How to Fix a Leaking Tap and a Running Toilet in Nigeria: A Step-by-Step Guide (and When to Call a Plumber)

Fix a dripping tap and a toilet that will not stop running yourself — the parts, the tools and the steps — plus what a plumber charges in 2026 and when the…

Published September 2026 · Skills · by Skillnaija Team

A dripping tap wastes thousands of litres a year and empties an overhead tank; a toilet that keeps running drains the tank overnight and runs up the pump's electricity bill. Both are among the commonest calls a Nigerian plumber gets, and both are jobs a careful person can fix with a few tools and the right part. This guide walks through each repair step by step, tells you what the parts cost in 2026, and is honest about when to call a plumber instead.

Before you start: the two rules

First, shut off the water — the stop valve under the basin or on the pipe to the cistern, or the valve at the tank outlet if there is none. Open the tap to drain the pipe. Second, put the plug in the basin or lay a cloth in the sink: a dropped screw down a drain becomes a second job.

Fixing a dripping tap

Identify the tap type. Compression taps (the traditional kind that turns several times) drip because the rubber washer at the bottom of the spindle is worn. Quarter-turn and mixer taps (a lever or a short turn) use a ceramic cartridge that wears or cracks.

Compression tap

1. Prise off the decorative cap on top of the handle and undo the screw beneath it; lift off the handle.
2. Undo the headgear nut with an adjustable spanner (wrap the nut in a cloth to protect the chrome) and lift out the spindle.
3. At the bottom of the spindle is the washer, held by a small nut or screw. Replace it with the same size (usually half-inch or three-quarter-inch; ₦100 to ₦500 in 2026). If the brass seat inside the tap body is pitted, a new washer will not seal — a reseating tool or a new tap is needed.
4. Reassemble, turn the water on slowly and test.

Quarter-turn or mixer tap

1. Remove the handle (a small grub screw at the side or under a cap), then undo the retaining nut.
2. Lift out the ceramic cartridge; note which side is hot or cold.
3. Buy a matching cartridge (₦2,000 to ₦8,000 in 2026; bring the old one to the shop — sizes vary).
4. Fit, tighten gently, reassemble and test.

If the leak is from the base of the spout rather than the outlet, the O-rings around the spout are worn; replace them the same way.

Fixing a running toilet

Lift the cistern lid. Inside are two mechanisms: the fill valve (the float that shuts the water off when the cistern is full) and the flush valve (the flapper or the drop valve that seals the outlet to the bowl). A toilet that never stops running has one of three problems:

1. Water pouring into the overflow tube: the fill valve is not shutting off. Adjust the float down (a screw or a clip on the float arm). If it still runs, the fill valve is worn — replace it (₦3,000 to ₦12,000 in 2026): shut the water, flush, undo the supply pipe under the cistern, unscrew the old valve, fit the new one and set the water level below the overflow.
2. Water trickling into the bowl with the float shut: the flapper or drop-valve seal is worn or dirty. Clean the seat, and if the rubber is stiff or cracked, replace the flapper or the seal (₦1,500 to ₦8,000).
3. The flush button or handle sticks: the lift chain is too short or tangled, or the button mechanism is jammed with scale. Adjust the chain to have a little slack; clean the mechanism.

A trick to diagnose the seal: put a few drops of food colouring or blue toilet block in the cistern and wait ten minutes without flushing. Colour in the bowl means the flush seal is leaking.

Tools you need

An adjustable spanner, a flat and a Phillips screwdriver, pliers, a cloth, Teflon tape for threaded joints and a torch. Together about ₦8,000 to ₦15,000 in 2026 — less than one plumber's call-out.

When to call a plumber

If the stop valve does not shut off the water, if the tap body or cistern is cracked, if the pipe to the toilet leaks at the wall, if the tap seat is pitted, if the water pressure is far too high (which shreds washers), or if the fault is in a concealed cistern or a wall-mounted mixer. A plumber charges ₦3,000 to ₦8,000 in labour to fix a tap and ₦4,000 to ₦12,000 for a running toilet in 2026, plus parts — see what plumbers charge.

Want to do this for a living?

These two repairs are the bread and butter of every plumber's week, and the free Plumbing Basics course builds from them to installations, tanks and pumps, and running a plumbing business. How to become a plumber in Nigeria covers the path.

Frequently asked questions

Why does my tap keep dripping after I close it?

On a traditional compression tap the rubber washer is worn; on a quarter-turn or mixer tap the ceramic cartridge is worn or cracked. Replacing the washer (₦100 to ₦500) or the cartridge (₦2,000 to ₦8,000) fixes it unless the tap seat is pitted.

Why does my toilet keep running?

Either the fill valve is not shutting off (water pours into the overflow tube — adjust or replace the float valve) or the flush seal is leaking into the bowl (replace the flapper or seal). A few drops of colour in the cistern show which.

How much does a plumber charge to fix a tap or a running toilet in Nigeria?

₦3,000 to ₦8,000 in labour for a tap and ₦4,000 to ₦12,000 for a toilet in 2026, plus parts. Night and Sunday call-outs cost more.

What tools do I need to fix a tap?

An adjustable spanner, screwdrivers, pliers, a cloth, Teflon tape and a torch — about ₦8,000 to ₦15,000 for the set, plus the replacement washer or cartridge.

When should I call a plumber instead of fixing it myself?

When the stop valve will not shut the water, the tap body or cistern is cracked, the pipe leaks at the wall, the tap seat is pitted, the pressure is very high, or the cistern or mixer is concealed in the wall.