Two tap problems come up again and again once a bathroom is finished: a mixer that drips, and a new tap that seems weaker than the old one. Leaks and drips are the most common tap problem raised on Bunnings Workshop, and "my new tap has low pressure" isn't far behind. Both usually have a plain cause, and one of them isn't a fault at all.
This guide shows how to tell a cartridge drip from a leak your plumber needs to see today, why water-efficient taps flow less by design, how to measure your flow with a jug, how to clean an aerator without damaging the finish, and exactly what our tapware warranty covers, including who pays the plumber.
11 min read · Last reviewed 14 October 2026 · Written by Ella James
Why Trust InVogue Mirrors & Bathware? InVogue is an Australian retailer trusted in over 20,000 homes, specialising in LED bathroom mirrors, mirror cabinets and tapware across every major finish. The guidance in this article reflects genuine design and maintenance considerations, not finish trends.
Quick Answer
- Drips from the spout when it's off, or water around the lever: most likely the cartridge. A licensed plumber replaces it.
- Water around the base, a wet cupboard or a damp wall: a seal or connection. Turn off the stop valves under the basin and call your plumber.
- New tap flows less than the old one: usually by design. Our basin mixers are WELS 5 Star at 6.0 L/min. Check the aerator for debris next.
- Measure it: fill a jug for 10 seconds and multiply the litres by 6.
- Warranty: cartridges, valves and aerators 7 years; tap body 15 years. It's a parts warranty, so installation labour isn't included.
In this guide
Where Is It Leaking? Cartridge or Plumber
Where the water appears tells you most of what you need to know. A drip from the spout with the lever off is the classic sign of a worn or damaged cartridge. Water anywhere else, around the base, under the bench or in the wall, is a seal or connection problem, and it's the more urgent one because it's water going where you can't see it.
| What you see | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Drips from the spout with the lever off | Worn or damaged cartridge, or grit on its seals | Book a licensed plumber to replace the cartridge |
| Water around the lever or top of the tap | Cartridge or its seals | Book a licensed plumber |
| Water pooling around the base on the bench | Base seal, or a connection below the bench | Turn off the stop valves, then call your plumber |
| Wet cupboard under the basin | Flexible hose or stop valve connection | Turn off the stop valves, then call your plumber |
| Damp wall, staining or lifting grout near a wall mixer | Possible leak at the in-wall body or pipework | Stop using it and call your plumber straight away |
| Weak flow, or one side weaker than the other | Debris in the aerator or cartridge, or a stop valve not fully open | Check the aerator; if that's clear, call your plumber |
Straight after a renovation, grit flushed out of new or disturbed pipework is a common reason a brand-new tap drips or runs unevenly. It's worth checking before anyone assumes the tap is faulty.
Tap Cartridges Explained
The cartridge is the replaceable valve inside a mixer. When you move the lever, you're moving the cartridge, and it controls both how much water comes out and the mix of hot and cold. Inside a ceramic cartridge, two discs slide over each other. If the discs wear, crack or trap grit, the tap can't seal fully and it drips.
Every Invogue mixer uses a Spanish Citec ceramic cartridge. Cartridges come in different sizes and shapes, and the forum classic, "35 mm or 40 mm, raised or flat?", exists because one that looks right can still fail to seat. One Bunnings Workshop poster took the old cartridges into the store, bought a raised 35 mm replacement, and found it still didn't fit. Don't buy a "universal" part by eye. Send us your model and a photo and we'll confirm the replacement part.
We don't publish a lifespan for cartridges. How long one lasts depends on use and water quality, and grit or hard water shortens it. Our warranty covers cartridges for 7 years against defects in materials and workmanship. A cartridge that fails from a defect in that time is covered; one that has simply worn with use is normal wear and tear, which the warranty excludes.
Why Your New Tap Flows Less: WELS Flow Limits
A new tap that runs softer than the one it replaced is usually working exactly as designed. Taps are rated under the WELS water efficiency scheme, and for taps a 5 Star rating means more than 4.5 and up to 6 litres a minute. An older, unrated tap could run much harder. In a Bunnings Workshop thread about a new mixer's "low pressure", the moderator's first point was the same: a 5 Star tap is built to about 6 L/min.
Flow also depends on your pressure, which is why each star band covers a range. Here are the ratings our product pages list:
From each product's specifications, read 14 October 2026. A wall mixer has no outlet of its own, so its water rating sits with the spout or shower it feeds.
