Dripping/Squeaking Kitchen Tap

[HeimKlempner]

Hello all, first time poster so if there is any additional information I can provide that may help, please let me know.

Our kitchen mixer tap has been intermittently dripping from the hot tap, and the cold tap is squeaking when you turn it. Possibly two different issues, possibly related?

The previous kitchen tap started off the same way after a few years of use, then the dripping became a dribble, and in the end it started whistling even when not in use so I ended up replacing it earlier this year. The problem got quite bad quite quickly in the end and so the intermittent dripping now is setting off warning bells in my head...!

We replaced it with the same model. Replacement was earlier this year, around April. We do live in a very hard water area (East of England) but we are supposed to have two filters to prevent limescale (one on the boiler and one by the tap) according to our landlord.

My questions are twofold:
1. General advice on what may cause a tap to drip, drizzle, and eventually whistle (it was loud enough the neighbours heard it)?
2. If you suggest checking the washers, could someone point me towards the best kind to buy? I had previously tried to change the washers on our old tap, but I believe the ones I got were too "thick" (3D and not flat, if that makes sense) so it would be great to have some tips on what to look for in a DIY store.

Thank you all for any advice you can give. Still a bit of a plumbing newbie, so every little helps.
Lou

 

[Ben-gee]

It will be under guarantee if it’s only 6 months old - I’d go back to whoever supplied and fitted it, don’t start mucking about yourself.

 

[HeimKlempner]

It will be under guarantee if it’s only 6 months old - I’d go back to whoever supplied and fitted it, don’t start mucking about yourself.

Thank you for the advice, however I was the one who 'supplied and fitted' it because the plumbers in my area had almost one month lead time and the whistling was driving us round the bend. I found the exact same model at Homebase and installed it myself without issues. So I assume no warranty can save me here... Any other ideas to understand what may be causing it would be appreciated, even just so I can point the next plumber at the right problem.

 

[Ben-gee]

Take it back to the shop.