A dripping tap or a toilet that will not stop running is usually a repair, not a replacement. A tap drip is normally a worn washer or cartridge, and a running toilet is normally a part inside the cistern. Replacement comes into it when the tap body is worn or the fixture is an old, water-hungry model, and a leak into the vanity or the floor needs a plumber either way. This is how we make that call on the Central Coast and around Lake Macquarie.
TL;DR
Fix leaks early: Hunter Water says a dripping tap and a leaking toilet can waste more than 100 litres of water a day. Repair a worn washer, cartridge or cistern part. Call a plumber, and usually replace, for a tap that still drips after a new washer or has a pitted body, or an old single-flush toilet. Anything leaking into the vanity or the floor needs a plumber now. Use the food dye test to check a cistern. In our price guide, a tap repair or replacement is $120 to $280, and a toilet repair or replacement is $150 to $450.
How much water does a leaking tap or running toilet waste?
More than it looks. A toilet leak is easy to miss because the water trickles down the back of the bowl.
| Leak | Water lost | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Slow dripping tap | A few litres an hour | Central Coast Council, Love Water |
| Dripping tap and leaking toilet together | More than 100 litres a day | Hunter Water |
| Continuously running toilet | Up to 60,000 litres a year | Hunter Water |
| Continuously running toilet | Up to 96,000 litres a year | Central Coast Council, Love Water |
The two authorities give different upper figures for a running toilet, but both are in the tens of thousands of litres a year. Central Coast Council adds that a drip from a hot water pipe also costs you energy. The owner pays for all of it: Hunter Water reminds owners they are responsible for all usage charges, and tenants should tell the agent or landlord straight away.
How do I check whether my toilet is leaking?
Both water authorities give the same simple test. Take the lid off the cistern, add a few drops of food dye, and do not flush for 10 to 15 minutes. If colour has seeped into the bowl, the cistern is leaking. Love Water also suggests a small piece of dry toilet paper placed at the back of the bowl: it should stay dry until the next flush.
For leaks you cannot see, use the water meter. Read it last thing at night with every tap off and the cisterns full, then again first thing in the morning before anyone uses water. If the numbers have moved, water is going somewhere. Central Coast Council says some leaks waste more than 2000 litres of water a day.
Should I repair or replace a leaking tap?
Repair it first in most cases. A tap that drips from the spout usually has a worn washer; a mixer usually has a worn cartridge. Both are routine part swaps. Central Coast Council’s Love Water site walks householders through replacing a tap washer: water off at the meter, pressure relieved at the nearest tap, handle and flange off, spindle out, new washer in, then test before putting it back together. On a tap in a shower, it says to seal around the spindle with silicone so water cannot get into the wall cavity.
Before you call anyone about a tap that seems weak rather than leaking, clean the aerator (a blocked aerator looks like low pressure) and check the isolation tap under the sink is fully open.
Replace, or at least call a plumber, when:
- the tap still drips after a new washer, or the body is pitted,
- water is getting into the vanity or the subfloor,
- you want a more water-efficient tap anyway.
If you are replacing, check the WELS label. WELS notes that 3 stars is the minimum the National Construction Code allows for taps in new homes and renovations, and that a 5 or 6-star basin tap can use up to 50% less water than a 3-star one. In the kitchen and laundry, WELS suggests 3 or 4 stars so there is still enough flow to fill a pot or a sink.
Swapping a single basin tap does not trigger a new tempering valve. Replacing every fixture in a bathroom does, if the hot water has none, under the NSW temperature control device rules. We will tell you if your job falls on that line.
Should I repair or replace a running toilet?
A toilet that runs, or refills on its own between flushes, usually has a worn seal or valve inside the cistern. Lift the cistern lid and check the flush mechanism is seating properly; if something has just caught, freeing it may stop the run. If it is seated and the toilet still runs, the worn part needs replacing. That is a repair, not a new toilet.
Replace the toilet when it is an old, water-hungry model. WELS says an older toilet, particularly a single-flush one, can use 9 litres or more a flush, and replacing it with a 4-star dual flush toilet could reduce its water use by more than half. For reference, WELS rates a typical 6 L/3 L dual flush at 3 stars and a 4.5 L/3 L dual flush at 4 stars.
A toilet that rocks or leaks at the base needs a plumber to look at the pan either way. Water under a toilet is not one to leave.
What needs a licensed plumber?
Fitting a new tap, mixer or toilet suite is water plumbing: NSW defines it to include installing, removing and renewing the fixtures and fittings that carry water. In NSW you need a licence for plumbing work, whatever the job costs and whether the property is a home or a business. The same goes for a leak inside the wall or under the floor, where the fitting you can see is not where the water is going.
What does it cost?
Our price guide puts a tap repair or replacement at $120 to $280, covering a re-washer, a repair or a swap of a leaking tap or mixer. A toilet repair or replacement is $150 to $450, from fixing a running or leaking toilet to supplying and installing a new suite. Small jobs are quoted as a fixed price, so you know the number before we touch a fitting.
For the full list of what we fix, see tap, toilet and fixture repairs. If the leak will not wait, the burst pipe guide covers turning the water off at the meter. Otherwise, request a callback with which fixture it is and how long it has been leaking.