| Model | WELS rating · flow | Cartridge | Working pressure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vienna Short basin mixer | 5 Star · 6.0 L/min | Citec ceramic | 0.5–8 bar (50–800 kPa) |
| Vienna Tall basin mixer | 5 Star · 6.0 L/min | Citec ceramic | 0.5–8 bar (50–800 kPa) |
| Milano wall spout and mixer | 5 Star · 6.0 L/min | Citec ceramic | 0.5–8 bar (50–800 kPa) |
| Como kitchen mixer | 5 Star · 6.0 L/min | Citec ceramic | 0.5–8 bar (50–800 kPa) |
| Porto pull-out kitchen mixer | 4 Star · 6.5 L/min | Citec ceramic | Ask us for your setup |
| Milano wall mixer | Rated at its outlet | Citec ceramic | 0.5–8 bar (50–800 kPa) |
| Cannes diverter mixer | Rated at its outlets | Citec ceramic | 0.5–8 bar (50–800 kPa) |
| Corsica twin shower | 3 Star · 8.0 L/min | n/a | 0.5–8 bar (50–800 kPa) |
| Bordeaux wall shower and Lyon ceiling shower | 3 Star · 8.0 L/min | n/a | 0.5–8 bar (50–800 kPa) |
| Versailles hand shower | 3 Star · 8.5 L/min | n/a | 0.5–8 bar (50–800 kPa) |
Our WELS and WaterMark guide sets out every star band and how to read the rest of our spec tables.
Can you remove the flow restrictor? We don't recommend it. The tap is tested and rated at its listed flow, and once the internals are altered it's no longer the product that was rated. Damage from modifying a tap also falls under misuse, which our warranty excludes. If the flow is well below the rating, something is restricting it, and that's worth finding properly.
Measure Your Flow: The 10-Second Jug Test
Before calling anyone about "low pressure", measure it. It takes a minute and gives you a number to compare with the rating.
How to measure a tap's flow rate
- Turn the tap fully on, lever all the way up, on the cold side first.
- Hold a measuring jug under the spout for 10 seconds. Use a phone timer.
- Read how many litres are in the jug.
- Multiply by 6 to get litres per minute. Then repeat on the hot side.
If a Vienna basin mixer gives you close to 6 L/min, it's doing its job. If it's well under on both sides, check the aerator. If only the hot side is low, the cause is usually upstream of the tap, in the hot water system or a stop valve, and that's one for your plumber.
Cleaning the Aerator Without Damaging the Finish
If the flow gets weak or sprays sideways, the aerator is the first thing to check. It's the small insert at the tip of the spout with a fine mesh that catches grit, and new pipework sends plenty of it.
If it unscrews by hand, wrap it in a soft cloth first so you don't mark the finish, rinse the mesh under running water and refit it hand-tight. You'll see advice to soak aerators or bag the spout in vinegar. Don't do that on our tapware: vinegar is acetic acid, which our care instructions rule out, and acid or abrasive cleaners void the warranty. If the aerator needs a key, won't budge or is badly scaled, leave it to your plumber. Aerator sizes vary, so if you need a replacement, send us your model and a photo and we'll confirm it. Our tapware care guide covers the rest of the routine.
Water Pressure and Noisy Pipes
Our mixers and showers list a working pressure of 0.5–8 bar (50–800 kPa) in their specifications. For the Porto pull-out we don't print a figure here; send us your setup and we'll confirm it.
Very high pressure shows up as noise: a bang in the pipes when a tap shuts quickly (water hammer), or a tap that whistles. It can also be hard on the cartridge. Your plumber can measure the pressure at the house and fit a pressure-limiting valve if it's needed.
At the other end, some homes and older apartments have gravity-fed or low-pressure hot water, and hot and cold can arrive at very different pressures. If that's your setup, ask us before you buy: send us your hot water system details and we'll confirm what to expect.
What Our Tapware Warranty Covers, and How to Claim
Every Invogue tap is covered against defects in materials and workmanship from the date of purchase:
From our warranty page, read 14 October 2026.
| Part | Cover |
|---|---|
| Tap body | 15 years |
| Cartridges, valves & aerators | 7 years |
| Surface finish | 3 years |
| Washers & O-rings | 2 years |
In the warranty's own words: "Parts warranty. If a part is faulty, we send you the replacement part at no cost. Installation labour isn't included." Cover applies to the original purchaser, in the original installation, for home use. So if a cartridge fails from a defect within 7 years, we send the cartridge; the plumber who fits it is your cost.
To keep the warranty valid, the page lists these conditions:
- Installed by a licensed plumber or electrician, following our installation guide.
- Cleaned with mild soapy water and a soft cloth. No abrasive or chemical cleaners.
- Used indoors, in a home, and away from salt-air exposure.
- Claimed by the original purchaser, with proof of purchase.
Not covered: misuse, damage during installation, normal wear and tear, and consequential loss.
To claim, email info@invoguemirrors.com.au with your order number, a few photos (or a short video of the drip) and a short description. We reply within 2 business days, and we cover return shipping on approved claims. The full terms are on our warranty page, and they're in addition to your rights under the Australian Consumer Law.
Designer Insight: before you email, do the jug test and note where the water appears, using the leak table above. A clear photo of the drip, plus the model name, usually lets us identify the part on the first reply.
