A dripping faucet is more than an annoyance — it wastes water and quietly inflates your utility bill. Here is what causes it and what you can realistically fix yourself.
In older compression taps the culprit is almost always a worn rubber washer inside the valve seat. Single-lever mixers use a ceramic cartridge instead — and those wear out too. Water leaking around the handle means a failing stem packing or o-ring. A drip at the wall connection points to a loose fitting or a bad supply-line washer.
Before touching anything, close the isolating valve — usually a small valve on the supply pipe under the sink. If there is none, you will need to use the building’s main stopcock on the landing. Never unscrew a tap under live pressure; Warsaw apartment systems often run at high pressure and a mistake can flood the flat below you.
Concealed body valves, thermostatic mixers, and vintage packing-gland taps are more involved — improvising there usually makes things worse.
If the tap still drips after a new washer, the valve seat is likely scored or the spindle thread is damaged. At that point replacing the whole tap is usually more cost-effective than patching the old one. Fill in the request form and we will come out, take a look, and give you an honest recommendation — repair or replace.
The price depends on the tap model, the type of fault, and whether it needs a washer swap or a full replacement. Check the quote form on the site for current rates.