mm (3/4") tap. Fix-A-Tap say the 15mm is mainly used on garden taps in New South Wales and parts of Queensland and the ACT, so it turns up here far less often, but old houses throw up all sorts.
Fix-A-Tap Sealtite Tap Valve 15mm
| Part | Measures | Suits | Water |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sealtite 13mm (1/2") | 19mm diameter | Taps with a G1/2" inlet | Hot and cold, indoor and outdoor |
| Sealtite 15mm | 22mm diameter | Taps with a G3/4" inlet, 19mm (3/4") | Hot and cold, indoor and outdoor |
They're both Australian made, and they are different parts, so one won't stand in for the other.
What if a new valve doesn't stop the drip?
Then it's the tap seat. That's the brass ring inside the tap that the valve presses down onto, and once it's pitted or scored the new washer can't seal against it no matter how good the washer is. Fix-A-Tap name that symptom exactly, water still leaking out of the spout after a fresh valve has gone in, and the answer is a new seat. For a basin tap the push-in stainless one is the straightforward fix.
Fix-A-Tap Basin Tap Reseating Kit 13mm, Stainless Steel
It pushes in rather than needing a cutting tool, and it comes with body washers and size 8.5 o-rings, which Fix-A-Tap say are the most commonly used o-rings on indoor taps. Two things worth knowing before you start. Reseating kits only come in 13mm, so there's no other size to go to, and on an old tap or a shallow seating area the push-in seat sometimes won't go all the way home. For wall taps Fix-A-Tap point you at a screw-in seat instead of this one.
Why is my mixer tap dripping?
A single lever mixer has a cartridge in it rather than a washer, and replacing that cartridge usually sorts the drip out. Before you order one, get the old cartridge out and measure the diameter, then turn it over and look at the base to see whether it's flat or raised. A 40mm flat and a 40mm raised are two different parts, so the measurement on its own won't tell you which you need.
Fix-A-Tap Mixer Tap Cartridge 40mm Flat
That one's the 40mm flat. Fix-A-Tap note the two main cartridge sizes are 35mm and 40mm, with some of the newer slimline taps running 25mm.
If you already know your size, the valves are on the website and they'll come in the post. If you're not sure, take the old part out and bring it in with you, or give us a ring on (08) 8536 4333 and we'll work out what you're holding. A photo of the tap before you pull it apart saves a lot of head scratching later.
Cheers,
Candeece
