Plumbers across London, for the small jobs and the big ones

Choosing a plumber

How to choose a plumber in London

Searching for a plumber near you in London brings up hundreds of names, so it helps to know what separates a dependable plumber from a risky one. Ask what the job involves, how the price is worked out and what paperwork you will receive afterwards. A good plumber explains the likely cause of a fault in plain words, tells you honestly when a repair makes more sense than a replacement, and is open about materials before any work starts.

Ask to see ID and proof of insurance, and remember that by law gas work must only be done by a Gas Safe registered engineer, whom you can look up on the Gas Safe Register. Plumbing connected to the mains must comply with the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999, and some work, such as fitting a bath over 230 litres or a pump drawing more than 12 litres a minute, must be notified to the water company before it starts. A written estimate, a clear start date and a tidy finish matter just as much as the repair itself.

Water leaks

What to do about a leak before the plumber arrives

Find your stop tap and turn it clockwise to shut off the water. In most London homes it sits under the kitchen sink, but in older houses and flats it may be in a cupboard, hallway or basement. Then open the cold taps to drain the pipes, switch off any immersion heater, and keep clear of sockets and light fittings near wet areas. Move belongings out of the way and catch drips with a bowl or towels.

Photograph the damage before you clean up, because your buildings or contents insurer, or your landlord, may ask for evidence. Do not paint over stains until the source is found. If water is still coming through and you cannot stop it, call an emergency plumber; for slow drips and recurring damp, our leak repair service covers tracing the fault as well as mending it.

Older properties

Plumbing in Victorian, Edwardian and 1930s London homes

Much of London's housing stock is a century old or more, and its plumbing often shows it. Galvanised steel pipes corrode from the inside and restrict flow, cast-iron stacks crack or rust at joints, and a mix of copper, plastic and old lead can sit in one property after years of piecemeal repairs. Old gravity-fed systems with tanks in the loft deliver lower pressure to upper floors, which is why a shower upstairs can feel weak.

If you suspect lead pipework, usually dull grey, soft and easily scratched, ask your water company about testing and consider replacing the supply pipe. Converted flats add their own quirks: shared stacks, long waste runs, basement bathrooms that need a pump, and pipes running through neighbouring ceilings. A plumber who knows these layouts can plan repairs that cause the least disruption to you and to your neighbours.

Hard water

Hard water, limescale and what they do to London plumbing

London has some of the hardest tap water in the UK, and dissolved minerals build up as limescale inside kettles, taps, shower heads, cylinders and boilers. Scale narrows pipes, makes taps stiff, shortens the life of heating elements and forces boilers to work harder. A shower that sprays sideways or a tap with a crusty spout is usually a sign, and the fix is often descaling or replacing a worn part rather than anything major.

Where scale is heavy, a plumber can talk through options such as descaling, inline scale reducers or water softeners, and be frank that they suit some homes better than others. Regular servicing helps heating and hot water equipment last longer, and a build-up of sludge and scale in radiators may call for power flushing.

What affects cost

What affects the cost of a plumbing job

• The time needed to find the fault, which varies between an obvious drip and a leak inside a wall.
• Access: tight cupboards, boxed-in pipes, loft hatches and floors that must be lifted all add time.
• The parts needed, from a simple washer to a new valve, pump or cylinder.
• The age and condition of the existing pipework, which can turn a small repair into a bigger one.
• Whether work is planned or urgent, and the time of day it is carried out.
• Parking and congestion zone restrictions in central London, which affect how long the visit takes.
• For published rates and what is included, see our pricing page; for larger projects we can arrange a free survey and written estimate.

Urgent or not

Is it really an emergency? Deciding when to call out urgently

Some faults cannot wait: water pouring from a burst pipe or ceiling, sewage backing up into the home, a flooded kitchen or bathroom near electrics, or no water supply at all in a property with vulnerable residents. In these cases, shut off the water at the stop tap if it is safe to do so, and call for urgent help straight away. If you smell gas, leave the property and call the National Gas Emergency number on 0800 111 999 before anything else.

Dripping taps, slow drains, a running toilet that can be isolated at its valve and minor damp patches are usually fine to book as planned visits, which also gives you time to compare options. No heating in winter sits in between, and our boiler repair team can help. When in doubt, describe the situation when you book a visit and we will tell you honestly whether it needs urgent attention.

Across London

A plumber in your borough

Plumbing problems are rarely convenient, and London adds access, parking and building-management rules to every job. We work across London, from Camden to Croydon. You can see every area on our areas we cover page. Tell us your postcode and the fault, and we will confirm the details before anything is arranged.