How to Fix a Leaking Shower Head
Learning how to fix a leaking shower head starts with one question: does the drip stop by itself, or does it carry on with the water off? A few drips straight after you shut the shower down are usually the head and its arm emptying. A drip that keeps going well past that comes from the mixer, not the head, and fixing that is licensed work.
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Our Kallangur plumbing team gets called out for both, and we always ask the same first question on the phone. Answer it, and this page tells you what the fault is, what the law lets you do yourself, and when to hand it to a licensed plumber.
What Leftover Water Looks Like
Drips that stop within a minute or two of switching off are the head and arm emptying; a drip that carries on with the water off points to a worn seal inside the mixer. Every head holds a small amount of water once you shut it off, and the arm above it holds a little more. Gravity drains that out over the next minute or two, and then the shower should be silent.
Drips still landing five or ten minutes later point to a different fault. Water is getting past a seal somewhere upstream of the head, which almost always means the mixer in the wall. The head itself rarely fails in a way that lets water through when the supply is closed, so a new head will not stop it.
The detached brick homes along the streets off Sheaves Road and across the suburb were built from the 1960s through to the 2000s, and plenty of those bathrooms still run their original in-wall mixers. Seals inside a mixer of that age have usually done their last clean shut-off years before the drip starts.
What Counts as Unregulated Plumbing Work
Yes, the QBCC lists replacing a shower head as unregulated work, which means anyone with the appropriate knowledge and level of skill may do it. The job needs no licence, no approval from the QBCC or the local government, and no report. The work still has to meet the minimum standards that legislation and the codes set.
The cartridge or valve inside the mixer is a different story. The QBCC's unregulated list names the shower head, not the mixer, so anything inside the mixer is work for a licensed plumber. Repairing, replacing or removing a fitting there is minor work: it needs a QBCC licensee, but no permit and no Form 4.
If you do swap the head, choose a replacement that carries a Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards (WELS) label. Any shower head sold in or to Australia has to be WELS-registered, and the label shows its star rating and water efficiency details wherever it is listed for sale, online included.
Head, Joint or Mixer Behind the Wall
Three places produce a drip: the joint where the head meets the arm, the mixer behind the wall, and, on a bath-shower combination, the bath spout and its diverter. Each has its own tell.
The joint on the arm
Water seeping where the head screws onto the arm while the shower runs points to a loose joint or a worn seal at that connection. Water appears only while the shower is on, and stops when it is off.
The mixer
A drip with the water off is the mixer's signature. The cartridge inside it controls flow and the hot and cold mix, so a worn one can also show up as a stiff handle or the wrong temperature.
The diverter
Water from the head while the bath tap runs points to a worn diverter or a restricted spout rather than the head. The same is true the other way, with water dropping from the spout mid-shower.
Scale matters too. Mineral build-up can block spray holes and push water out through other gaps in the head, which looks like an odd leak rather than a steady drip. Our humid summers and mild frost-free winters keep bathrooms damp year-round, so the spray face of an older head can carry years of build-up.
Worn Seats and Bodies Behind the Wall
A drip that survives a new washer or cartridge points to a worn valve seat or a damaged mixer body. The washer seals against the valve seat, and the cartridge seals inside the mixer body, so if either surface is worn the new part cannot close and the drip carries on.
Replacing another washer at that point just delays the same result. A licensed plumber assesses the seat and the body, because repairing or replacing a fitting inside the mixer is minor work for a licensee. The honest answer, once the seat is worn, is usually a mixer replacement rather than another seal.
When to Call a Plumber
Call a licensed plumber when the drip continues with the water off, when the handle is stiff, or when a new part has not stopped the fault. Those signs all sit inside the mixer, which makes the job licensed work regardless of how handy you are. Temperature that wanders while you shower belongs on the same list.
The price depends on whether the fault is the head or the mixer behind the wall, the part needed, and how easy the mixer is to access. You get a fixed quote before any work starts, so nothing is guessed. Our shower repairs in Kallangur work covers mixers, diverters and everything the shower touches.
Shower Head Questions
Call (07) 3520 4094Why is my shower head dripping after I turn it off?
Dripping for the first minute or so after you shut the water off is normal: the head and the arm are still emptying. A drip that continues once the taps are closed comes from the mixer, where a worn washer or cartridge lets water slip past the seal. The head is not the part at fault.
Can I replace a shower head myself in Kallangur?
Yes, the QBCC lists replacing a shower head as unregulated work, so anyone with the appropriate knowledge and level of skill may do it. No approval and no report are needed, and the work still has to meet the minimum standards set by legislation and codes.
Why does water leak where the shower head meets the arm?
Water seeping at that join while the shower runs points to a loose joint or a worn seal at the connection. Swapping the head is the unregulated job, so you can fit a replacement yourself if the join is the problem.
Who fixes a dripping shower head in a Kallangur rental?
Tell your property manager or owner as soon as possible. Queensland tenancy rules require them to keep the premises in good repair for the whole tenancy. Changing a shower head is one of the very minor jobs that need no licensee, but the mixer inside the wall is licensed work.
Talk to Us About the Dripping HeadWe'll call you back.
Phone (07) 3520 4094 for a licensed plumber in Kallangur. 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) 3520 4094 today.