How to Fix a Dripping Tap
A dripping tap traces back to one worn sealing part, and the right fix depends on the tap's design and on Queensland law. Working through how to fix a dripping tap means answering three questions: which tap you own, what the QBCC lets an unlicensed householder touch, and where the licensed work begins.
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Homes across Gordon Park show both tap generations. The older weatherboard houses built out after the 1890 and 1920s estate sales mostly grew up with compression taps, and plenty still run them today. At the last census the suburb counted 1,807 homes, with newer infill units joining those interwar cottages along the roads that once carried the tram toward Gamelin Crescent.
Anything beyond a washer swap is a job for a licensed plumber, and Gordon Park Plumbing Services handles those repairs every week. This page explains the line the law draws and what a drip costs you while it runs.
Compression and Ceramic Disc Taps Explained
Compression taps and mixers seal in two different ways: a compression tap winds a rubber washer down onto a brass seat, while a mixer usually gives the job of sealing to a ceramic disc cartridge. The tap type decides the parts, the repair and who may legally do it.
A compression tap, often called a washer tap, gives hot and cold their own handles. Each handle takes a few full turns, because turning it drives a spindle down inside the body.
A jumper valve is the small carrier at the bottom of the spindle that holds the washer against the valve seat. Press the washer onto that seat and the flow stops.
A mixer runs one lever that usually moves just a quarter turn. Inside, two polished ceramic discs slide past one another to control the flow, which is why mixers feel light compared with a washer tap.
The quick test takes seconds at the basin:
- separate hot and cold handles, each needing several turns, means a compression tap
- one lever moving a quarter turn means a mixer, usually cartridge sealed
A drip tells you the part doing the sealing has worn out. The washer wears most often, though a perished O-ring or a corroded valve seat produces the same symptom. A mixer built around a washer follows the washer rules in the next section.
Is Changing a Tap Washer Legal in Queensland
Yes, but only for the jumper valve or washer inside the tap. The QBCC lists that one swap as unregulated work.
Anyone with the appropriate knowledge and level of skill may do it, with no licence, no approval and no report to lodge. The work still has to meet the minimum standards the plumbing code sets.
Everything else on a tap belongs to a licensed plumber. A ceramic disc cartridge does not appear on the QBCC's unregulated list, and the QBCC's owner guide gives swapping in a whole new tap as its worked example of work that needs a licence.
Safety starts with the water, not the tools. Close the tap's own isolation valve first, or the stop tap on your water meter if the tap has none.
Gordon Park Plumbing Services does not publish repair steps beyond that, because the law and this site both leave the work itself to whoever is qualified to do it.
What a Slow Drip Does to Your Water Bill
A tap weeping one drop at a time will still shed thousands of litres over a year. The waste runs quietly, around the clock, straight onto your account.
Owners pay for every drop the meter counts, drips included. Urban Utilities, the water utility serving this suburb, bills the property for all water recorded at the meter, and the responsibility for leaks on the property side sits with the owner.
An adjustment exists for concealed leaks, but a weeping tap does not qualify. Urban Utilities excludes water lost through leaking taps and appliances from its concealed leak adjustment, so the drip stays on your bill until the tap is fixed.
Tap Faults That Need a Licensed Plumber
Three clues point beyond the washer: a drip that outlasts a fresh washer, water seeping around the handle or the base, or a mixer dripping at the spout. Each one names a different worn part, and repairing or replacing any of them is minor work a QBCC licensee does without a permit and without a Form 4.
The parts behind those clues:
- a valve seat worn rough or corroded, which chews through new washers
- the O-ring around the spindle, or the spindle seal, which leaks at the handle
- a connection gone loose under the bench or basin
- a ceramic disc cartridge worn out inside a mixer
- a tap body cracked or heavily corroded, which usually means replacement
A worn cartridge is swapped as a complete unit, and it has to suit the exact make and model, since fittings differ between brands. That matching is part of the licensed repair, not a home diagnosis.
One habit worth breaking: cranking the handle harder. Forcing a compression tap shut drives the washer into the seat and wears both out sooner, and it never cures the drip anyway.
When to Call a Plumber About a Drip
Call a licensed plumber once the fault sits past the washer, or once the drip has outlived your one legal DIY option. A mixer dripping at the spout, water tracking down the tap body, or a drip that returns weeks after a washer swap all point to parts that need a licensed repair.
The older supply lines here add their own twist. Interwar cottages that kept their original galvanised steel pipes can deliver rusty, weak flow that mimics a tap fault, so the line gets checked before the tap gets blamed.
Gordon Park Plumbing Services does tap and washer repairs across the suburb, with a fixed quote before any work starts and flat-rate pricing throughout. Every job is done by a licensed plumber, so the washer, the seat, the O-ring and the cartridge all sit on the right side of the law.
Dripping Tap Questions From Gordon Park Locals
Call (07) 3523 7172How can I tell a washer tap from a mixer?
A washer tap splits hot and cold into two handles, and each needs several full turns to close. A mixer works from one lever, usually a quarter turn, and seals with a ceramic disc cartridge inside the body.
Do I need a licence to change a tap washer in Gordon Park?
No, not for the washer or jumper valve. The QBCC treats that single swap as unregulated work, so no plumbing licence or approval applies, as long as the result reaches the standard the code sets. Every other tap job, including cartridges and full replacements, needs a licensed plumber.
Why does my tap leak around the handle or base?
Water appearing there usually means a perished O-ring, the seal where the spindle passes through, a connection gone loose or a cracked body. The washer is not the culprit. A licensed plumber in Gordon Park repairs or replaces those parts.
Does a dripping tap really waste much water?
Yes, in volume. A tap weeping steadily sheds thousands of litres over a year or so, and you pay for every drop your meter counts. Urban Utilities bills that usage to your Gordon Park property, so fixing the drip stops the waste at the source.
Ring Us About the DripWe'll call you back.
Book on (07) 3523 7172 for plumbing anywhere in Gordon Park. We're available 24/7, there's no extra charge for nights, weekends or public holidays, and every job comes with $0 call-out fees.
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