How do I fix a stiff or noisy tap?

Servicing a tap that has become stiff, squeaks, or judders — usually limescale, a worn washer or a perished cartridge.

Difficulty: intermediate
Time: 1 hr
Read: 2 min
Safety: caution

Short answer

Turn off the water, dismantle the head, and clean or replace the ceramic cartridge or washer. Stiffness is usually limescale on the spindle; juddering and squealing usually mean a worn washer vibrating in the seat.

Taps have very few moving parts. Stiffness, noise and drips almost always come down to the cartridge or washer, both of which are inexpensive parts and both of which are reached the same way.

Safety

Turn off the water at the isolation valve or stopcock before dismantling any tap, and open the tap afterwards to confirm the supply is off. Put the plug in first — dropped screws disappear down a drain instantly.

What you'll need

Adjustable spanner
Screwdriver
Replacement cartridge or washer (optional)
White vinegar or descaler (optional)

Step by step

Turn off the water and open the tap to confirm.Isolation valves are usually under the basin. If there are none, use the main stopcock. Confirm before dismantling — do not assume.
Put the plug in the basin.Small screws and washers go down an open drain immediately and are then unrecoverable.
Remove the tap head.Usually a small cap on top hiding a screw, sometimes a grub screw at the side. Prise caps gently to avoid marking the chrome.
Unscrew the headgear with a spanner.It should come out with moderate force. If it is seized, penetrating oil and time is better than more force, which cracks ceramic.
Identify what you have.A traditional tap has a rubber washer at the base. A quarter-turn tap has a ceramic cartridge. They are different parts and different replacements.
Descale everything in white vinegar or limescale remover.Soak for an hour. Limescale on the spindle is the usual cause of stiffness, and cleaning it often fixes it entirely.
Replace the washer or cartridge.Take the old part to the merchant. Sizes vary and matching by eye from a photograph is unreliable.
Grease the spindle threads with silicone grease and reassemble.Silicone grease is safe for drinking water; ordinary grease is not. It makes a noticeable difference to the feel.

Tips

A juddering or squealing tap is nearly always a loose or worn washer vibrating against the seat. Replacing it is a cheap fix.
In hard water areas, servicing taps every few years prevents seizing that eventually means replacing the whole tap.
If the seat itself is pitted, a reseating tool grinds it flat. Otherwise a new washer will not seal for long.

Common mistakes

Not confirming the water is off — Removing the headgear with pressure behind it produces an immediate and forceful leak you cannot stop.
Forcing a seized headgear — It cracks ceramic bodies and rounds off the brass. Penetrating oil and patience is the right approach.
Using ordinary grease on drinking water fittings — Only silicone grease approved for potable water should touch anything on a drinking water supply.

Questions people ask

Why does my tap squeal or judder?

Almost always a worn or loose washer vibrating against the seat as water passes. Replacing the washer fixes it, and it is an inexpensive part.

Why has my tap become stiff to turn?

Limescale on the spindle threads, or dried-out grease. Dismantling, descaling and regreasing with silicone grease usually restores it completely.