How to Fix a Leaking Shower Head
Before you buy any parts, work out which kind of drip you have. Learning how to fix a leaking shower head starts with one question. Is the water just draining out of the head, or is the mixer letting supply creep past a worn seal?
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The first kind costs you nothing. The second kind needs a licensed plumber, because Queensland classes work on a mixer as licensed plumbing, and our Clayfield team sorts both, same-day where we can, with $0 call-out fees.
Census figures put this suburb at 2425 flats and apartments against 1785 separate houses, so plenty of local showers share a wall with the next flat.
What Leftover Water Looks Like
Water draining from the head after use is normal; a drip that persists once the taps are shut traces to the mixer, where the washer or cartridge has worn.
The head and the arm above it both hold a little water between uses, and the last of it runs out of the spray holes on its own.
Keep watching past that first minute and the picture changes:
- A drip holding steady after the drain-down means water is passing the mixer's seal.
- The faulty part sits inside the mixer, never in the head.
- Nothing done to the head stops it, because the head only shows the fault.
That is the practical test. Wait out the drain, then watch the outlet with the water firmly shut off.
Can You Replace a Shower Head Yourself
Yes, a shower head swap lands on the QBCC's unregulated list, so Queensland asks no licence of whoever has the skills the job takes.
Neither the QBCC nor your council signs off, and nothing gets reported anywhere. Licence or not, that work has to satisfy the minimum standards the plumbing legislation and codes set.
Two things are worth knowing before you shop:
A replacement head should carry a Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards (WELS) registration
The label's stars and per-use water figures travel with every listing or ad, online included.
Renters get the same split
A head change is one of the very few jobs a Queensland rental allows without a licensee. Tenancy law puts the owner or manager in charge of repairs, and tenants pass faults on to the property manager quickly.
Behind the wall the rules flip. Fixing or swapping a fitting in the mixer counts as minor work under the QBCC's scheme: a licensee does it, with no permit and nothing lodged. Only the head sits on that list; the mixer and its cartridge never do.
Signs Pointing to the Shower Mixer
A dripping shower has three possible sources: the joint between head and arm, the mixer inside the wall, and the diverter on a bath-shower combination.
Each source shows its own sign:
Water appearing at the head-to-arm joint during a shower
suggests a loosened connection or a perished seal at that point.
A drip with the water shut off
comes from behind the tiles. Opening that wall stays with a licensed plumber.
The head spitting while the bath tap is open
, or the spout running during a shower, blames a tired diverter or a blocked spout.
Mineral scale over the spray holes
pushes water sideways through the remaining gaps, which reads as a leak but is really a blockage.
Clayfield's walk-up unit blocks give this fault room to hide. A mixer fitted when those blocks went up sits behind tiled or rendered walls never built for easy access, so guessing at parts before the wall opens wastes money.
Worn Seats and Bodies Behind the Wall
When a fresh washer or cartridge fails to stop the drip, the seat or the mixer body itself is worn or damaged. A licensed plumber assesses which.
Here is the mechanism. A washer closes against a machined seat, and a cartridge seals within the mixer's own body.
Once either surface is scored or pitted, no replacement part can close against it. The new washer lands on a damaged face, and the drip carries on.
Queensland classes repairs in the mixer as minor work, so that assessment sits with a licensee. No permit applies, and the plumber checks seat and body before quoting anything further.
When to Call a Plumber
Ring about the fault rather than the parts, because the diagnosis sets both the price and the repair path.
Call a licensed plumber when:
- the drip outlasts the drain-down every time;
- the handle turns stiff, loose or noisy, or the temperature drifts;
- water spits from the head during a bath;
- a new head has already changed nothing.
The mixer, diverter and arm work sits on our shower repairs page, along with the licence detail for the wall side of the job.
Clayfield Shower Drip Questions
Call (07) 3524 7163Why is my shower head dripping after I turn the water off?
Water left in the head and arm drains for a short time after a shower, which is normal. A drip past that point means the mixer is at fault: an aged washer or cartridge lets water escape its seal.
Can I replace my own shower head in Clayfield?
Yes, Queensland treats a head swap as unregulated, so anyone with the know-how may do it. No QBCC or council approval applies and nothing gets reported, though the work must still come up to standard. Anything inside the mixer stays with a licensed plumber.
What does it mean when water leaks where the shower head joins the arm?
Seepage at that joint during a shower points to a loosened connection or a perished seal between head and arm. A head swap stays open to anyone; work on the arm or anything inside the wall goes to a licensed plumber.
How much does it cost to fix a leaking shower in Clayfield?
The price turns on two things: whether the fault is the head or the mixer, and how easily we reach that mixer. A fixed quote after the inspection settles the figure, and you approve it before work starts.
Ring Us About the Dripping ShowerWe'll call you back.
Phone (07) 3524 7163 for a licensed plumber in Clayfield. 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.