We had an emergency leak and was resolved within the hour. Really patient, solved the issue with minimum fuss and was round, friendly, and professional.
Emergency Plumber in Clapham
Water dripping into the lower maisonette? An emergency plumber in Clapham can usually reach SW4 within 60 minutes. We run as a 24 hour plumber with a person on the phone at any hour, and we never charge a call-out fee.
Clapham at a glance
- Postcodes
- SW4
- Arrival
- Usually within 60 minutes
- Homes
- Victorian terraces split into maisonettes
- Most common
- Shared drainage after upper/lower conversion
- Also covering
- Clapham Park, Clapham North, Stockwell
Find out whose stopcock it is
In a split Clapham house the lower maisonette may hold the main stopcock, while the upper flat often has a valve on the stairs or in a cupboard. Knock next door if needed. Keep clear of wet electrics. Smell gas? 0800 111 999 first, then 020 3674 8514.
Emergency plumbing problems we fix in Clapham
Most SW4 houses are now an upper and a lower maisonette sharing one stack, which shapes these six emergencies:
- 01
Blocked drain or sink in Clapham
Around Clapham Old Town and the roads facing the Common many drains are still Victorian clay, and roots from the Common's mature trees and the street planes get into the joints.
Clapham: usually £140 – £240. Blocked drain or sink: first steps →
- 02
Blocked or overflowing toilet in Clapham
In a Clapham maisonette conversion the upper and lower flats usually share one soil stack and one drain, so a toilet blockage can back up into the lower flat's bath or WC.
Clapham: usually £95 – £150. Blocked or overflowing toilet: first steps →
- 03
Water leak or leak through the ceiling in Clapham
With one maisonette stacked above another, a leaking bath seal or shower tray upstairs in Clapham very often shows as a stain on the lower flat's ceiling before anyone upstairs notices.
Clapham: usually £280 – £600. Water leak or leak through the ceiling: first steps →
- 04
Leaking radiator in Clapham
Most Clapham maisonettes were given their own heating when the house was split, often with long pipe runs to bathrooms in the loft or rear extension, and those far radiators go cold first.
Clapham: usually £110 – £170. Leaking radiator: first steps →
- 05
No hot water or no heating in Clapham
Compact combi boilers in Clapham's upper maisonettes work hard on hard Thames Water, and scale in the heat exchanger is a common reason a shower swings between hot and cold.
Clapham: usually £130 – £420. No hot water or no heating: first steps →
- 06
Burst or frozen pipe in Clapham
Pipes boxed into the loft conversions and unheated side returns of Clapham terraces are the most exposed in a frost, especially where the insulation around them is thin.
Clapham: usually £150 – £280. Burst or frozen pipe: first steps →
How fast we get to you in Clapham
Tell us which maisonette you are in, upper or lower, and whether there are two front doors or one shared hall. Near Clapham Common or Abbeville Road, mention where we can park. A plumber normally arrives within 60 minutes.
Streets and places we cover in Clapham
Clapham High StreetClapham Park RoadAbbeville RoadClapham Common North SideClapham Common South SideThe PavementOld TownRectory GroveCrescent GroveNarbonne AvenueElms RoadLillieshall RoadLarkhall RiseVenn StreetVictoria Rise
We also cover Clapham Park, Clapham North, Stockwell, Brixton, Larkhall, Clapham Junction, Abbeville Village, Streatham Hill.
Emergency plumber prices in Clapham
For a blocked toilet or sink, the usual Clapham bill is £95 to £150. Generally the first hour is £110 and each half hour beyond it £45, whatever the hour, and nobody pays a call-out fee. You get the fixed price in writing up front.
Plumbing in Clapham: what goes wrong and why
Clapham grew from a Georgian village around the Old Town and the Common into a dense Victorian suburb once the railways arrived, and the typical house today is a terrace split into an upper and a lower maisonette. Splitting the house rarely came with an upgraded drainage stack, so two kitchens and two or three bathrooms now share what one family used. Around Abbeville Village, Clapham Old Town and the streets facing Clapham Common many original clay drains are still in service, and root intrusion is common. Rear extensions off the side streets near Clapham High Street often push kitchen waste a long way to the stack with too little fall, which leads to slow drains. Thames Water supplies SW4 with hard water that scales cylinders and combi boilers.
Most common here: shared drainage after upper/lower conversion.
What customers near Clapham say
Super professional, polite, and friendly. Very flexible and got me in for an evening on very short notice. Was on time and got the job done in no time at all.
Came to our business to sort out leaks that we had found the night before - they also found a blockage which they also were able to clear. Great professional service
I contacted Emergency Plumbing on a Sunday evening and Danny was very responsive and helpful. He and his colleague came over the next morning and fixed the issue professionally (unblock with vacuum and chemical deep clean). Excellent.
Checkatrade reviews follow, as posted, with nothing trimmed or reworded for this Clapham page. Read all 147 reviews or our Google reviews.
Emergency plumber in Clapham: your questions
How quickly can a plumber reach me in Clapham?
Usually within 60 minutes. Clapham terraces are straightforward to reach; what slows things down is not knowing which door to use. If the house has separate front doors for the upper and lower maisonettes, tell us which one is yours, and if the water is coming from the other flat, let us know whether the neighbours are home.
What do you charge for a call-out in Clapham?
A call-out fee is never added. Hour one costs £110; after that, each 30 minutes is £45, and evenings carry no premium. We agree the total in writing before starting, and you okay any parts before they are bought. A blocked toilet or sink usually comes to £95 to £150.
Will someone answer at 2am or on Boxing Day in Clapham?
Yes. Day or night, weekday or weekend, a person answers, and bank holidays and Christmas are no exception. Night and holiday work is charged at the normal rate, so a leak through a maisonette ceiling at 2am costs the same to fix as one found after lunch.
Which Clapham maisonette problems need a plumber tonight?
Water coming through the lower flat's ceiling, sewage backing up into a bath or toilet, a burst pipe, or a winter night with the heating dead all count. In SW4 the two flats usually share one soil stack and one drain, so a blockage caused upstairs can flood downstairs. If it is spreading or unhygienic, treat it as urgent.
Who pays for a shared drain blockage between Clapham maisonettes?
A drain that serves only your building and sits inside its boundary is a private drain, so the two maisonettes normally share the cost, often as the lease sets out. Once it carries waste from neighbouring buildings too, or reaches the public sewer, it becomes the water company's job. Keep the invoice showing where the blockage was found.
Where is the stopcock in a Clapham home?
In a Clapham terrace the stopcock is usually under the kitchen sink or below the floor near the front door. In a maisonette conversion the lower flat may hold the main stopcock, and the upper flat often has its own valve on the stairs or in a cupboard.
Which streets in Clapham do you cover?
All of them. That includes Clapham High Street, Clapham Park Road, Abbeville Road, Clapham Common North Side, Clapham Common South Side and The Pavement, and nearby Clapham Park, Clapham North, Stockwell, Brixton and Larkhall.
What goes wrong most often in Clapham homes?
Shared drainage after upper/lower conversion. Most homes in Clapham are victorian terraces split into maisonettes, and that is where it comes from.