Plumbing emergency: what to do in the first ten minutes

The first ten minutes of a plumbing emergency make the biggest difference to the damage. Most of what matters can be done by anyone in the house, before a plumber arrives. This guide sets out what to do for the common emergencies in Bristol homes and who to call for each.

The first three moves

For almost any leak or burst:

1. Stop the water. Turn the inside stop tap clockwise until it stops. It is usually under the kitchen sink. In older Bristol terraces it can be under a floor hatch in the front room or hall, or in the cellar.
2. Make electrics safe. If water is near sockets, lights or the consumer unit, switch off at the main switch if you can reach it without standing in water. If you cannot, keep clear.
3. Drain the pipes. Open the cold taps over sinks and baths and flush toilets. This empties the water still in the pipes.

If the leak is on the hot side, also turn off the boiler or the immersion heater.

If you smell gas

This is not a plumbing job. Do this:

• do not use light switches, phones or anything that could spark near the smell
• open doors and windows
• turn off the gas at the meter if you can do so safely
• leave the building
• call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999 from outside

Gas work after that must be done by a Gas Safe registered engineer. Ask to see their ID card and check it on the Gas Safe Register.

Emergency by emergency

Emergency	First action	Who to call
Burst pipe	Inside stop tap off, drain taps	Plumber
Water through a ceiling	Stop tap off, electrics off, bucket under the bulge, make a small hole to drain if it is bulging	Plumber, and the flat above if you are in a flat
Toilet overflowing	Turn the isolating valve on the cistern pipe, or lift the float	Plumber if it keeps running
Sewage backing up	Stop using water, keep children and pets away	Wessex Water if it is a public sewer, otherwise a drainage contractor
No water	Ask neighbours, check Bristol Water incidents	Bristol Water if the street is off, plumber if it is just you
Boiler leaking	Turn the boiler off at its switch and close its valves	Gas Safe registered engineer
Leaking hot water cylinder	Turn off immersion and boiler, close the cold feed valve	Plumber
Power cut stopping a pump	Call 105 for power cuts	Electricity network

Bristol flats: think above and below

Bristol has thousands of flats in converted houses. Clifton, Hotwells, Redland and Cotham are full of tall Georgian and Victorian houses split into three, four or more flats. In these buildings:

• your water may come from a shared pipe or riser, and your stop tap may only control part of the flat
• a leak from your flat can reach two floors below before anyone sees it
• the main stop tap for the building may be in the basement or the pavement

If water is coming through your ceiling, knock on the flat above. If nobody answers, contact the managing agent or freeholder. Our guide to finding a leak under the floorboards explains how these leaks travel in old houses.

Drains and sewage

Wessex Water runs the sewers in Bristol. Its sewer pipe responsibility page explains the rule. You are responsible for the pipe serving only your home, up to the boundary or where it joins a shared pipe. Wessex Water is responsible beyond that, including most shared pipes.

This matters in Bristol’s Victorian terraces, where one drain often runs behind several houses. If your neighbours’ drains are also backing up, it is likely a shared or public pipe and Wessex Water should clear it. Our blocked drains page explains how to tell.

No water in a cold snap

If there is no water and it is freezing, a pipe may have frozen. Bristol Water’s cold weather advice says to check with neighbours, turn off the stop tap, and thaw the pipe gently with a warm towel. Do not switch the heating on to thaw pipes if it was off. Our guide to frozen pipes covers the full steps.

What can wait

Not every problem needs a night visit. These can usually wait for a booked repair once the water is isolated:

• a dripping tap
• a toilet that keeps running into the bowl
• a slow leak you have stopped with an isolating valve
• a slow draining sink with no overflow risk
• a noisy pipe

Waiting for normal hours often costs less. Our guide to what affects the cost of an emergency plumber explains why.

Before the plumber arrives

• clear the area round the leak: empty the sink cupboard, move rugs and furniture
• take photos for your insurer
• note where the stop tap is and whether it fully shut off the water
• know your system: combi boiler, or a cylinder and loft tank
• tell the plumber where to park; many central Bristol streets have residents’ parking

Where Plumber in Bristol fits

Our emergency plumber page explains how an emergency job runs, from the first message to a finished repair. We cover the city and nearby towns, including the Victorian terraces of Bedminster, where stop taps under front room floors are part of almost every emergency call.