Couldn’t agree more—dripping taps are the bane of my existence. Everyone thinks it’s just “swap the washer and you’re done,” but it’s rarely that straightforward. I’ve had taps where the seat looked fine, but a tiny nick or a bit of scale was enough to keep the drip going. Cleaning or regrinding the seat usually does the trick, but sometimes I just end up replacing the whole tap because I’m over it.
Inline filters are one of those things that sound smart until you realize you’re just adding another thing to clean and check. I’d rather deal with the occasional drip than another filter to flush out every few months. Honestly, if you’re in an older house, half the time it’s mineral buildup from ancient pipes anyway.
I get why people say plumbing is a never-ending battle—it’s always something. But I still refuse to just “accept” it. If a tap won’t stop dripping after all the usual fixes, I’ll swap it out for a new quarter-turn ceramic one and be done with it. Life’s too short to listen to that drip at 2am...