Mixer tap repair that ends leaks, stiffness and wild temperature swings in Smethwick
Repaired, not replaced.
Booking fee plus hourly labour — the price is confirmed before any work starts.
What this costs
| Booked 14+ days ahead | £25 booking fee £85 per hour |
|---|---|
| Booked within 48 hours | £100 booking fee £65 per hour |
| Same-day call-out | £220 booking fee £45 per hour |
The booking fee secures the visit. Labour is then charged by the hour, so you only pay for the time the job actually takes.
Booking fee £25–£220
£25 + £85/hr booked 14+ days ahead, £100 + £65/hr inside 48 hours, £220 + £45/hr same day. Agreed before we arrive.
Covered under Taps
Plumbing › Taps — one of 17 documented jobs in this section.
Same-day mixer tap repair
Urgent jobs can often be booked for today. Ask when you book and we will confirm the slot before you pay anything.
15 service areas
Birmingham, Coventry, Dorridge and 12 more across the West Midlands.
Mixer taps do a clever job: blending hot and cold water into one steady, comfortable flow. But when something inside wears out, that balance is the first thing to go. Water suddenly runs too hot or too cold, the handle stiffens up, or a drip starts that will not quit.
Why mixer taps go wrong
Most mixer tap problems trace back to a small number of causes. The ceramic cartridge inside the tap — the part that blends hot and cold water — wears with use, letting water seep past even when the tap is off. Rubber seals and O-rings harden or perish over time, which causes drips around the spout or the base. In hard-water areas, limescale builds up on the cartridge and inside the valve, making the handle stiff and the temperature uneven. Less often, the flexible supply hoses beneath the tap leak, or the tap body has worked loose on the sink or basin.
Why it gets worse if you leave it
A dripping mixer tap is more than an irritation. Over months, a constant drip wastes a surprising amount of water and, on a hot tap, that water is being heated for nothing. Drips around the base can soak the worktop, the cabinet underneath, or the sealant around a basin, gradually causing swelling, staining and mould. A stiff or grinding handle is a warning too: forcing it can crack the cartridge or damage the tap body, turning a simple repair into a full replacement. And unstable water temperature is genuinely unpleasant — nobody enjoys an unpredictable scald mid-shave or mid-wash-up.
How we diagnose the problem
We start by turning off the isolating valves or the mains supply and running the tap to release pressure. Then we take the tap apart methodically: handle, retaining nut, cartridge, seals and spout. As each part comes out, we check it for wear, scaling or damage, and we test the cartridge to confirm whether it is the source of the leak or the temperature trouble. We also inspect the supply hoses and the tap's fixing nut underneath, so nothing gets missed. You get a clear explanation of what we found before we proceed.
How we fix it
The fix depends on what the diagnosis shows. A worn or scaled cartridge is replaced with a matching part — this is the most common repair and solves both dripping and temperature problems. Perished O-rings and seals are replaced throughout, not just the one that was obviously leaking, so you are not calling us back for a second drip next month. Limescale is cleaned out of the valve body, hoses are re-secured or replaced if they are leaking, and the tap is reassembled and tested on both hot and cold until the flow and temperature hold steady.
Keeping your mixer tap healthy
A few habits slow the wear down. Do not force a stiff handle — that usually means limescale, which is better cleaned out than bullied. Wipe the tap down regularly and avoid abrasive cleaners on the finish. If you live in a hard-water area, periodically easing the cartridge out for a descale keeps things smooth.
When to call us
Book a visit if your mixer tap drips when off, leaks around the base or spout, has a stiff or grinding handle, or will not hold a steady temperature. If water is pooling under the sink, or the tap is genuinely seized, call sooner rather than later — those tend to escalate.
Book your tap repair today
One call is all it takes. Our engineers arrive with common cartridges and seals on the van, so most jobs are finished first visit. Book your call-out now and stop putting up with the drip.
How the price works
We charge a booking fee to hold your slot, then an hourly rate for the work itself. The fee changes with how soon you need us; the hourly rate changes with the slot you choose. You approve the price before we start, so there is no surprise on the invoice.
Booked 14+ days ahead
£25 booking fee
then £85 per hour of labour
Best value. Book the slot now, pay the smallest booking fee.
Booked within 48 hours
£100 booking fee
then £65 per hour of labour
For jobs that can wait a day or two but not a fortnight.
Same-day call-out
£220 booking fee
then £45 per hour of labour
Urgent problems: standing water, no heat, no power, leaks.
Book the slot
Choose the window that suits you and pay the booking fee. That holds your place in the diary.
We diagnose on site
The engineer confirms the cause and tells you what the job involves and how long it should take.
You approve, we work
Nothing goes ahead until you agree the price. Labour is then charged per hour at your slot rate.
A mixer tap that swings from scalding to cold, drips constantly or grinds when you turn it makes everyday tasks harder than they should be. Most faults come down to a worn cartridge, a failing seal or limescale buildup — all fixable without replacing the tap.
What our customers say about our plumbing service
4.7 out of 5 from 11 reviews
Second time we have used them
What I appreciated was being told what was actually wrong before anyone started. Sorted in under 32 minutes and the invoice matched the quote to the penny.
Job: Loose Pipe Connections Repair
Worth the booking fee
Booked the £220 booking-fee slot on Tuesday and got a message confirming the time the same morning. The cause was explained, the price agreed before any work started, and the job was done in about 75 minutes. Clean and tidy when they left.
Job: Hidden Pipe Leak Repair
Turned up when they said
Turned up in the window they promised, walked me through the options (turns out the part had to be sourced locally), then cracked on. Everything was tested before they left. No mess, no drama, no surprise on the bill.
Job: Central Heating Leak Repair
Book Mixer Tap Repair
Tell us what is happening and choose a slot. If you are not sure this is the right job, use the diagnosis panel — it narrows the problem down before you book.
- Booking fee confirmed up front
- Hourly labour, agreed before work starts
- Same-day slots for urgent problems
Questions people ask about mixer tap repair
Straight answers to the things customers ask most often before booking.
Can you repair any brand of mixer tap?
We repair most common mixer tap brands found in UK homes. We carry widely used cartridges and seals on the van, and if a brand-specific part is needed we will identify it and quote for fitting it. In the rare case a tap is obsolete and parts unavailable, we will tell you honestly and discuss replacement options.
How is the work priced?
You pay a booking fee when you book, and labour is charged hourly at a rate that depends on how quickly you need us. The full cost of the work is quoted before we start, so you approve it before any tools come out.
Will you need to turn my water off?
Usually only the isolating valves under the sink, so the rest of the house keeps its water. If your tap does not have isolating valves, we will use the mains stopcock and can fit isolation valves while we are there if you would like them.
Is it worth repairing or should I just replace the tap?
Most mixer tap faults — drips, stiffness, temperature problems — come from a cartridge or seals that are straightforward to replace, so repair is usually the cheaper option. We will only recommend replacement if the tap body itself is cracked or parts genuinely cannot be sourced.
What does the price of a tap repair include?
It covers the diagnosis, labour for the repair, and fitting of standard cartridges and seals where we carry the matching part. If a specialist part must be ordered for your specific tap, we will quote for that separately before doing any work.
Need mixer tap repair sorted in Smethwick?
Book a slot in the diary and pay only the booking fee up front. We confirm the rest before we start.