Tap and toilet repairs in Soundwell

Dripping and faulty taps

A tap that drips is usually down to a worn washer or ceramic cartridge. Older taps with a rising spindle use rubber washers; most modern quarter-turn taps use cartridges. Either can usually be repaired, and we will tell you if a tap is worn enough that replacing it makes more sense.

Hard water plays a part here too. Supply in this area is moderately hard to very hard, and limescale on cartridges and aerators can make taps stiff, drippy or weak.

Toilets that will not stop running

If you can hear water trickling into the pan long after a flush, or water keeps running out of an overflow pipe outside, the cistern is not shutting off properly. The usual causes are:

• A fill valve that does not close when the cistern is full
• A worn flush valve seal letting water through to the pan
• A float set too high, so water spills into the overflow

These are normally straightforward repairs. A running toilet wastes a surprising amount of water, which matters if you are on a meter.

Weak or failed flushes

A flush that needs two goes, or a button that does nothing, usually comes down to the flush mechanism, a broken link or a worn seal. We repair the part where we can and replace the mechanism where we cannot.

Leaks around the toilet

Water on the floor around a toilet can come from the cistern, the pipe feeding it, the joint between cistern and pan, or the pan connector at the back. Some of these only leak when you flush. We find which one it is before replacing anything.

New taps and toilets

If you are replacing a tap or toilet, we fit what you have chosen or talk you through what will suit your existing pipework. In older houses the waste pipe position often limits which toilets will fit without moving pipes, so it is worth checking before you buy.