Before we arrive
Three things to do while you are on the phone to us
If water is actively escaping, what you do in the next two minutes matters more than how fast we drive.
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Turn the water off
Find the stopcock, usually under the kitchen sink, and turn it clockwise until it stops. If it is seized, turn off the mains at the outside stop valve if you can reach it.
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Turn off the boiler
Switch the heating off at the programmer and, if there is water anywhere near electrics, switch off at the consumer unit too.
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Open the taps
Run the cold taps to drain what is left in the pipes. That reduces how much water is still sitting above the leak.
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Catch and photograph
Buckets and towels under the leak, then photograph the damage before you mop up. Your insurer will want it, and so will we.
What counts as an emergency
Some things genuinely cannot wait until Monday
- A burst or leaking pipe you cannot isolate
- Water coming through a ceiling or down a wall
- A boiler leaking water onto electrics
- No heating or hot water in cold weather, especially with young children, elderly or unwell people in the house
- A blocked toilet in a property with only one
- Sewage backing up into the property
If you can smell gas, do not call us first. Call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999, open the windows, do not touch any electrical switches, and get everyone out. That line is free and staffed all day and night. Ring us afterwards, once it is safe.
Being straight with you
What we will and will not promise
Plenty of emergency plumbing adverts promise to be at your door within the hour, every time, anywhere in London. In a city where a two mile drive can take forty minutes, that promise gets broken constantly, and you are the one waiting by the door.
We will tell you honestly how long we will be when you ring. If we cannot get to you quickly enough, we will say so on the phone rather than take the booking and leave you waiting. We would rather lose the job than leave you with water coming through a ceiling and a plumber who is not coming.
Out of hours costs more. Night, weekend and bank holiday callouts are charged at a higher rate than a normal weekday visit. We tell you the figure on the phone before we set off, so nobody gets a shock at the end of a bad night.
Common questions
Emergency questions we get asked
I cannot find my stopcock. What now?
Check under the kitchen sink first, then any hall or airing cupboard, then near the front door under the floor. In flats it is sometimes in a shared riser cupboard on the landing. If you genuinely cannot find it, tell us on the phone and we will look as soon as we arrive.
Is no hot water an emergency?
On its own, in mild weather, usually not, and you will pay less for a normal appointment. In cold weather, or where there are babies, elderly or unwell people in the house, treat it as one and ring us.
Water is coming in from the flat above. Whose problem is that?
Theirs to fix, yours to stop making it worse. Get them to turn their water off, protect what you can, and photograph everything. We can attend and identify where it is coming from, which is often what the managing agent or insurer needs before anyone will act.
Do you cover my area at 3am?
We cover Stratford and the surrounding east London boroughs. How quickly we can get to you at 3am depends on where exactly you are, and we will be honest about that on the phone rather than guess.
Water where it should not be?
Turn the stopcock off, then call. The form is fine for quotes, but nobody watches an inbox at two in the morning.