That plink… plink… plink in the small hours isn't just annoying — it's your money going down the plughole. A tap dripping once a second wastes something like 5,000 litres of water a year, which on a metered Bristol supply is roughly £15–£25 quietly added to your bill. The good news? Nine times out of ten, stopping it is a 20-minute job you can do yourself, no plumber required. So before you book anyone, get the kettle on and have a read.

Why your tap is dripping in the first place

A tap drips because the bit inside that's meant to form a watertight seal has worn out. Which bit depends on your tap. Older traditional taps — the kind with separate hot and cold handles you twist — use a small rubber washer. These perish over time, and Bristol's hard water doesn't help; limescale chews through them faster, so they can need swapping every couple of years. Newer mixer taps, where one lever or spout does both, usually use a ceramic disc cartridge instead. Those last far longer (10–20 years) but cost a bit more to replace when they finally go. Knowing which you've got tells you what you're buying.

What you'll need

Nothing fancy. An adjustable spanner, a flat-head and a cross-head screwdriver, a cloth, and the correct replacement part. That last one is the catch: UK tap parts aren't fully standardised, so take the old washer or cartridge to the shop and match it exactly — same diameter, same thickness. A washer costs a pound or two; a ceramic cartridge is usually £10–£30. Pop the plug in the sink first so you don't lose a tiny screw down the drain — a classic bit of faff nobody enjoys.

How to fix a dripping tap, step by step

1. Turn off the water. Look under the sink for the small isolation valves on the pipes and turn them clockwise with a screwdriver. No valves? Shut off your main stopcock (often under the kitchen sink). Then open the tap fully to drain the last of the water and release the pressure.

2. Take the tap apart. Prise off the little hot/cold cap on top to reveal a retaining screw. Undo it, then lift off the handle. Use your spanner to loosen the valve or cartridge underneath — keep every part in the order it came off, so reassembly isn't a guessing game.

3. Swap the worn part. On a traditional tap, you'll find the rubber washer at the base of the valve, held by a small nut or clip. Remove it, fit the exact replacement, and you're sorted. On a mixer, lift out the whole ceramic cartridge and drop the new one in.

4. Put it back together. Reverse the steps. Thread everything by hand first to avoid cross-threading, then nip it up with the spanner — firm, but don't go at it like you're changing a wheel. Overtightening cracks things.

5. Test it. Turn the water back on slowly and watch. Check the spout and the connections underneath for any weeping. If it's dry and the drip's gone, job done — treat yourself to a brew.

When to call a plumber instead

We're not going to pretend every drip is a DIY win. Call in a professional if the tap keeps dripping after a fresh washer or cartridge, if you can't shut the water off, if the valve seat itself is corroded or the threads are damaged, or if there's water appearing under the sink rather than from the spout — that's a different problem and worth a proper look. A plumber will typically charge somewhere in the region of £60–£120 to sort a dripping tap including parts, and honestly, some jobs are worth handing over rather than turning a £2 washer into a flooded cupboard.

If that's you, Phixed makes finding a plumber in Bristol refreshingly painless. Every tradesperson on the app is verified and locally rated, you can see reviews from real completed jobs, and there's no chasing five different numbers hoping someone rings back. Whether it's a tap, a leak, or a job for a handyman, you'll get a trusted local who actually turns up.

Sort it the easy way

Fix the drip yourself if you fancy it — or leave it to someone who does this all day. Download Phixed to find verified Bristol trades in a couple of taps: get it on the App Store or on Google Play. No faff, no lead-fee middlemen — just good local trades, ready when you need them.