Plumbing Help & Advice
Honest guides from our engineers: what you can safely fix yourself, what it should cost when you can't.
Leaking Pipes & Burst Pipes
Water Leaking From a Light Fitting: Stay Safe, Then Stop It
Water dripping through a ceiling light or spotlight is an electrical danger as well as a leak. The safe order to deal with it, and when to call out a plumber.
Overflow Pipe Dripping Outside? What It Means and What to Do
A pipe dripping or running down the outside wall? How to tell which tank or valve it comes from, what to do today and when it needs a plumber in London.
Burst pipe at home: what to do in the first five minutes
Water spraying from a pipe? The order that limits the damage in a London home: stop the supply, drain the pipes, make the electrics safe, then get help.
Leak from the flat above: what to do first
Water coming in from the flat upstairs? Who to knock for, how to cut the supply when the neighbour is out, what to tell the managing agent, and what we can do.
Boiler Problems & Heating Faults
Boiler Fault Codes: Worcester, Baxi, Ideal and Vaillant
What the code on your boiler display means, which ones you can clear yourself in two minutes and which mean switch it off and book a repair. London, 24/7.
Boiler Leaking Water? What to Do and Why It Happens
Water under the boiler, a drip from the casing or a wet pipe outside? How to make it safe in two minutes, what each leak means, and when to call.
Immersion Heater Not Working? Checks to Make First
No hot water from the immersion heater? Work through the switch, timer, fuse, thermostat and element in order, and know which checks are safe to do yourself.
Hot Water Pressure Low but Cold Fine? Causes and Fixes
When only the hot taps are weak, the cause is on the hot side. How to tell normal tank-fed pressure from a fault, and the checks to make in order.
Blocked Drains & Blockages
Collapsed Drain? Signs, Causes and Repair Options
Sunken paving, rats, repeat blockages or a damp patch by the wall can all mean a broken drain. How a camera survey confirms it and the ways it is put right.
Sewage Backing Up Into the House: What to Do Tonight
Dirty water rising in the shower, toilet or ground-floor gully? How to stop it getting worse, stay safe, and get the drain cleared in London at any hour.
How to Unblock a Gutter Downpipe From the Ground
Signs a downpipe is blocked, how to clear it from ground level with a hose, rods or the shoe, why chemicals rarely help, and when it needs access at height.
How to Unblock a Sink: Plunger, Trap and Homemade Unblockers
Most blocked sinks clear with hot water, a plunger or ten minutes with the trap off. Here is what works, and what is mostly fizz.
Blocked Toilets, Taps & Bathrooms
Blocked Shower Drain? How to Clear It for Good
Shower tray filling up or draining slowly? Clear the hair trap, then the trap itself, safely. When the blockage is further down and needs a plumber.
Electric Shower Not Working? Safe Checks Before You Call
No water, no heat or a trickle from an electric shower. The safe checks you can make yourself, which faults are plumbing and which need an electrician.
Toilet Cistern Leaking: Into the Pan or Onto the Floor?
A leaking cistern either runs into the bowl or drips outside it. Which parts fail in each case, what you can check yourself and when it needs a plumber.
Toilet Leaking From the Base? Find Where It Starts
Water pooling round the bottom of the toilet usually comes from the pan connector, the cistern or condensation. How to tell which, and what to do now.
Plumbing Costs & Choosing a Plumber
How Much Does It Cost to Replace a Toilet in London?
Our fixed £245 price for a like-for-like toilet swap, old toilet taken away, how long the job takes, and what makes other toilets cost more.
What Is Plumbing Work? Meaning and What Plumbers Do
Plumbing work meaning in plain terms: the supply, hot water and waste pipes a plumber looks after, the jobs it covers, first and second fix, and the rules.
What Does an Emergency Plumber Actually Do?
What the job involves, what to expect from a good one, and the questions worth asking at the door.
DIY vs Professional Plumbing: Where the Line Is
What you can safely do yourself, what is false economy, and what is actually illegal.
Frozen Pipes & Seasonal Prevention
Low Water Pressure in the House: Causes and Checks
When every tap is weak, not just the shower, the cause is usually the stopcock, the supply, a leak or old pipes. Here is how to find out which.
What Is Pipework Lagging, and Which Pipes Need It?
Lagging is a foam jacket that stops pipes freezing. Here is which pipes to cover, what thickness to buy, and the one thing never to lag.
Going Away? The Plumbing Checklist Before You Leave
Five minutes at the door that prevents coming home to a swimming pool.
The Annual Plumbing Check-Up
Fifteen minutes a year that catches the failures before they choose their own timing.
Plumbing Courses & Exam Revision
Level 1 Plumbing: What You Learn and How to Pass
On a Level 1 plumbing course? The topics it covers, the tools you will use, the terms to learn first and how to get ready for Level 2 or an apprenticeship.
Level 2 Plumbing Revision: Topics Examiners Ask About
Revising for a Level 2 plumbing exam? Cold and hot water, backflow, sanitation, waste pipe sizes, heating and drainage explained, with memory aids.
Level 3 Plumbing Revision: Design, Unvented and Faults
Level 3 plumbing exam notes: unvented hot water safety, system design, heating controls, environmental technologies and a fault-finding method for site.
Plumbing Apprenticeship in London: How to Get One
How plumbing apprenticeships work in London, who they suit, what employers look for and how to stand out when you apply. Written by working London plumbers.