How to Fix a Leaking Shower Head
A dripping shower head usually means one of two things: water left over from the shower, or a seal inside the wall mixer that has worn out. That difference is the heart of how to fix a leaking shower head, because each one leads to a different job, and the mixer side belongs to a licensed plumber.
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We look after showers every week for Wavell Heights households, from post-war weatherboards to renovated brick homes. At the last census, 41.2 per cent of homes here had four or more bedrooms, so the family bathroom works hard and tired seals get found quickly.
What Leftover Water Looks Like
A short run of drips after use is normal; a drip that continues once the water is shut off is not. The arm and the head trap a little water between them, and gravity empties it out over the following minute or so.
Wait for that to finish before you diagnose anything. A shower still dripping after the arm has emptied is being fed through a worn seal in the wall mixer, and the head itself is innocent.
Where a Dripping Shower Head Comes From
Three places can produce the drip: the joint where the head meets the arm, the wall mixer, and on a bath-shower combination the spout and diverter. Each has its own signature.
The joint at the arm
Water appearing there only during use points to a loosened fitting or a perished seal.
The wall mixer
A drip that continues after everything is shut comes from inside the mixer, where a worn cartridge or washer lets water slip the seal.
The spout and diverter
Water at the head while the bath fills, or at the spout during a shower, signals a diverter past its use-by or a restricted spout.
Limescale plays a part as well. Crust in the spray holes chokes some openings and pushes water out through others, which reads as an odd spray rather than a leak.
The cartridge inside the mixer sets the flow and blends hot with cold. A worn one drips, stiffens the handle or sends the temperature astray.
When a New Part Does Not Stop the Drip
If a replacement washer or cartridge has not stopped the drip, the seat or the mixer body is the likely fault. A washer beds onto the valve seat, and a cartridge seals within the body, so a scored surface under either one defeats the new part.
Diagnosis at that point is one for a licensed plumber. Repairing or replacing a fitting inside the mixer is minor work: a QBCC licensee does it, and no permit or Form 4 applies. Swapping part after part yourself will not mend a damaged body.
An older home in this suburb may feed the mixer from pipe that predates the renovation around it, worth checking while the wall is open.
Can You Replace a Shower Head Yourself
Yes, you can. The QBCC treats replacing a shower head as unregulated work, which anyone with the appropriate knowledge and level of skill may do. No plumbing licence is needed.
The QBCC and your council require no approval and no report for it. Whatever you fit, the result still has to satisfy the minimum standards in the legislation and the codes.
The mixer is different. Work on the cartridge or valve inside it belongs to a licensed plumber, because only the head appears on the QBCC's unregulated list. And before you buy, check the label: any new head sold in Australia has to be registered under the Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards (WELS) scheme, with its star rating and its water-use figures shown wherever the head is sold, online included.
When to Call a Plumber
Call a plumber once the drip outlasts the leftover water, resists a new part, or shows up in the wrong place. Everything past the head itself, including the mixer, the diverter and the arm, is licensed territory.
The shower repairs page walks through the diagnosis and the work. A bathroom renovation is also the moment to replace a mixer that has troubled you for years.
The price turns on where the fault lies, the part required and how easily the mixer can be reached. We quote it fixed before any work starts.
Dripping Shower Questions From Wavell Heights Homes
Call (07) 3524 7163Can I replace a shower head myself in Wavell Heights?
Yes, you can. Queensland classes a shower head swap as unregulated work, so no plumbing licence applies. The finished job is still bound by the minimum standards.
Does changing a shower head need approval or reporting?
No. The QBCC and your council require no approval for unregulated work, and nothing gets lodged as a report. The minimum standards still apply to the finished job.
Why does my shower still drip after a new cartridge?
A scored seat or a damaged mixer body lets water past even a new part. The washer beds on the seat and the cartridge seals inside the body, so damage underneath defeats the fresh part. A licensed plumber checks the mixer and does the repair.
Who fixes a dripping shower head in a Wavell Heights rental?
The tenant reports it to the owner or property manager as soon as possible. Under Queensland tenancy rules, the owner or manager has to keep the premises in good repair for the whole tenancy. A shower head swap is one of the very minor jobs a rental needs no licensee for.
Talk to Us About That Dripping ShowerWe'll call you back.
Phone (07) 3524 7163 for a licensed plumber in Wavell Heights. We work under QBCC No: 15024607, with flat-rate pricing, no hidden fees and same-day where we can.
To claim your $0 call-out fee, call (07) 3524 7163 today.