Dripping or Leaking Tap
Washer, Cartridge or Replace, and What It Costs (2026)

Which kind of tap do you have?

The fix depends on what is inside the tap, and you can usually tell from how it turns.

Our basin tap types guide explains the ceramic disc cartridge in more detail: two polished ceramic discs slide over each other, they resist dripping well, and when one does drip the cartridge can usually be replaced without changing the whole tap.

Find where it is leaking

A leak under the basin is not the tap. Flexible hoses and angle valves are their own common failure and should be checked separately.

Shut the water off first

Before any repair, close the small isolation valve under the basin or sink if there is one, or the valve for that bathroom or the whole house. Open the tap to drain it, and put the plug in so small parts cannot fall down the waste. If the valves have not been turned for years they may be stiff; our guide to stop, gate and ball valves explains why not to force one.

Replacing a washer on an older tap

1. Prise off the cap and remove the handle screw and handle.
2. Unscrew the headwork with a spanner, holding the tap body so it does not twist on the basin or wall.
3. Remove the old washer from the bottom of the jumper and fit a new one of the same size.
4. Check the seat inside the body: if it is pitted, a new washer will soon drip again.
5. Reassemble, turn the water back on slowly, and check for drips.

Take the old washer to the hardware shop to match it. A badly worn seat can sometimes be reground; if not, a new tap is often the better fix.

Replacing a cartridge in a mixer

Lever mixers and quarter-turn taps use a cartridge or ceramic headwork instead of a washer. Replacing it is usually a matter of removing the handle, unscrewing a retaining nut and pulling the cartridge straight out. The hard part is the part: cartridges are specific to the tap's brand and model, so take the old one with you or note the model. Our kitchen sink and tap guide suggests replacing ceramic disc cartridges every 5–10 years if a tap starts to drip even after tightening, and notes that cartridges cost RM20 – RM80 from plumbing suppliers.

With a concealed wall mixer, the valve body is inside the wall. Most cartridges can still be changed from the front, which is why the basin tap guide recommends choosing a body with a serviceable cartridge before the wall is tiled.

Leaks from the handle or the base

Water around the handle when the tap is running usually means a worn O-ring or gland seal on the spindle or cartridge, not the washer. Water around the base of a mixer or under a kitchen swivel spout is usually the base or swivel O-rings. These are cheap parts, but getting the right size matters. If water is coming through a hairline crack in the body itself, the tap has to be replaced.

Repair or replace the tap?

The basin tap guide makes the same point: a tap that is crusted with scale or dripping is often cheaper to replace than to keep reviving.

Why not to leave a drip

A dripping tap wastes water every hour of every day, and the water is only the start. Constant drips stain basins and sinks, a leak at the base can soak into a vanity or kitchen cabinet and swell the board, and in a home with a pump, repeated drips can make the pump cut in more often. Our electricity bill guide lists a dripping tap among the hidden leaks that keep a water pump running.

What it costs

These are the published ranges on ClickBina guides (indicative 2026, Klang Valley).

If several taps are dripping, or you are unsure whether a leak is the tap or a hidden pipe, ask for all of them to be looked at in one visit. A water bill that keeps rising with no visible drip may point to a concealed leak instead; ClickBina leak detection is a separate paid visit at RM300 – RM800.

How ClickBina can help

Tap repairs are quoted case by case. WhatsApp us your job details for a quote: how many taps, where each one drips (spout, handle or base), the type of tap, and the brand if you know it. We reply within the hour, the price we agree is a flat price with no hidden charges, and a site visit is RM150, waived if you go ahead.

Sources & methodology

• ClickBina plumbing services guide — basic call-out and minor repair (tap washer), and labour-only tap replacement.
• ClickBina basin tap types guide — how ceramic disc cartridges work, serviceable cartridges, tap replacement price.
• ClickBina kitchen sink and tap guide — cartridge replacement interval and cartridge price.
• ClickBina porch seepage guide — leak detection visit price; convenience store fit-out guide — site visit wording.

How we estimated prices: every RM figure and year figure on this page is quoted unchanged from the ClickBina guides named above. They are indicative Klang Valley market ranges for 2026, not fixed rates.