What Causes Dripping Taps?

What Causes Dripping Taps
What Causes Dripping Taps
What Causes Dripping Taps

The noise of a dripping tap can start to get on your nerves after a while. More importantly, the water which drips from a tap is wasted. This waste can end up costing you a significant amount of money over time, when it comes to paying your water bills. This is why it’s so important to ensure that dripping taps are dealt with, as soon as possible.

If you do not feel confident enough to deal with the problem yourself, you should contact a plumber in Mosman to help you resolve the issue. If you would rather try and deal with the problem yourself, here are some tips on how to stop water dripping from a traditional style tap.

Dripping Sink
Dripping Sink

Make sure the water is turned off before you start

As with any plumbing job in your home, you should make sure that the water supply to the property is switched off before you start. You should know where the main stop valve for your property is; you need to turn this off. Alternatively, you can turn off the isolation valve which relates to the tap you are dealing with. Always switch the tap on once you have switched off the water supply. Doing so enables you to get rid of any residual water.

Taking the tap apart

Once the water supply has been switched off, you can start to take the tap apart. The main screw for the tap is normally located underneath the cap, on the top. This screw needs to be released, in order to dismantle the tap. Before you do this, it’s a good idea to place the plug in its place in the sink. Doing this means that parts will not accidentally fall down the drain.

Releasing the spindle

This is what you need to do, once you have ensured that nothing is able to fall down the drain. In order to release the spindle, you simply need to loosen the nut which holds it in place. It’s possible for the tap to move when you try to do this. Keeping hold of the spout helps to limit the amount of movement that is possible. Once you have released the spindle, you need to check the washers. It’s likely that they are worn out, if the tap has been leaking. You simply need to replace the washers, and reassemble the tap.

Checking that you have solved the problem

Most of the time, taking these actions will solve the problem of a dripping tap. But, you still need to check if this is the case. Once the tap is back together again, you need to turn the water supply back on, as well as turning the tap on. You should be able to see whether the leak has been fixed.

If the tap is still dripping, it may be a good idea to ask a professional plumber to take a look at the problem. They have experience and expertise which they can use to help you.

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