Pipe repair in London
Pipework fails in three broad ways: it freezes and splits, it corrodes quietly until it pinholes, or a joint that was never quite right gives up years later. If water is coming in right now, that is a job for the 24/7 callout covered on our emergency plumbing page. If you know there is a leak somewhere but not where, start with our leak detection page. This page is the repair itself, once you know what has gone and where it is.
- Gas Safe registered and fully insured
- DBS-checked engineers
- Emergency callout available 24/7
- Price agreed before work starts
- Workmanship guaranteed
Monday – Sunday, 7:00 AM – 10:00 PM · Out-of-hours emergency? Call 020 3576 5825
Get a price for pipe repair
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What this includes
- Burst and split pipes repaired
- Frozen pipes thawed and checked for damage
- Pipework under floors and inside walls
- Corroded and pinholed copper
- Failed joints, compression fittings and old solder
- Whole runs replaced where a patch would not last
Worth knowing first
A little of this might mean you do not need to call us at all — we would still rather you knew it.
A frozen pipe often only shows itself when it thaws
Water expands as it freezes, and that is what splits the pipe. While the ice is still in there, the split is plugged and nothing leaks — so a pipe can look entirely fine right up until the moment it warms up and lets go. If pipework in your loft or an unheated space has frozen, it is worth having looked at even though nothing has come out of it yet.
Lofts, basements and the cold parts of a London house
The pipes that freeze are the ones running through spaces nobody heats: a loft, an unheated basement, the back of a garage, an outside wall. Loft conversions are a common culprit, because pipework that used to sit under a thick blanket of insulation can end up above it once the roof space is reworked. Lagging is the cheap answer, rerouting the pipe is the permanent one, and it is worth doing before winter rather than during it.
Patching a bad run just moves the problem
A pipe that has pinholed because it is corroded along its whole length will pinhole again, usually within a metre or two of the last repair. Ninja Plumbers will tell you honestly when a run is at that stage, because replacing a section properly once tends to cost less than three separate repairs and three separate holes in a ceiling.
Hidden pipework and old alterations
Older London houses and converted flats often carry the marks of several decades of alterations: copper joined to whatever came before it, runs buried in walls, pipes chased under a floor by somebody who never expected anyone to look for them again. That is normal, and it is why access is planned rather than improvised. Where the failed pipe is not visible at all, finding it comes first — that part is covered on our leak detection page.
What affects the price
Once a damaged pipe can be seen, the repair itself is often quick. The price depends more on getting to it, on the material it is made of, and on whether the pipe around it is worth keeping.
Getting to the pipe
Pipes under suspended floorboards or in a loft are relatively easy to reach. Pipes buried in a solid floor, chased into a wall, or running behind tiles or fitted units have to be opened up first, and making good afterwards is often a separate trade.
One split, or a tired run
A single frost split in sound copper is a short section cut out and joined. Pipe that is thin and pitted along its length needs a longer section replaced, because a patch on corroded pipe rarely holds for long.
What the pipe is made of
Copper and modern plastic are simple to repair. Old lead, galvanised iron or a mixture of materials from decades of alterations need the right adaptors and more care, and sometimes the honest answer is to replace back to a sound joint.
Draining down and refilling
A cold mains pipe is isolated at the stopcock and repaired. A heating pipe usually means draining the system, refilling, adding inhibitor and bleeding every radiator; a hot pipe on a tank-fed system may mean draining the cylinder. Those steps add time to an otherwise small repair.
The price is agreed before any work starts. We take card and cash.
Common questions
A pipe has burst and water is coming in. What should I do?
Turn the stopcock off, open the cold taps to drain what is left in the pipes, and keep away from anything electrical the water has reached. Then call — a burst that is actively causing damage is an emergency callout, covered on our emergency plumbing page.
Can a burst pipe be repaired, or does the whole run need replacing?
A single clean split in otherwise sound pipe is a straightforward repair. Pipework that is corroded along its length is a different conversation, and we would rather have it with you honestly than patch something that will fail again in the same room.
I think there is a leak but I cannot see any pipework. Can you help?
Yes, but the first job is locating it rather than repairing it, and that is a different visit with different equipment. Our leak detection page covers how a hidden leak is traced before anything is opened up.
How do I stop pipes freezing in the first place?
Lag the pipework in lofts, garages and anywhere else that never gets heated, and in a genuinely cold spell leave the heating ticking over rather than off entirely, even in an empty property. And know where your stopcock is before you need it.
I have wrapped the pipe in repair tape. Is that enough?
As a stopgap, it has done its job. Self-amalgamating tape, a slip-on clamp or an epoxy putty will hold back a small leak for a while, but none of them is a permanent repair, especially on a hot pipe or a joint that moves. Keep an eye on it, put a bowl or towel underneath, and have the damaged section cut out and properly joined before the patch lets go.
Can plastic pipe be used to repair a copper pipe?
In many places, yes. Modern plastic pipe with proper inserts and fittings is reliable and quick to join to copper. It is not the right choice everywhere, though: many boiler manufacturers want copper for the first stretch of pipe from the boiler, and in a room where the pipework is on show, copper often looks better. We will use whichever suits the location rather than whichever is quickest.
More plumbing work we take on
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Emergency Plumbing
Burst pipes, major leaks and no water. We take calls around the clock and get an engineer moving.
More on Emergency Plumbing -
General Plumbing
Taps, toilets, radiators and pipework. The jobs that never quite get done.
More on General Plumbing -
Leaking Ceiling
Water dripping or pouring through a ceiling. What to do first, then the source found and stopped — in your home or the flat above.
More on Leaking Ceiling -
Leak Repair
Leaks you can see — dripping joints, weeping valves, perished hoses, overflows running outside — isolated, repaired and checked properly afterwards.
More on Leak Repair -
Leak Detection
Hidden leaks traced with acoustic and thermal equipment, before floors come up.
More on Leak Detection -
Toilet Repair
Toilets that will not flush, keep running, fill slowly or leak onto the floor. Usually one worn part, replaced without needing a new toilet.
More on Toilet Repair -
Tap Repair and Replacement
Dripping, stiff and leaking taps repaired, and tired ones swapped for new.
More on Tap Repair and Replacement -
Low Water Pressure
Weak taps and showers diagnosed by testing, not by swapping parts and hoping.
More on Low Water Pressure -
Lead Pipe Replacement
Old lead supply pipes replaced with new, from the boundary into the house.
More on Lead Pipe Replacement -
Commercial Plumbing
Offices, restaurants, retail and blocks of flats, worked around your opening hours.
More on Commercial Plumbing -
Gas Safety Certificates
Landlord gas safety certificates issued by a Gas Safe registered engineer, with the paperwork sent the same day.
More on Gas Safety Certificates
Need pipe repair in London?
Describe the problem and give us your area, and we’ll tell you the price before anyone starts work.