Advice
Plumbing advice for Bristol
35 plain answers to real questions people in Bristol ask, grouped by job. Each one starts with the short answer.
Emergency plumber
Emergency plumber serviceplumbing emergency
Plumbing emergency: what to do in the first ten minutes
Step by step actions for a burst pipe, leak, overflowing toilet or gas smell in a Bristol home or flat, and who to call for each one.
emergency plumber cost
What affects the cost of an emergency plumber
The real things that change the cost of an emergency plumber in Bristol, what to ask on the phone, and how to keep the bill down while you wait.
Leak detection
Leak detection servicebristol water hosepipe ban
Bristol hosepipe ban 2026: what it means at home
Bristol Water's 2026 hosepipe ban explained: why it started, what you can and cannot do, who is exempt, and the leaks worth fixing while it lasts.
bristol water leak
Bristol Water leak: who pays to fix it?
Who pays for a water leak in Bristol depends on which side of the boundary it is on. What Bristol Water fixes, what you fix, and the help on offer.
how to identify lead pipes
How to tell if you have lead pipes
Simple checks at your stop tap to spot a lead water pipe in an older Bristol home, plus what to do next if you find one.
leak under floorboards
Leak under the floorboards: how to find it
Signs of a leak under the floorboards, how it is traced without ripping up the floor, and why Clifton's Georgian flats often find out from the flat below.
lead pipe replacement bristol
Bristol Water lead pipe replacement scheme explained
How the LeadFreeBristol scheme works, who qualifies in BS16, what you need ready, and what to do if your street is not covered yet.
bristol water pressure low
Low water pressure in Bristol: what to check
Weak taps in a Bristol home? Check Bristol Water incidents, your stop tap, old lead supply pipes and hidden leaks before you book a plumber.
water meter leak test
How to do a water meter leak test
A step by step water meter leak test using Bristol Water's method, how to read the result, and what to do next if your meter is still moving.
Burst pipes
Burst pipes servicefrozen pipes
Frozen pipes in a Bristol cold snap
What to do when pipes freeze in a Bristol cold snap, how to thaw them without damage, and the weak spots in Bristol homes that freeze first.
outside stop tap
Finding and using the outside stop tap
Where the outside stop tap is on a Bristol or Keynsham home, who owns it, when to use it, and what to do if it is stuck, leaking or buried.
burst pipe insurance claim
Burst pipe insurance claims: what to do first
The steps to take after a burst pipe in a Bristol home so your insurance claim goes smoothly, plus what Bristol Water can help with on supply pipes.
Blocked drains
Blocked drains servicedrain smell in house
Drain smell in the house: causes and fixes
A drain smell indoors usually means a dry trap, a failed seal or a vent problem. How to find the source in a Bristol home and when to call a plumber.
wessex water blocked drain
Will Wessex Water clear my blocked drain?
Wessex Water clears blocked public and most shared sewers in Bristol. Your own drain is down to you. How to tell which one is blocked before you call.
cctv drain survey bristol
CCTV drain surveys in Bristol
When a CCTV drain survey is worth it in Bristol: repeat blockages, buying an older house, tree roots in clay drains, and how to read the report.
blocked drain landlord or tenant
Blocked drain in a rented home: landlord or tenant?
Who pays for a blocked drain in a rented Bristol home? How the cause decides it, when Wessex Water steps in, and what tenants and landlords should do.
Taps and toilets
Taps and toilets servicedripping tap
Dripping tap: causes and fixes
Why taps drip in Bristol's hard water, how to tell a washer tap from a ceramic cartridge tap, and when a dripping tap needs a plumber.
toilet keeps running
Toilet keeps running: why and how to fix it
Why a toilet keeps running after a flush, how Bristol's hard water speeds up wear on valves and seals, and simple checks before you call a plumber.
macerator toilet problems
Macerator toilet problems in basement flats
Common macerator toilet faults in Bristol basement and lower ground flats, what causes them, what never to flush, and when to call a plumber.
Bathroom plumbing
Bathroom plumbing servicelow water pressure in shower
Low water pressure in the shower: causes and fixes
Why your shower is weak in a Bristol home, from scaled shower heads and gravity systems to old supply pipes, and which fix suits your hot water system.
soil stack replacement
Cast iron soil stack replacement in Bristol terraces
Leaking cast iron soil pipe on a Bristol terrace? Signs it is failing, repair or replace, conservation area points and the Building Regulations that apply.
Hot water cylinders
Hot water cylinders serviceimmersion heater not working
Immersion heater not working: checks before you call
Immersion heater not heating? Simple safe checks, why Bristol's hard water wears out elements, and when you need a plumber or an electrician.
unvented cylinder service
Unvented cylinder service: what is checked and why
What an unvented hot water cylinder service covers in Bristol, why hard water makes the safety valves matter, and who is allowed to do the work.
bristol water hardness
How Bristol's hard water affects your plumbing
Bristol Water says all its water is moderately hard to very hard. Where limescale builds up in a Bristol home and what you can do about it.
water softener bristol
Is a water softener worth it in Bristol?
Bristol's water is moderately hard to very hard. When a water softener makes sense in a Bristol home, the fitting rules, and the cheaper options.
remove cold water tank from loft
Should you take out the loft water tank?
Thinking of removing the cold water tank from your loft? What it involves in a Bristol home, what replaces it, and the checks on your mains supply first.
Boiler repair
Boiler repair servicegas safety certificate landlord
Landlord gas safety certificates in Bristol
The annual landlord gas safety check, what the CP12 record must show, and how Bristol's licensing schemes in Easton, Bishopston and Bedminster fit in.
boiler losing pressure
Why is my boiler losing pressure?
Why a combi or system boiler keeps losing pressure, the checks you can do safely, and the hidden leaks we find in Kingswood and Bristol homes.
boiler service bristol
Boiler service in Bristol: what is checked and how often
What a boiler service in Bristol covers, why hard water makes it more important, how often to book one, and how to check the engineer is Gas Safe.
frozen condensate pipe
Frozen condensate pipe: how to thaw it safely
Boiler stopped in a cold snap? How to spot and thaw a frozen condensate pipe safely, and how Totterdown and Bristol homes can stop it happening again.
power flush bristol
Power flush in Bristol: when it helps and when it does not
When a power flush fixes cold radiators in a Bristol home, when a cheaper clean will do, and why sludge is not the same as limescale.
hard water combi boiler
Hard water and combi boilers: keeping scale out of a Bristol boiler
Bristol's hard water scales up combi boilers. The signs, the building guidance on scale treatment above 200 ppm, and how to protect your boiler.
New boiler
New boiler servicecombi vs system boiler
Combi vs system boiler for a Bristol home
Combi, system or regular boiler? How bathrooms, mains flow, old lead supply pipes and hard water decide the right boiler for Redland and Bristol homes.
boiler replacement bristol
Replacing the original boiler in a Bradley Stoke home
Bradley Stoke homes date from 1987 on, so many are on their second or third boiler. What to check before replacing it, and combi or system choices.
conservation area boiler flue
Boiler flues in Bristol conservation areas and listed buildings
Fitting a new boiler in Clifton or another Bristol conservation area? What to check with the council, listed building consent, and where a flue can go.