bathroom
Taps, showers and mixers
Changing a tap costs £90 to £200 in labour, and fitting a shower is £180 to £450 depending on whether it is a straight swap or a new position. The commonest reason a job costs more than expected is a seized isolation valve or no isolation valve at all.
What this covers
What it costs. Changing a tap costs £90 to £200 in labour, and fitting a shower is £180 to £450. Full cost breakdown.
What the job covers
- Replacing kitchen and basin taps
- Electric and mixer shower installation
- Thermostatic shower valve replacement
- Shower pumps for low pressure systems
- Curing drips, weeping and low flow
What is involved
A tap change is a short job with one variable: what is under the sink. Modern installs have a service valve on each tail, so the water is off in seconds. Older ones do not, which means draining part of the system, and a kitchen tap in a cupboard with a waste, a washing machine hose and a boxed-in stack around it takes longer than the same tap on an open bench.
Showers divide by how they are fed. An electric shower heats mains cold water as it passes through, so it works regardless of the hot water system but is limited by its kilowatt rating and needs its own electrical circuit. A mixer shower blends stored or combi hot with cold, and gives a better flow if the pressure is there. A thermostatic valve is what stops the temperature swinging when a tap runs elsewhere in the house, and on any shower used by children or older people it is worth having.
Low flow from a shower on a gravity system is a pressure problem, not a plumbing fault, and the fix is either a shower pump or a change to a pressurised system. A pump has to be fed correctly, from a dedicated tapping on the cylinder and a tank with enough capacity, and a pump plumbed in to draw air will be loud and short-lived.
Replacing kitchen and basin taps, one of the jobs a taps and showers specialist is hired for.
Choosing someone for the job
Ask whether isolation valves are being fitted while the plumber is under there, because it makes every future job cheaper. For a shower, ask whether your system can supply it before choosing the model. For an electric shower, check the existing cable rating: a 10.5kW unit on a cable sized for 8.5kW is an electrician's job as well as a plumber's.
Common questions
Why does my tap still drip after a new washer?
The seat the washer closes on has been scored by the old washer. It can be re-cut with a seat tool, but on modern taps replacing the cartridge or the tap is usually the practical fix.
Can I fit an electric shower myself?
The plumbing, possibly. The electrical connection is notifiable work and needs certifying, so most people have it done as one visit by a plumber and an electrician.