Tap and Sink Repairs in Cambridge

Most tap and sink repairs in Cambridge are done inside the first hour, with parts charged on top at cost. A dripping tap, a blocked trap or a running toilet usually falls in that first hour; bigger jobs run on in 30-minute blocks after it. Current rates are set out on my handyman prices page.

I’m Ant, and Ant’s Handyman Services is just me — covering Cambridge and the surrounding villages plus Haverhill, Newmarket, Royston, St Ives and Saffron Walden. I do minor, non-notifiable plumbing only, which covers most of what actually goes wrong at a sink or basin. Quotes are free and there’s no VAT.

Tap and sink jobs I can sort

This is the everyday stuff — the repairs that don’t need a boiler engineer but do need someone who owns the right spanner:

• Changing tap washers and cartridges — the usual fix for a tap that won’t stop dripping.
• Swapping taps like-for-like — a new mixer or pillar tap in place of the old one, using the existing pipework.
• Replacing flexible tap connectors — the braided hoses under the sink that perish and weep.
• Clearing blocked sink traps and wastes — slow-draining or backed-up kitchen sinks and basins.
• Re-sealing sinks and worktops — stripping out blackened mastic and running a fresh bead.
• Refixing loose or sagging sinks and basins — back level and fixed properly to the unit or wall.
• Replacing waste pipes and traps — cracked bottle traps and leaking compression joints.
• Fixing running or leaking toilet cisterns — flush valves, float valves and cistern seals.
• Fitting isolation valves where one already exists, so the next repair is quicker and drier.

If it’s on that list, it’s on my list — and it’s worth batching a few together into one visit. You can see everything I take on here.

What a tap or sink repair costs in Cambridge

All my pricing works the same way: a first hour that includes travel, then time after that billed in 30-minute blocks, so you only pay for what the job actually takes. The table below is about how long these repairs run — the rates themselves are on my handyman prices page.

Job	Typical time	How it’s priced
Dripping tap (washer or cartridge)	Within the first hour	Covered by the first hour
Swapping a tap like-for-like	1–2 hours	First hour plus a block or two
Blocked sink trap	Within the first hour	Covered by the first hour
Re-sealing a sink or worktop	Within the first hour	Covered by the first hour
Refixing a loose sink	1–2 hours	First hour plus a block or two
Replacing a waste and trap	1–2 hours	First hour plus a block or two
Running toilet	Within the first hour	Covered by the first hour

Materials — washers, cartridges, a trap, a tube of mastic — are charged at cost with no markup, receipts shown. There’s a minimum charge of one hour, so a five-minute washer change is still charged as a full hour. That’s why it pays to save a couple of jobs up.

If your list has grown, booking a half day or a full day works out better than paying by the hour. There’s a fuller breakdown on my handyman prices page.

Why is my tap dripping?

Almost every dripping tap comes down to one worn part, and which part depends on how your tap turns.

Traditional taps turn several times from off to fully on and get gradually harder to close. Inside is a rubber washer pressed onto a seat, and once that rubber hardens or splits, water creeps past. Washers are pennies and the fix is quick.

Quarter-turn and most modern mixer taps go from off to full flow in a flick of the handle. These use a ceramic cartridge — two polished discs sliding across each other. Grit and limescale score those discs, and once that happens the cartridge is replaced rather than repaired.

Dripping from the spout

Water forming at the end of the spout when the tap is off points at the washer or cartridge. Turn each handle off firmly in turn — if the drip stops when you nip up the hot side, that’s the one to change. A dripping tap wastes water and will stain the basin, so sort it early.

Leaking from the base of the tap

Water pooling around the bottom of the tap, especially while it’s running, usually means the O-rings in the spout or body have gone. On a swivel mixer that often shows up after years of swinging the spout about. Different part from the washer, but still a straightforward replacement.

