Shower head dripping? How to find the cause and fix it

A shower head dripping for a short while after use is usually residual water draining out. A drip that never stops points to the shower valve, often a worn cartridge or seal, while a drip at the hose joint usually means a worn or missing washer. Find where the water comes from, then fix that part.

Most drips need a washer or a plumber, not a new head. If you are replacing the head anyway, our guide to filter shower heads in the UK explains what to check first.

This guide covers each cause, the fixes you can do by hand, when PTFE tape is worth trying and when to call a plumber. We sell a filter shower head, so every rule we quote here links to its source.

Why is my shower head dripping? The short answer

A shower head drips for one of four reasons: residual water, a worn washer at the hose, a worn valve cartridge or seal, or limescale in the valve. Where and when the water appears tells you which one you have.

A steady drip is worth fixing, even when it looks small. For scale, WaterSafe, the UK body for approved plumbers, says a dripping tap can waste up to 5,500 litres of water a year.

Is it residual water or a real leak?

Residual water is the water left in the head and hose when the shower valve closes; it drains out and stops. A real leak keeps going at a steady rate, or shows up at a joint while the shower runs.

Shower makers treat the first kind as normal. One maker's 2011 guide for its shower fittings says a small amount of water may be retained in the showerhead after the shower control is turned off. It calls this quite normal, and adds that changing the angle of the head may vary the draining time.

The same maker's 2013 guide for a thermostatic mixer also lists water leaking from the showerhead as normal for a short period after shut-off. Neither guide puts a time on that period, so judge by the pattern.

1. Turn the shower off and angle the head downwards so it can drain.
2. Watch the drips. If they slow down and stop, it was residual water.
3. If the drip carries on at the same steady rate, the valve isn't closing fully.
4. Run the shower and look at each nut. A drip or fine spray there is a joint leak, whatever happens after shut-off.

How to fix a drip at the hose joint

A drip at the hose joint usually means the washer inside the nut is worn, missing, doubled up or sitting crooked. Replacing the washer is a by-hand job: water off, nut off, new washer in, nut back on hand-tight.

1. Turn the shower off. Put a cloth over the plughole so a washer can't slip down it.
2. Undo the nut by hand. On most showers it turns anticlockwise, seen from the hose side.
3. Check the washer. There should be one, lying flat, with no splits or squashed edges. Lift off any old washer stuck to the outlet.
4. Fit a new washer. Take the old one with you when you buy a new one, so the size matches, and seat it flat inside the nut.
5. Refit hand-tight. Start the nut straight so it can't cross-thread, and stop when it is snug.
6. Run the water. Check the joint for a minute with the shower on.

Tighter is not better. Another maker's 2009 guide for an electric shower says not to use excessive force when connecting the flexible hose or showerhead, and that finger tight is sufficient. The 2011 fittings guide says to make sure the hose seals are fitted and not to overtighten.

The same checks apply where the hose meets the handle. If the hose itself is split or weeps along its length, replace it; the 2011 fittings guide notes that a sharply kinked hose may not last as long. For the full refit, see how to fit a shower head and hose, step by step.

Does PTFE tape stop a dripping shower head?

On a shower hose, the flat washer inside the nut makes the seal, so check the washer first. PTFE tape is only for a threaded joint that still drips once a good washer is in place and the nut is hand-tight, and it can't fix a drip that comes from the valve or the head.

• Tape may help: a threaded joint at the outlet that still drips with a good, flat washer in place and the nut hand-tight.
• Tape can't help: drips from the nozzles after shut-off, a missing or split washer, or a cracked nut.

To use it, turn the water off, wipe the outlet thread dry and wind a few turns in the direction the nut screws on. On most threads that is clockwise as you look at the end of the outlet. Keep the tape on the thread and off the face where the washer seals.

If the instructions with your hose or head say something different, follow them.

Dripping after the shower is off: valve, cartridge and limescale

A shower head that keeps dripping after the shower is off usually has a valve that isn't closing fully. In a mixer shower that often means a worn cartridge or seal; limescale inside the valve can stop it sealing too.

Mixer showers

The 2013 mixer guide lists three points for water leaking from the showerhead. A short drip after shut-off is normal; check the supply pressures aren't above the product's specification; and renew the thermostatic cartridge. It also warns that damaged cartridge inlet seals may result in dripping from the showerhead.

