How do I fix a wobbly kitchen tap?
Why taps work loose, how to reach the fixing nut in an awkward cupboard, and what to do when the sink itself is the problem.
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Time
- 45 min
- Read
- 3 min
- Safety
- warning
Short answer
A wobbling tap is almost always a loose backnut underneath. Isolate the water, clear the cupboard, and tighten the nut with a basin wrench — but check the washer and the sink surface first, because a nut that keeps loosening usually means something under it has failed.
Taps loosen through ordinary use — every turn of the handle applies a twisting force to the fixing. Left alone the movement wears the seal underneath, and a wobble becomes a slow leak into the cupboard.
Safety
Step by step
- Isolate the water first.Find the small isolating valves on the supply pipes under the sink and turn the slot across the pipe. Open the tap afterwards to confirm the flow has stopped and to release pressure.
- Empty the cupboard and get light in there.You cannot work on a tap you cannot see. A head torch and something to lie on makes the difference between a twenty-minute job and an hour of frustration.
- Identify the fixing arrangement.Older taps use a large backnut on a threaded tail. Modern monobloc taps use a threaded rod with a plate and a small nut, or a horseshoe-shaped bracket. They need different tools.
- Use a basin wrench for a traditional backnut.The nut sits in a space no ordinary spanner reaches. A basin wrench — a long shaft with a hinged jaw — is made for exactly this and costs very little. Trying to manage with grips usually rounds the nut.
- Hold the tap straight while you tighten.Have someone hold the spout in position above, or tighten in small increments and check. Tightening a tap that has rotated leaves it permanently off-centre.
- Check the washer or gasket under the tap base.There should be a rubber or fibre washer between the tap and the sink. If it has perished or is missing, the tap will loosen again whatever you do. Replacements are inexpensive and generic.
- Look at the sink surface itself.A thin stainless sink can distort around the tap hole, and a laminate worktop under an inset sink can swell if it has been getting wet. A large penny washer spreads the load; a swollen worktop needs addressing first.
- Do not overtighten.Ceramic and composite sinks crack, and thin stainless deforms. Tighten until it is firm and the tap will not turn by hand, then stop.
- Check for leaks before putting the cupboard back.Restore the water, run both taps hot and cold, and dry the connections. Then run them again a few minutes later and feel every joint. Weeping joints show up on the second look, not the first.
Tips
- Put a sheet of white kitchen roll under the connections overnight. Any leak shows as a spot long before it becomes visible damage.
- If the isolating valve will not turn, do not force it — they seize. Turn the water off at the stopcock instead and replace the valve while you are in there.
- Take a photo before dismantling anything. The order of washers and plates is easy to lose and hard to reconstruct.
Common mistakes
- Tightening the nut without checking the washer — If the seal underneath has perished, the nut has nothing solid to clamp against and will work loose again within weeks.
- Using grips instead of a basin wrench — The angle is wrong, the nut rounds off, and what was a ten-minute job becomes cutting the fixing out.
Questions people ask
Why does my kitchen tap keep working loose?
Usually the rubber washer between the tap and the sink has perished, so the backnut has nothing firm to clamp. Replace the washer rather than just retightening.
What tool do I need to tighten a tap?
A basin wrench. Its hinged jaw on a long shaft reaches the fixing nut in the confined space under a sink, which no ordinary spanner can do without rounding the nut.