Why taps drip
Traditional taps use a rubber washer that presses against a brass seat to stop water flow. When the washer wears out, water gets through — the familiar drip. Quarter-turn ceramic disc taps use two ceramic discs; when these crack or become gritty they also drip, often with a slightly different hiss. Mixer taps and monobloc kitchen taps use a ceramic cartridge that can fail in the same way.
Each type of tap has a different repair approach, so telling a plumber what type of tap you have saves time on the call-out.
Can you fix it yourself?
Replacing a tap washer on a traditional pillar tap is a straightforward DIY job if you are comfortable turning off the water supply under the sink (isolation valve) and disassembling the tap head. A replacement washer costs under €2 at any hardware shop.
Ceramic cartridge replacement is also manageable for a confident DIYer, provided you can source the correct cartridge for the tap model. However, if the tap seat is damaged, if the body is corroded, or if the isolation valve under the sink is seized and will not turn, call a plumber — forcing a seized valve can cause a bigger leak.
When to replace rather than repair
If your taps are more than 15 years old, if the body is corroded or visibly pitted, or if a replacement cartridge is no longer available for the model, full tap replacement is better value than further repairs. A plumber can fit a new tap in under an hour for a straightforward swap.
Budget for the tap itself (€40 to €300 depending on brand and style) plus labour. If you supply the tap yourself the labour cost is typically €60 to €90. If the plumber supplies the tap, expect a combined price of €120 to €250 for a standard swap.
Outdoor taps
Outdoor tap drips are particularly common in Ireland after cold spells. The tap body may have cracked from a freeze, or the isolating valve inside the house may be failing. An outdoor tap replacement is a quick job — typically €80 to €140 for supply and fit. Always ask the plumber to confirm a backflow prevention (double-check) valve is fitted, as Irish Water regulations require this on all outdoor taps.
Bathroom and shower taps
Leaking from around the base of a bath tap or shower mixer is usually a worn O-ring on the tap body, not the washer. This repair is more involved as the tap needs to be partially removed. Thermostatic shower cartridges are expensive to replace (€40 to €150 for the cartridge alone) but are often worth repairing rather than replacing the whole shower valve.