Who Can Do What
You can safely do the checks. The repairs belong to a plumber.
| Job | Who |
|---|---|
| Turn off the stop valves under the basin in a leak | You |
| Jug test, and checking the stop valves are fully open | You |
| Rinsing an aerator that unscrews by hand | You |
| Replacing a cartridge | Licensed plumber |
| Anything at the hoses, stop valves or base seal | Licensed plumber |
| Anything behind the wall, or a pressure-limiting valve | Licensed plumber |
In Australia, cartridge and valve work on a mixer must be done by a licensed plumber, and our tapware must be installed by a licensed plumber in compliance with AS/NZS 3500. The exact rules vary by state, so check with your state's plumbing regulator if you're unsure.
Thinking of changing the tap rather than repairing it? Our guide to changing tapware finish without retiling explains which taps swap at the bench and which depend on the body in the wall.
Common Mistakes
- Forcing the lever harder to stop a drip. A worn cartridge won't seal with more force, and you can damage it.
- Buying a cartridge by eye. Size and shape vary between models. Confirm the part first.
- Removing the flow restrictor. It's part of the rated product, and modification is misuse.
- Soaking the spout in vinegar. It's an acid, and acid cleaners void the finish warranty.
- Ignoring a damp wall. Water you can see on the bench is a nuisance. Water in the wall is a repair bill.
- Calling a new tap faulty without measuring it. A 5 Star basin mixer at 6 L/min is doing exactly what it should.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my new tap low pressure?
Usually because it's water efficient. A WELS 5 Star tap flows up to 6 litres a minute, so it will feel softer than an older unrated tap. Do a 10-second jug test and multiply the litres by 6. If you're well under the rated flow, check the aerator for debris from new pipework, then call your plumber.
How do I know if my mixer cartridge is failing?
The usual signs are a drip from the spout when the lever is off, water around the lever, a stiff or gritty lever, or trouble getting the temperature you want. Water at the base, under the bench or in the wall is different: that's a seal or connection, so turn off the stop valves and call your plumber.
What size cartridge do I need, 35 mm or 40 mm?
Don't go by eye. Cartridges vary in size and shape between models, and one that looks right can still fail to seat. Our mixers use a Spanish Citec ceramic cartridge. Send us your model and a photo and we'll confirm the replacement part, and remember cartridges are covered against defects for 7 years.
How long does a tap cartridge last?
There's no fixed lifespan. It depends on how much the tap is used and on your water: grit and hard water wear cartridges faster. Our warranty covers cartridges, valves and aerators for 7 years against defects in materials and workmanship. Normal wear and tear isn't covered, and installation labour isn't included.
Can I remove the flow restrictor from my tap?
We don't recommend it. The tap is tested and rated at its listed flow, and altering the internals means it's no longer the product that was rated. Damage from modification counts as misuse, which our warranty excludes. If the flow is well below the rating, check the aerator and have a plumber find the restriction.
What does 5 Star WELS mean in litres per minute?
For taps, 5 Star means more than 4.5 and up to 6 litres a minute. Our Vienna Short, Vienna Tall, Milano wall spout and mixer, and Como kitchen mixer are 5 Star at 6.0 L/min. The Porto pull-out kitchen mixer is 4 Star at 6.5 L/min, and our showers are 3 Star at 8.0 or 8.5 L/min.
How do I clean a tap aerator?
If it unscrews by hand, wrap it in a soft cloth, unscrew it, rinse the mesh under running water and refit it hand-tight. Don't soak the aerator or spout in vinegar, because acid cleaners damage finishes and void our warranty. If it needs a key or won't move, leave it to your plumber.
Does the tapware warranty cover the plumber's labour?
No. Our tapware warranty is a parts warranty: if a part is faulty, we send the replacement part at no cost, and installation labour isn't included. Cover applies to the original purchaser, in the original installation, for home use, and it sits alongside your consumer-law rights.
Designer's Cheat Sheet
Designer's Cheat Sheet
- ✔ Spout drips when off → likely the cartridge
- ✔ Base, cupboard or wall wet → stop valves off, call the plumber
- ✔ New tap softer → WELS 5 Star = up to 6 L/min by design
- ✔ Jug test → litres in 10 seconds × 6 = L/min
- ✔ Aerator → hand-tight off, rinse, no vinegar
- ✔ Cartridge part → send us your model and a photo
- ✔ Warranty → cartridges 7 years, body 15, parts only
Conclusion
Most tap problems are diagnosed before anyone picks up a spanner: where the water shows up, and what the jug says. Drips at the spout are a part; water anywhere else is a plumber, today. And a tap that runs at 6 litres a minute isn't broken. It's doing what the star rating says.
Where To Next?
- Ratings explained: WELS and WaterMark Explained
- Looking after the finish: How to Clean and Care for Tapware Finishes
- Changing rather than fixing: Changing Chrome Taps to Brass, Black or Gunmetal
- Wall or bench: Wall-Mounted vs Basin Mixers
- Start here: the Bathroom Tapware Buying Guide
- Shop: bathroom mixers and spouts, kitchen mixers or showers
Need help? Ask us with a photo. Send us a photo of your tap and model through our contact page, or call 1300 221 495, and we'll tell you which part it needs.