Leaking underneath, in the cupboard

Damp chipboard, a musty smell or a puddle in the base of the unit is a different problem again — typically the flexible connectors, the back-nut holding the tap down, or a joint on the waste. Water runs along a pipe before it drips, so the wet patch isn’t always under the fault.

Not sure it’s a handyman job at all? My guide to whether you need a handyman, an electrician or a plumber will save you a wasted call-out.

When you need a plumber instead of a handyman

Some work is legally or sensibly outside what a handyman should touch, and I’d rather tell you that on the phone than after I’ve arrived. These are the jobs I don’t do:

• Anything involving gas or a boiler. Gas Safe registered engineers only, by law — no exceptions.
• Central heating work. Radiators, valves, pumps and heating pipework belong with a heating engineer.
• Unvented hot water cylinders. Pressurised systems needing someone with the specific ticket.
• Soil stack and main drainage work. Past the trap into the soil pipe or drains is a drainage specialist’s job.
• Anything that means re-routing the mains. New runs of supply pipework are a plumber’s job, not mine.

If I arrive and it turns out to be one of these, I’ll say so straight away and you won’t be charged for a job I can’t finish. There’s more about how I work on my about page.

What to do before I arrive

Five minutes of prep saves you money, because the clock only runs on the actual work.

• Find your internal stopcock. In most Cambridge houses it’s at the back of the cupboard under the kitchen sink; in flats and newer builds try the airing cupboard, downstairs loo or utility area. Give it a turn to check it isn’t seized.
• Check for isolation valves. Look at the small pipes running up to the tap — a little valve with a slot for a screwdriver means I can shut off just that tap and leave the rest of your water on.
• Empty the cupboard under the sink. Bleach, bin bags, the salad spinner — all of it out. I need my head and shoulders in there.
• Have the make of tap to hand. A brand name stamped on the body, or the original paperwork, makes finding the right cartridge much faster. No name? A clear photo of the tap and handle does the job.
• Take a photo of the leak, especially if it’s intermittent. Send it with your enquiry and I’ll turn up with the likely parts in the van.

Jobs like this are the ones that sit on the list for months. If yours has company, have a look at the jobs people put off longest.

Frequently asked questions

Do you supply the parts?

Yes. I carry common washers, O-rings, connectors and traps, so most repairs are done on the first visit. Anything I buy in is charged at cost, receipt shown. You’re welcome to supply your own parts if you’d rather.

Can you come out the same day?

Sometimes, depending on what’s already booked. I work Monday to Saturday, 8:00am to 6:00pm, so it’s worth ringing to ask. If water is actively escaping, turn the stopcock off first, then call.

Can you fix a tap if the part is obsolete?

Often, yes — many older taps take a standard washer or a widely-available cartridge even when the brand is long gone. If the exact part can’t be found, the sensible option is swapping the tap like-for-like, and I’ll quote that first.

Do you do bathrooms as well as kitchens?

Yes — basin and bath taps, loose basins, wastes and traps, running cisterns and re-sealing all count as minor plumbing. What I don’t do is full bathroom installations or anything on the heating or hot water system.

Will you turn the water back on and test it?

Always. I turn the supply back on, run the tap, work the handles and check underneath with a dry hand and some tissue before packing up. You’ll see it working before I leave, and I clear up after myself.

What if it turns out to be a bigger job?

I’ll stop and tell you what I’ve found rather than press on. If it’s beyond minor plumbing, I’ll explain what sort of tradesperson you need and why. You pay only for the time spent, with the one-hour minimum applying.

Get your tap or sink sorted

Tap that won’t stop dripping, sink that won’t drain, loo that won’t stop running? Ring me and I’ll tell you honestly whether it’s a job for me. Quotes are free, the first hour includes travel, and materials are at cost — rates are on my handyman prices page.

I cover Cambridge and the villages around it, plus Haverhill, Newmarket, Royston, St Ives and Saffron Walden, Monday to Saturday, 8:00am to 6:00pm. Call, or send me the details and I’ll come back to you. Other bits and pieces waiting? I’m the odd job man for those too.