What kind of tap you have decides what kind of repair you need
Traditional two-handle taps seal with a rubber washer compressed onto a brass seat, and the drip means the washer has hardened or the seat has pitted. The fix is a new washer, often with the seat machined smooth again, and it sits at the lower end of the $80 to $180 labour band plus parts. Single-lever mixers seal with a ceramic disc cartridge instead, and when a mixer drips or the lever gets stiff or sloppy, the cartridge is replaced as a unit. Cartridges cost more than washers as parts and take longer to source correctly because there are dozens of non-interchangeable types, which is why mixer repairs sit at the top of the band. Outdoor garden taps are usually simple washer jobs, but they fail more often on the Gold Coast because sun and coastal air are hard on the internals.
What each common repair looks like
| Repair | What is involved | Where it sits as of 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Washer replacement on a standard tap | New washer, body washer and O-ring, seat checked | Lower end of $80 to $180 plus parts |
| Tap seat reseating | Seat cut smooth so the new washer can seal | Within the band, added to a washer job |
| Ceramic cartridge replacement in a mixer | Correct cartridge identified and fitted | Upper end of $80 to $180 plus parts |
| Outdoor or laundry tap service | Washer and O-ring service, spindle checked | Lower end of the band plus parts |
| Multiple taps in one visit | Each additional tap serviced on the same callout | Lower cost per tap than separate visits |
| Corroded or seized tap body beyond service | Tap replacement | Quoted on inspection plus the new tapware |
Do every dripping tap in the house in one visit
The single most useful thing to know on this page: the callout is the expensive part, not the washers. If the ensuite basin drips, the laundry cold is weeping and the garden tap will not quite shut off, having all of them serviced in one visit costs meaningfully less per tap than three separate bookings months apart. When you book, walk the house and count. In our experience a Gold Coast home with one dripping tap almost always has a second one the owner has stopped hearing. Tell us the number and the tap types when you call and we arrive carrying the right parts to finish the lot in one go.
A dripping tap is a water bill problem, not just a noise problem
A steady drip wastes up to 20,000 litres a year, which on a metered water bill is real money spent on nothing. A tap weeping into a sealed plug hole is easy to ignore, but the same failed washer often lets water track back along the spindle and into the wall or cabinet, and slow moisture damage around tapware is a repair many times the cost of a washer. There is also the seized-tap spiral: the harder you crank a leaking tap to make it stop, the faster you destroy the seat, and a destroyed seat turns a washer job into a reseat or a replacement. If you are cranking taps closed with two hands, book the service now rather than after the handle snaps.
While we are there: the checks that cost nothing extra
A tap service visit is the natural time to look at the things that flood houses. Flexi hoses under basins and sinks are the number one internal flooding cause we attend, and at $20 to $40 a hose at trade prices, replacing aged ones during a tap visit is the cheapest insurance in plumbing. We also check isolation valves actually turn, because the day you need them is the wrong day to discover they are seized. Tapware repair and replacement connected to the water supply is plumbing work under Queensland law, so whoever does yours should hold a QBCC licence you can check online in under a minute.
Count your dripping taps and call Hills Plumbing & Gas on 0472 657 042. Fixed pricing, one visit, every tap in the house done properly. Book through our leaking taps and toilets service page. QBCC licence 15243081.
Sources: Plumbing and Drainage Act 2018 (Qld); QBCC licence check tool; Australian water efficiency guidance on tap leakage rates. Check current rules before arranging work.