That steady drip is not just annoying; it is expensive. The US Environmental Protection Agency notes that a faucet dripping once per second wastes more than 3,000 gallons a year, which is over 11,000 litres of water lost from a single tap. The good news is that a dripping tap is one of the most common plumbing jobs a homeowner can safely handle alone, often in under half an hour and for the price of a small part. Here is exactly how I would walk you through it.
Before you start: know when it is safe to DIY
Fixing a dripping tap is well within reach for most people, because it involves a small, contained part and no concealed pipework. As long as you can shut off the water and are comfortable using a spanner, this is a job you can do. What makes it safe is that nothing structural or electrical is involved, and the worst case is simply calling a plumber after all.
That said, be honest with yourself. If the tap is very old and seized, the pipework behind it looks corroded, or you hit something unexpected, it is fine to stop. Knowing your limits is part of doing it well, and there is no shame in handing over a stubborn job.
Tools and parts you will need
You do not need a professional kit for this. An adjustable spanner or a set of spanners, a flat and a Phillips screwdriver, and a cloth to protect the tap finish and mop up water cover most taps. Some jobs also need a pair of pliers and a little plumber’s tape for the threads.
The key part is the replacement: usually a rubber washer or an O-ring for an older-style tap, or a cartridge for a modern single-lever or ceramic-disc tap. If you can, take the old part to the shop to match it exactly, since a close-but-wrong washer will just start dripping again. Buying a small assortment is cheap insurance.
Step 1: Turn off the water supply
Never open a tap up with the water on. Close the isolation valve beneath the tap if there is one, or shut off the main supply if there is not. Then open the tap fully to drain the water left in the pipe and confirm the flow has genuinely stopped.
It is also worth plugging the basin or covering the drain, so that a dropped screw or washer does not disappear down the plughole. These two small steps prevent the most common frustrations before you have even begun.
Step 2: Open up the tap
Most taps have a small cap on top of the handle, hiding a screw; prise it off gently and undo the screw to lift the handle away. Under it you will find the tap’s internal mechanism, held by a nut you loosen with your spanner. Work slowly and lay the parts out in order as you remove them, so reassembly is simple.
Protect the tap’s finish with a cloth where the spanner grips, since chrome scratches easily. If a part is stiff with age or scale, a little patience and gentle pressure beat force, which can crack an old fitting and turn a simple job into a bigger one.
Step 3: Replace the worn part
With the tap open, you will see the washer, O-ring or cartridge that is causing the drip. On an older tap it is usually a hardened, cracked or flattened rubber washer at the base of the mechanism. On a modern tap it is more often the cartridge that has worn. Remove the old part and fit the exact replacement in its place.
While it is apart, clean off any scale or grit you find, because hard-water deposits are often part of the problem in Indian homes. A quick clean of the seat the washer presses against helps the new part seal properly and last longer. This is the actual fix; everything else is just getting to it and back.
Step 4: Reassemble and test
Put the tap back together in reverse order, tightening firmly but not so hard that you strip the threads or crack a fitting. Once it is back together, turn the water supply on slowly and watch. Open and close the tap a few times and check that the drip has stopped and there are no leaks around the body.
If it is fixed, you have just saved a call-out fee and thousands of litres of water a year. If it still drips, the part may be the wrong size, not seated correctly, or the problem may be elsewhere in the tap, which is your cue to look again or bring in help.
When to stop and call a professional
Some situations are worth handing over. If the tap still drips after you have replaced the washer or cartridge, if a fitting is cracked or seized, if the pipework behind the tap is corroded, or if you cannot stop the water, it is time to call a professional rather than force it. There is no failure in that; it is simply choosing the right tool for the job.
A persistent drip that survives a new washer sometimes points to a deeper issue, and those are covered in my guide to common plumbing problems and how I solve them. If you do need a professional, my tips on how to choose a reliable plumbing service will help you find one who will not overcharge for a small job. The DIY-first, know-your-limits approach is exactly what I encourage at Vinay Kumar Nevatia.
Where the drip is coming from tells you a lot
Before you open anything up, it is worth noticing exactly where the water appears, because it points to the cause. Water dripping from the spout when the tap is fully closed almost always means a worn washer or cartridge, which is the classic fix covered above. Water seeping from around the base of the handle usually points to a worn O-ring or gland packing instead, a different small part in a different spot.
Water pooling underneath the basin, rather than from the tap itself, is a separate problem: it usually means a leaking connection or waste pipe below, not the tap mechanism. Telling these apart before you start saves you from dismantling the tap when the real issue is a loose nut on the pipe beneath it.
Taking a moment to watch the tap while it drips, and to feel where the water is actually escaping, makes the whole repair faster and more certain. It is the same first step I take on any job: understand exactly what is happening before touching a spanner, because a clear diagnosis turns a guessing game into a quick, confident fix that holds for years rather than weeks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my tap still drip after I replaced the washer?
The most common reasons are a washer that is the wrong size or type, a part that is not seated correctly, or a worn valve seat that the new washer cannot seal against. Sometimes the real culprit is a cartridge rather than a washer. Recheck the part against the original, make sure everything is clean and properly seated, and if it still drips, the tap may need professional attention.
How do I know if my tap uses a washer or a cartridge?
Older taps with separate hot and cold handles that you screw shut usually use rubber washers. Modern single-lever taps and those with a smooth quarter-turn action typically use a cartridge or ceramic discs. When you open the tap up, the part will be obvious, which is why taking the old one to the shop to match it is the surest approach.
Is it normal for hard water to cause dripping taps?
Yes. Hard water is very common across India, and the minerals it carries build up as scale inside taps, wearing out washers faster and stopping parts from sealing cleanly. This is why taps in hard-water homes tend to drip sooner, and why cleaning off scale while you are inside the tap helps the repair last.
Can I fix a dripping tap without turning off the main water supply?
Only if the tap has its own isolation valve that lets you shut off just that fixture. If it does not, you must turn off the main supply, because opening a tap under pressure will spray water everywhere and can make a mess or cause damage. Always confirm the water is off before you take a tap apart.
How much water and money can fixing a drip actually save?
More than most people expect. A single tap dripping once a second wastes thousands of litres a year, and multiple dripping taps multiply that quickly. Fixing them stops a continuous, around-the-clock waste, so the saving on your water bill usually repays the small cost of a washer or cartridge many times over.