North Leeds Plumbing & Heating – Home Improvement and DIY Advice

Anyone who’s been kept awake by a dripping tap when they should have been sleeping will know just how maddening it can be. Dealing with it, happily, is a simple DIY job. Forget architects and building experts, just roll up your sleeves and get to work.

First, turn off the water supply to the tap. If you’re lucky, there’ll be a servicing valve near the tap, but in older properties you might have to turn off at the mains (the mains stop valve is usually in the kitchen). Then, just open the tap and let all the remaining water flow out (but make sure the immersion heater and/or boiler are turned off for hot taps, and close the valve on the cold water ‘feed’ pipe to the cylinder). If you’ve got an open vent system (with a tank in the loft), open all the taps in the bathroom to drain the cistern.

Place a plug in the basin and wrap a cloth around the tap’s stem to avoid damaging the finish.  Hold the tap in place through the cloth with one adjustable spanner and unscrew the top with another (with some taps, you’ll have to pry open a top cover before you can loosen it). Unscrew the tap’s collar with the wrench and remove it. Underneath the assembly you’ll see the worn rubber washer – the cause of the leak. Remove it, replace it with a new one, clean everything up with a cloth and screw the collar back into place. Turn on the water supply – and look forward to sweet dreams.