Changing a cartridge means isolating the hot and cold supplies, relieving the pressure and taking the controls apart, as your valve's manual shows, then checking that the water can't run too hot once it is back together. The same mixer guide says isolating valves must be installed close to the mixer for ease of maintenance. If you can't find yours, the manual is missing or you're not sure how to check the temperature afterwards, it's a plumber's job.

Limescale in the valve

Scale doesn't only block nozzles. The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) says water with a hardness of 200 mg/l or more (as calcium carbonate) will produce scale. Some shower makers plan for it: one maker's 2012 guide for an electric shower recommends a water treatment device where hardness may exceed 200 ppm. Waterhush is not that kind of device. Waterhush reduces free chlorine, and that is the only claim we make: it doesn't soften water or stop limescale.

Descaling the head won't reach scale inside the valve, so a drip from a scaled valve usually needs a new cartridge or a plumber. For the head itself, see how to clean a shower head and clear limescale.

Electric showers

An electric shower has its own valve inside the unit. The 2012 electric-shower guide lists a faulty flow valve as one cause of a dripping showerhead. It lists low supply pressure as another, giving 20 kPa (0.2 bar) as the minimum static pressure to ensure shut-off and prevent dripping.

Don't open the unit to look. The 2012 guide says there are no user-serviceable parts inside, and servicing must only be carried out by qualified, competent personnel. If water leaks from the case, it says not to switch the shower on and to isolate the electrical supply immediately.

That fault finding is an engineer's work: the 2009 electric-shower guide traces a shower that fails to shut off its flow to a faulty start/stop switch or debris in the solenoid valve, and says to switch off the electricity at the mains and remove the circuit fuse before any fault finding inside the unit. Thinking of changing the head as well? Waterhush is not for electric showers unless your shower's manufacturer confirms in writing that a filter head can be fitted to your model; read what electric shower manuals say about replacement heads first.

When to call a plumber, and what to do if you rent

Call a plumber for a dripping shower head when the valve is the cause and you can't isolate or open it safely. The same goes for water in a wall or ceiling, and for any fault inside an electric shower. A drip at a hose nut is usually a DIY fix; a valve often isn't.

• The drip carries on long after shut-off and the valve has no cartridge you can reach.
• You can't find or turn the isolating valves or the stop tap.
• Water shows up where it shouldn't: behind tiles, through a ceiling or from an electric shower's case.
• A nut or outlet is cracked, or its thread is damaged.

WaterSafe says its approved plumbers are trained in the water fittings regulations to work safely with your drinking water. The drip is not your water company's to fix: Bristol Water, for example, says the pipework inside your property boundary belongs to you or your landlord.

If you rent in England, report the drip to your landlord and keep a record. GOV.UK's guide to private renting says your landlord is always responsible for repairs to basins, sinks, baths and other sanitary fittings, including pipes and drains, and to heating and hot water. It also says you should only carry out repairs if the tenancy agreement says you can. Our guide to changing a shower head when you rent covers the rest. Renting rules in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland can differ, so check local advice there.

What we don't know about your shower

We can't see your shower valve, so we can't say which part is worn, and every model comes apart differently. The checks above narrow the cause down; your shower's manual and a plumber confirm it.

• Your valve type. Bar mixers, concealed valves and electric units are built differently, and some have no user-replaceable parts at all.
• How long “a short period” lasts. The manuals we read call a short drip normal without giving a time.
• Your water pressure. Pressure outside a shower's specified range can cause drips on some models; only a check at your home shows it.
• Our kit on your shower. The Waterhush kit's thread size isn't confirmed yet and we have no pressure or flow figures for it, so we can't promise it fits; contact us if you're unsure. Waterhush is not for electric showers unless your shower's manufacturer confirms in writing that a filter head can be fitted to your model.

If you're weighing up a new head once the drip is fixed, our three-question check covers the basics, though it can't confirm the thread.

The bottom line

A shower head dripping briefly after use is normal residual water. A steady drip at a nut usually needs a new washer, fitted hand-tight; a drip that won't stop after shut-off points to the valve, its cartridge or limescale. The main limit: valve repairs, and anything inside an electric shower, are often a plumber's job. Next step: watch where the water comes from, then fix that part.