Pipe Repairs Specialists

verified Professional Service calendar_month Pick a Time That Suits You
history Typical Duration 1.5 Hours
category Service Category Plumbing
payments Starting Price From £90

Service Overview

Pipes split in a frost, take a nail through a floorboard, wear thin, or are still the old lead. We cut out the damaged length and join in new copper or plastic pipe, then test the run under full mains pressure.

Lead pipe inside the house is replaced as far as the inside stop valve. Thames Water says the pipe from your outside stop valve to the inside one is yours, and that you are unlikely to have lead if the house was built after 1970.

We charge £90 an hour for this work, with a one-hour minimum; after the first hour, time is billed in 30-minute blocks. Pick a time that suits you online: a £50 deposit secures your slot and comes off the final bill.

What we usually find

  • A split left by frost. Pipes in a loft, a garage or along an outside wall freeze in a cold spell. A split pipe needs a new section, and a clamp put on in an emergency is only a stopgap.
  • A nail or screw through a pipe. New flooring, a shelf or a picture rail fixed over a hidden pipe. The water often shows only when the fixing is pulled out or works loose.
  • Lead pipe. Thames Water's signs: dull grey when unpainted, rounded swollen joints, and shiny silver metal where it is gently scratched.
  • Pipes that knock or bang. Usually a pipe that has come loose from its clips, so it moves when a tap or a valve shuts.

The visit, step by step

  1. We find the damaged length, and turn off the water at the nearest valve that covers it.
  2. We open boxing or lift a floorboard where the pipe runs, and drain the pipe down.
  3. We cut out the bad section and join in new pipe, clipped so it cannot move.
  4. Once the water is back on, we check every new joint under full pressure, then put the boxing or floorboard back.

Before we arrive

  • Clear the way to the pipe: the cupboard under the sink, the loft hatch, or the furniture over the floorboards where it runs.
  • Add a photo of the damage, and of the inside stop valve, to your booking.
  • Water spraying, or coming through a ceiling, cannot wait for a slot. Turn the water off at the stop valve and call or WhatsApp us.

What is included

  • Finding the damaged length and draining it down
  • Opening boxing or lifting floorboards where the pipe runs
  • Cutting out the damaged section and joining in new copper or plastic pipe
  • Lead pipe inside the house, as far as the inside stop valve
  • Clipping loose runs that knock
  • Testing every new joint under full pressure

What is not

  • The underground supply pipe between the outside stop valve and the house, which has to be dug up and relaid
  • The water company's own pipe, up to the outside stop valve: the water company repairs that

Questions about pipe repairs

Who pays to replace a lead pipe? expand_more
You pay for your part, and the water company for its own. Thames Water owns the pipe from its main to the outside stop valve, and for a house built before 1970 its scheme replaces that part free when the owner replaces their own lead supply pipe.
What can I do until a lead pipe is replaced? expand_more
Run the cold kitchen tap for two minutes in the morning, or after a few days away, and use only that tap for drinks and cooking. That is Thames Water's advice. It adds that boiling the water does not help, and that lowering lead matters most if you are pregnant or have young children.

Deposits, cancelling and paying are on our FAQ page.

Worth doing in the same visit

Leak Repairs from £90 General Plumbing Maintenance from £90 Tap Repairs from £90

Areas we cover

Ashtead Banstead Cheam Chessington Cobham Dorking Epsom Esher Guildford Kingston upon Thames Leatherhead Molesey New Malden Reigate Richmond Surbiton Sutton Twickenham Walton-on-Thames & Weybridge Wimbledon Worcester Park & Ewell
Zapryan - Owner & Lead Plumber
Your Local Expert

Hi, I'm Zapryan – Owner & Lead Plumber in Surrey

I've been in the construction industry since 2004, and I believe the secret to stress-free renovations is simple: turn up on time, manage the trades properly, and do the job right the first time. I personally survey every project and work alongside our teams on-site until the final checklist is complete. You'll always have a direct line to me, and my personal guarantee that the work is finished to perfection.