Leaking Tap Repairs Springvale

A drip is more than an annoyance

A tap that drips once a second can waste thousands of litres a year. If it is a hot tap, you are paying to heat that water too. Drips also stain basins, wear away the tap seat and get worse over time, so a cheap fix now saves a bigger one later.

Types of taps and how they fail

Older washer taps

Many Springvale homes built in the 1950s to the 1980s still have traditional jumper valve taps in the laundry, bathroom and garden. They seal with a rubber washer pressed against a brass seat. When the washer wears or the seat gets pitted, the tap drips. Turning it harder only wears it faster. We replace the washer and jumper valve, reface or replace the seat, and fit new O-rings so the tap turns smoothly and seals with light pressure.

Ceramic disc taps

Quarter-turn taps use two ceramic discs that slide over each other. When grit gets in or a disc chips, they drip or will not turn off fully. The fix is usually a new cartridge to suit the brand.

Mixer taps

Single-lever mixers in kitchens and bathrooms use a cartridge that controls both flow and temperature. A drip from the spout, stiffness, or water leaking from under the lever usually means the cartridge is worn. We identify the brand and model and fit the right cartridge, or recommend a new mixer if parts are no longer available.

Leaks at the base or behind the wall

Water around the base of a tap or behind a basin can come from a loose tap body, failed O-rings, a cracked flexible hose underneath, or a leaking wall fitting. Water inside the wall is more serious and can rot timber and damage plaster. We find the source and repair it, opening the wall only where necessary.

Laundry and garden taps

Laundry taps in older Springvale homes often have years of hard use and high pressure behind them. Garden taps leak at the spindle, the washer or the wall fitting, and frost-damaged or knocked taps can crack. We repair or replace them and fit vacuum breakers where needed.

Water hammer and pressure

If taps bang when they close, or wear out fast, your water pressure may be high. Many older homes do not have a pressure limiting valve. Fitting one at the meter protects taps, hoses, toilets and appliances throughout the house.

Replacing tapware

When a tap is old, corroded or parts are unavailable, replacement is better value than repeated repairs. We install new basin, kitchen, laundry and shower tapware, including WaterMark certified mixers, and can supply or fit taps you have bought.

For renters

A dripping tap is not usually an urgent repair, but report it to your agent so it is fixed before it gets worse.

How we price tap repairs

We look at the tap, tell you what is wrong and give you a fixed price that includes parts. If there are several taps dripping, we fix them all in one visit.

Springvale ground and pipes

Springvale sits on a mix of sandy loam and heavier clay, and much of the suburb was built in the 1950s and 1960s with earthenware sewer pipes and galvanised or early copper water pipe. Clay joints shift over time and let roots in, rusting galvanised pipe slowly narrows and leaks, and drains under subdivided blocks are often shared between homes. We use drain cameras, locators and pressure tests to see exactly what is going on before anyone digs.

From your call to the finished job