leaking bath taps

[TEAK36]

A small trickle of water seems to be permanently running down my bath,but it comes from under the seal beneath the taps.The taps are mixer taps which the shower hose is connected to.I am a complete muppet when it comes to plumbing.Please can anyone offer any suspected causes for the leak,and some possible solutions.

[dosset]

sounds like rubber washers have perished

[bubblebubble]

I think it is just a tap washer.....look closely and dry it well, it is probably coming out of the spout or where hose comes out, and running down giving the impression its coming from where you say.if you have hard water it will leave a mark for you to see where it is from.

[buildersmate]

There are three types of place the leak could come from. The mixer tap goes through a hole in the bath (2 holes - hot and cold) and is fixed with two nuts to the bath. The water pipes fit to the ends of the mixer taps. These can't really be leaking because the water would drip down to the floor under the bath - not emerge where you say it does, so not there.
The connection between the mixer tap and the (flexible) hose running to the shower head. Could be there. Probably a rubber washer in there as the above suggests. Unscrew it and have a look. This is the most likely place and the water is drippling down the outside of the tap body and appearing to emerge where you noticed water.
The connection between the top of the tap and the body of the mixer (NOT the tap washer - if this is leaking the water will dribble from the tap itself into the bath - not where you say it comes from).

[tellboy]

Also read
http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/How-it-Works/Qu estion266049.html