A washer costs almost nothing. If a new one drips again within months, the problem was never the washer.
No obligation. Takes 30 seconds.
Rapid Plumbing Ipswich connects Ipswich and the Ipswich region property owners with qualified, connects Ipswich property owners with licensed local plumbers for dripping tap. Tell us your suburb and what is happening and we will pass it to a licensed plumber who covers your area. Firm price from them after they have seen it.
In a conventional tap, a rubber washer presses against a brass seat to stop the flow. The washer perishes and hardens with age and the seal fails. Replacing it is a straightforward, cheap repair.
Ceramic disc mixers work differently — there is a cartridge rather than a washer, and it is replaced as a unit.
Because the brass seat it presses against has become pitted or scored, usually from years of being over-tightened. A perfect washer cannot seal against a damaged surface.
A plumber re-seats the tap — machining the brass back to flat — at which point a new washer holds. This is the difference between a repair that lasts and one that fails again by winter.
If the tap body is corroded, the spindle is worn, or it is old enough that parts are awkward to source, replacing the tapware is often better value than repeated repairs. Commonly $150 to $400 per tap plus the fitting itself.
A dripping hot tap wastes heated water, so it costs more than the same drip on the cold side. It is also, quietly, running your hot water system more than it needs to.
Ipswich.
Where this job typically sits. Access is usually a bigger cost driver than size.
| Job | Indicative price | What moves it |
|---|---|---|
| Standard call-out and first hour | $150 – $300 | Business hours. Most plumbers charge a call-out that includes some labour. |
| After hours or emergency call-out | $250 – $500 | Nights, weekends and public holidays carry a premium. Ask before you agree. |
| Clear a blocked drain (machine) | $250 – $600 | Depends on access and how far down the blockage sits. |
| Drain camera inspection | $250 – $450 | Often the difference between guessing and knowing. Sometimes bundled with a clear. |
| Replace a hot water system | $1,500 – $3,500 | Electric storage at the lower end. Gas and heat pump run higher, plus any compliance work. |
| Repair a hot water system | $200 – $700 | Elements, thermostats and valves are usually worth repairing. A rusted tank is not. |
| Burst pipe repair | $300 – $900 | Accessible pipework at the lower end. Under a slab is a different job entirely. |
| Pipe relining, per metre | $400 – $900 | More than a clear-out up front, less than excavation, and it lasts. |
| Replace a tap or mixer | $150 – $400 | Plus the tapware. A dripping tap is often just a washer. |
Prices here are indicative only. What a plumbing job costs depends on what is actually wrong, how accessible the pipework is, whether it is after hours, and what has to be replaced rather than repaired. You get a firm price from the plumber after they have seen it.
Water escaping, no water at all, or sewage backing up — the calls that cannot wait.
Read more →Machine clearing and camera inspection — and knowing which one you actually need.
Read more →Repair, replace, and the decision between them.
Read more →Gas appliance installation and leaks — licensed work, no exceptions.
Read more →Tell us your suburb and what is happening and we will get it to the right person.
Call 0485 010 530