How much does it cost to fix a water leak in Gloucester?
Found a leak? Post the job for free and it goes to local plumbers who cover your area. If water is coming through a ceiling, choose the emergency option and we text them straight away.
Free to post, and only the tradesperson who takes your job on gets your details. Read our privacy notice.
What to do while you wait
Turn off the water at the stopcock to stop more damage. It’s often under the kitchen sink, but it can be in a downstairs toilet, under the stairs or where the supply pipe comes into the house. Then open the cold taps to drain what’s left in the pipes. If you have tanks in the loft, water may keep coming from them for a while.
If water is near light fittings, sockets or the consumer unit, switch the electricity off at the consumer unit and keep away from anything wet. Put a bucket under the drip. If a ceiling is bulging, keep everyone out of the room below.
If the leak is from the boiler or heating, switch the boiler off at its switch. Don’t take the casing off or try to repair a gas boiler yourself.
Finding the source can take some work. A drip on a ceiling can be some distance from the leak itself, so the plumber may need to lift floorboards or open up boxing to trace it.
A leak outside, on the supply pipe between your property boundary and the house, is normally the property owner’s responsibility rather than the water company’s. Photos of where the water is showing help the plumber work out where it’s coming from.
What to include when you post
Give the plumber enough to bring the right kit and judge how urgent it is.
- Where the water is showing: ceiling, wall, floor, under a sink or outside
- Photos of the leak and any damage
- Whether you’ve turned off the stopcock, and whether that stopped it
- Whether it’s constant, or only when a tap, shower, toilet or the heating is on
- Your heating and hot water system
- Whether you’ve spoken to your insurer
If water is coming through a ceiling or you can’t stop it, choose the emergency option. For a slow drip you can live with for now, a normal listing gives more plumbers the chance to see it and pick it up.
What to ask
Ask how they’ll find the leak before fixing it, and whether that’s in the price. Tracing a hidden leak can mean lifting floorboards, cutting into plasterboard or using a moisture meter or thermal camera, and some firms charge for it separately.
Get clear on what the quote covers:
- tracing the leak, and the repair itself
- putting back floorboards, boxing or plasterboard they’ve opened up
- whether plastering, tiling or decorating is included, or needs another trade
- a written note of the cause, which your insurer may ask for
If you’re claiming on insurance, speak to the insurer before work starts. Some policies cover tracing the leak and making good, and they may have rules about who does the work.
Not quite the right job?
See every job on our Plumber page, or post it anyway and describe it in your own words.
Before a tradesperson starts work
Registrations
Some work must be done by a registered professional. Work on a gas boiler, cooker or fire must be done by a Gas Safe registered engineer, which you can check on the Gas Safe Register.
Our business check
Limited companies are checked with Companies House and sole traders upload their insurance certificate. Trade registrations are confirmed by the tradesperson when they sign up.
Get the price in writing
Ask for a written quote that sets out the work and the price before anything starts. Your contract for the work is with the tradesperson.
Questions
What people tend to ask before booking this job. For anything specific to your home, ask the tradesperson who takes it on when they get in touch.
Usually under the kitchen sink, but it can be in a cupboard, a downstairs toilet, under the stairs or where the water pipe enters the house. It's worth finding and testing it before you ever need it.
If there is damage, it is worth checking your home insurance before repairs start, as some policies cover tracing the leak and making good afterwards.
If the leak is on the heating, such as a radiator valve or heating pipe, switching the boiler off at its switch stops water being pumped round. If the boiler itself is leaking, switch it off and leave the repair to a Gas Safe registered engineer. Don't open the casing.
The supply pipe between your property boundary and the house is normally the property owner's responsibility. The pipe on the street side of the boundary is usually the water company's. If you share a supply with neighbours, responsibility may be shared.
A slow drip into a bucket can usually wait a little, though it's worth getting it fixed before it damages anything. A burst pipe, water through a ceiling, or a leak you can't stop at the stopcock is an emergency, so choose the emergency option when you post.