Taps and toilets
Tap and toilet repairs in Bristol
Most dripping taps and running toilets in Bristol come down to worn washers, scaled cartridges or a fill valve that will not shut, and Bristol's hard water speeds that wear up. A plumber can usually fix them in one visit, which stops wasted water and, on a meter, wasted money.
Photo for illustrationWhen to call
You need this when
- A tap drips after you turn it off
- The toilet keeps running into the pan or the overflow
- The cistern takes ages to refill or will not stop filling
- The toilet rocks or leaks at the base
- The toilet is blocked and a plunger has not cleared it
- Taps are stiff or crusted with limescale
The visit
What happens, step by step
- 01
Diagnose
We check whether it is the washer, cartridge, valve, seal or the pipe feeding it.
- 02
Isolate
We turn off at the local valve, or fit one if there is none, so the rest of the house keeps water.
- 03
Repair or replace
We replace worn parts, or the whole tap or valve if parts are not available or not worth it.
- 04
Descale and test
We clear scale from the parts around it and check there are no more drips.
Why Bristol taps and toilets wear faster
Bristol Water says all the water in its area is moderately hard to very hard. When hard water sits in a tap or cistern, it leaves limescale on the parts that are meant to seal. Ceramic tap cartridges stick or let water past. Toilet fill valves stop shutting off fully. The rubber seal on a push button flush stops sealing, and water trickles into the pan all day.
A running toilet is easy to miss, but it can waste a lot of water. With the 2026 hosepipe ban still in place across the Bristol Water area, fixing it helps everyone, and on a water meter it shows up on your bill.
Taps we fix
Older Bristol homes often still have traditional taps with rubber washers. Those are quick to fix. Newer quarter turn and mixer taps use ceramic cartridges, which need the right part for the brand. If a tap is old, scaled and hard to get parts for, replacing it can make more sense. We will tell you which is better value.
We also fit and repair outside taps. Every new outside tap needs a double check valve so dirty water cannot flow back into the drinking supply, which is a requirement of the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999.
Toilets we fix
We repair running and slow filling cisterns, leaking pan connectors, loose toilets and blocked toilets. In Clifton and Hotwells, many basement and lower ground flats use pumped or macerator toilets, which need gentler handling and the right parts. In terraces where the bathroom sits over the kitchen, a slow leak at the toilet base often shows first as a stain on the kitchen ceiling, so it pays to fix it early.
If a blocked toilet will not clear and other drains in the house are slow too, the blockage may be further down the drain. See our blocked drains page.
Small leaks add up
A dripping tap or a cistern that trickles into the pan can seem too small to bother with. On a water meter, every drop is billed. Even without a meter, a running toilet wastes clean water that Bristol Water has had to treat and pump, at a time when its whole area is under a hosepipe ban.
To check a toilet, wait a few minutes after flushing, then wipe the back of the pan dry with toilet paper. If it gets wet again, water is still passing the flush valve. To check a tap, turn it off firmly and watch the spout for a minute. Our posts on a toilet that keeps running and a dripping tap explain the usual causes. Both are normally fixed in a single visit with the right part.
Price
What affects the price
The cost depends on the part needed, whether it is in stock for your brand, and access. Concealed cisterns behind tiled panels take longer than close coupled toilets.
| What | Price |
|---|---|
| Dripping tap repair | price confirmed after a look at the job |
| Running or slow filling toilet repair | price confirmed after a look at the job |
| New tap or toilet fitted | quote on survey |
| Concealed cistern or macerator repair | quote on survey |
No prices are shown on this site. Every job is priced after a look at it, by photo or a visit.
Questions
Taps and toilets: what people ask
Why does my toilet keep running?
Usually the fill valve is not shutting off or the flush valve seal is letting water past. In Bristol, limescale on those parts is a common cause.
Is a dripping tap worth fixing?
Yes. It wastes water, can stain basins and gets worse over time. On a meter you pay for every drip.
Can you fix a concealed cistern?
Yes. Most concealed cisterns have an access panel behind the flush plate. If there is none, we may need to remove a panel.
Should I replace or repair an old tap?
If parts are available and the body is sound, repair. If it is heavily scaled, loose or parts are hard to find, a new tap is usually better value.
Where
Taps and toilets across Bristol
Taps and toilets
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