Do you have a mixer tap that’s been drip, drip, dripping? If you’re a homeowner or landlord, you need to change the washer. If you don’t know how, you’re in the right place. Or if ‘Change washer on mixer tap’ has been on your to-do list for a while, and you just need a little nudge to get it sorted, this is your friendly reminder. Changing the washer on a mixer tap is an easy fix, will only take a few minutes if you have the right equipment, and it’ll save you from having to buy a whole new tap.
A dripping tap can cost you up to 0.5 litres per hour, which is equal to 12 litres per day or 4380 litres a year. This can become extremely costly over time.
If you have a more modern tap, your tap probably has a ceramic disc cartridge instead of a rubber washer. If you want information on how to change your ceramic cartridge, please check out our other article, How to change a kitchen tap, which includes a section on changing a ceramic cartridge.
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After a few years of general wear and tear, tap washers start to become less effective (and as it’s the working part of the tap, it isn’t meant to last forever), so changing it will most likely solve the issue.
A typical mixer tap with a washer (please go to How to change a kitchen tap, if you have a more modern mixer tap with a cartridge) is made up of two main parts; the seat and the washer.
When you turn your mixer tap on or off, inside the tap, the washer moves up or down, either allowing pressure to build up, which forces the water out through the spout. Or pushing against the seat, making a watertight seal that stops any water flowing out of the tap’s spout.
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If the washer can no longer form a watertight seal, a small amount of water starts getting through. There’s your leaky tap.
New mixer tap washers are super-cheap and available to buy at any DIY shop. They come in a variety of sizes so you need to measure your current tap washer (can be done with a tape measure or callipers) to get the right size.
The guide below applies only to dual tap mixers that combine hot water with cold. Single tap mixers are more modern and generally have a removable cartridge inside instead of a washer and O-ring.
How To Change A Tap Washer
You’ll need to cut off the water supply to your tap to work on it. You’ll need to find the mains stopcock (it’s usually under your kitchen sink) and switch this valve all the way to ‘off’. Then drain the mixer tap you want to repair by running it until it’s empty.
A dual tap mixer has two handles, one on either side of the tap spout: one for cold and the other for hot. While you’re here you may as well check (and replace) the washers in both handles, to save having to do it at a later date.
A) On the top of the taps you will find covers or caps – they may be red and blue or say ‘H’ and ‘C’. Remove these carefully using a fine blade flat-head screwdriver.
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B) Underneath the cap is the screw. Hold the tap head in one hand and loosen the screw to remove the headgear assembly.
C) The washer is designed to keep the base of the tap watertight and may or may not feature a hole. You can carefully prise the washer off using the end of your screwdriver. Be careful not to injure yourself!
D) Your valve may feature a number of O rings. Check they are in good condition – you probably won’t need to replace them all – and apply some silicone grease if necessary.
How To Change A Washer On A Mixer Tap?
A) Now you can replace the washer on the base of the valve. Make sure your new O ring(s) is in place and the headgear is secure.
B) Before replacing the headgear, check the tap seat (the surface inside the tap where the washer rests). If this is damaged, it may also be causing leaks. This is where you’ll need a tap reseater to repair the damaged surface.
It’s important to replace your O rings and washers with ones that are absolutely new and an identical size. You can measure O-rings and washers using a tape measure or, if you want to be professional about it, callipers. If you don’t have either, take your existing washers and O-rings to a DIY shop and they’ll help you find replacements.
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A) Unscrew the spout using an adjustable spanner. To avoid damaging the unit, place a cloth between the spanner and the spout.
Hopefully you have now successfully replaced your tap washer! Once you’re done, turn the water supply back on to check if it worked. Allow the water to flow for a couple of seconds just to clean up the debris from the piping. If you’re stuck, we’re here for one-off repairs or we have another article on How to fix a dripping tap here. You can also check our plumbing and drainage cover so your pipes don’t impede your busy family life.
If it’s a modern mixer tap you’ve probably got a worn out ceramic cartridge and need to replace it. If your mixer tap is an old-fashioned mixer tap, you’ll most probably need to replace the washer.
Replace Tap Washer
You need to isolate your water supply before opening up the tap with a flat-head screwdriver and locating the worn out washer (and possible O-ring). Replace with the exact same size and refit your tap.
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.Sometimes small jobs like changing your bathroom tap might seem intimidating but it's actually quite a simple task, you just need a little know-how. This blog will make changing your bathroom taps easy, whether you have a mixer tap or pillar tap for bath taps or a basin tap. Whether you are updating your bathroom or having a complete renovation, fitting new Bathroom Taps should be a straightforward enough project to take on yourself, so long as you use common sense and follow the simple instructions below.
You will most likely be familiar with Mixer Taps as they are the most common type of basin tap found in modern bathrooms. They use a single taphole for both the hot and cold water to flow out. To ensure you have greater control over the temperature of the water, mixer taps can be controlled by either one leaver or two separate taps.
How To Change A Washer On A Mixer Tap
On the other hand, pillar taps have two separate taps, one for hot water and the other for cold. Pillar taps are the most common type of tap in traditional UK bathrooms, where you have to decide whether to wash your hands with hot water or cold water but not both at the same time.
Your choice for a new tap will be entirely based on how each of these options looks in your new bathroom, the type of system you had previously (and so the one you're used to having), and how easy they are to install.
To replace your bathroom taps, you'll need the new taps you're replacing the old ones with, a wrench, a back nut (which is usually supplied with your taps), and a bit of elbow grease.
Leaking Tap After Changing Washer?
If you're using copper piping to reconnect the water supply pipes, you will need a blowtorch and solder to fit the lengths together, but this isn't always necessary.
It might seem obvious, but the first step is to turn off your water supply so you don't flood out your house while you work. Once the water has been turned off, turn the taps on until they run the system dry.
Next, take your wrench and undo the nut which connects the tap to the supply copper pipes. If your supply pipes are under your bath they could be a little tricky to access but it will be possible. From here you can simply undo the nut that attaches your taps to the bath or basin to remove them.
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Once your old taps have been removed, ensure to clean the entire area, remove any old adhesive and dirt and check the condition of your pipes, fixings, and joins. This is to ensure there's no damage to the fittings you're trying to attach your new taps to.
At this point, it's important to check that the fittings for your new taps work on your old pipework. If there is any discrepancy, you may need to get an adaptor. Plastic fittings may require a connector to the pipes, while a monobloc tap (with one spout) will need a reducing coupler.
Now it's time to fit your new taps to the connectors. Place your taps into the holes in the bath or sink with the washers between the tap and the surface of the bath or basin. This is where the back nut that should be supplied comes in. Use this to tighten the pipes
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