How to Fix a Leaking Shower Head
Ten minutes after your shower ends, the head still dribbling is a different problem from one that drips for hours. The short dribble is leftover water emptying out. The endless drip starts further back, at a seal that has failed, and the fix belongs to a licensed plumber.
If we're late, $100 comes off your bill
- Licensed and InsuredEvery job done by a licensed plumber. QBCC No: 15024607
- Fixed Quote FirstFlat-rate pricing, agreed before any work starts
- Lifetime Labour WarrantyBacked by our Fix-It-or-It's-Free guarantee (T&Cs apply)
- $0 Call-Out FeesNo extra charge for nights, weekends or public holidays
Working out how to fix a leaking shower head in Lutwyche begins with telling those two apart. The split matters more here than in a detached suburb. Area-level estimates put close to 3,987 residents on each of the suburb's 0.88 square kilometres in 2025, so most bathrooms sit in apartment blocks with a neighbour's ceiling directly below.
What Leftover Water Looks Like
Some water escaping the head just after a shower is normal, but a drip that persists once the taps are shut signals a perished seal in the mixer. Here is the difference in practice.
Straight after use
water resting in the head and the arm runs out briefly, then finishes on its own. Give it a short wait before you worry.
Well after the shower
a head still dripping an hour later is not holding leftover water. Water is sneaking past a failed seal deep in the wall mixer, and nothing done to the head will slow it.
Where a Dripping Shower Head Comes From
A drip from a shower head can start in three places. The joint where the head joins the arm is one, the mixer behind the tiling is another, and the third is the bath spout diverter on a combined set-up. Each one shows a different sign.
Seepage at the connection while the shower is running
points to a loose join or a washer that has had its day.
The drip that continues once everything is shut
belongs to the mixer, where a worn washer or a tired cartridge lets water through.
Water arriving at the head while the bath tap runs
, or at the spout during a shower, flags a diverter near the end of its life or a spout that cannot shift enough water.
Scale is a fourth possibility. Mineral build-up can choke individual spray holes, forcing water out through other openings in the head, which reads as a leak but acts like a blockage.
In the apartment blocks that dominate this suburb, the drip you tolerate today becomes tomorrow's stain on the ceiling below. Catching it early keeps the job to one visit and one ceiling.
Can You Replace a Shower Head Yourself
Yes, the QBCC lists swapping a shower head as unregulated work in Queensland, so a householder with the knowledge and skill the task calls for may do it. No plumbing licence applies to that job here.
No paperwork follows either: the QBCC and council have no approval process for the swap, and you do not report it afterwards. The trade-off is that the finished work still has to meet the standards the plumbing law and codes set.
The mixer is where the do-it-yourself line stops. Its cartridge and valve are work for a QBCC licensee: minor work that needs no permit and no Form 4, but a licence all the same. The unregulated entry names the head only.
Two more things worth knowing:
- A replacement head sold in or into Australia has to be registered with the Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards (WELS) scheme. Its star rating and water efficiency details have to show wherever it is listed for sale, online stores included.
- On a Queensland rental, the head swap is among the few jobs open to an unlicensed hand. Queensland tenancy law still puts the owner or manager under a duty to keep the premises in good repair across the tenancy, so a tenant who notices a drip should flag it to the property manager or owner promptly.
Still Dripping After a Repair Attempt
A drip that survives a fresh washer or a new cartridge means the fault lies deeper: a worn valve seat or a damaged mixer body, and both need a licensed plumber's eye. A washer seals against the seat and a cartridge seals within the body, so a scored surface lets water past no matter how new the part is.
Resist trying a third part. Work on fittings inside the mixer is minor work for a licensee, so a proper assessment on site is the sensible next move.
When to Call a Plumber About the Drip
Bring in a plumber when the drip continues with the water off, when a fresh part has not solved it, or when water swaps between the bath spout and the head. We check the mixer and the head on arrival, and our shower repairs page covers the mixer, diverter and arm faults behind most of these calls.
Shower Head Questions From Lutwyche
Call (07) 3523 7172Why is my Lutwyche shower still dripping after I turn it off?
A short run of drips after you shut the shower off is just the head and arm emptying, which is normal. A drip that keeps going well beyond that has its source in the mixer, with a worn cartridge or washer letting water past its seal rather than at the head.
Does swapping a shower head in Queensland need approval or a report?
No. The swap is unregulated work in this state, so neither the QBCC nor your council needs to approve it, and there is nothing to report. Whatever the finished job looks like, the legal minimum standards still apply.
Why is my shower still dripping after a new cartridge went in?
A fresh part cannot fix a mixer whose seating surfaces are past their best. A washer closes onto its seat and a cartridge closes inside the body, so scoring on either surface keeps the leak going. Assessment by a licensed plumber comes next, since internal mixer repairs count as minor work needing a licensee.
How much does it cost to fix a leaking shower head in Lutwyche?
Two things drive the price: whether the fault sits at the head or behind the wall, and how easily the plumber can get at the mixer. Flat-rate pricing applies, and a fixed quote before any work starts settles the figure once we have seen the job.
Ring Us About the Dripping HeadWe'll call you back.
Ring (07) 3523 7172 and tell us what's wrong. You get $0 call-out fees, a fixed quote before any work starts and same-day where we can, 7 days a week.
To claim your $0 call-out fee, call (07) 3523 7172 today.