Emergency Plumber in South Tyneside

What counts as a plumbing emergency

A plumbing emergency is water going somewhere it should not, or a household left without the heating and hot water it relies on. Typical examples are a pipe that has split under the kitchen sink, a joint dripping through the ceiling below, a tap connection that has let go, or a radiator valve soaking the carpet.

Plenty of plumbing faults can wait. A slow drip from a tap or a toilet that keeps running still needs sorting, but it is an everyday job rather than an emergency. If you are unsure which side of the line your problem sits on, describe it when you call and we will tell you how we see it.

What to do first when water is escaping

It pays to know where your stopcock is before you need it. In many terraces and semis it sits under the kitchen sink, though in older houses it can be in a cellar, a hall cupboard or under the stairs. Turning it clockwise shuts off the mains supply to the house.

If water is near light fittings, sockets or the consumer unit, keep clear and switch the electrics off at the fuse board only if you can reach it safely with dry hands. Open the cold taps to drain what is left in the pipes, and put towels and a bucket under the leak to limit the damage.

Take a photo or two of where the water is coming from. It helps when you describe the problem to us, and it can be useful for an insurance claim later.

Burst and split pipes

Pipes usually split for one of a few reasons: frost in a loft or on an outside wall, an old joint that finally gives way, or a fitting that has been knocked. Pipework in lofts, garages and outside toilets is the most exposed in a cold snap, so lag it before winter if you can.

Once the water is off, a damaged length of copper or plastic pipe can usually be cut out and replaced, and a failed compression joint can often be remade. We look at the damage on site and explain the repair before starting.

When the emergency is the heating

Losing heating or hot water in a North East winter counts as an emergency too, particularly for a household with a baby or an older relative. Low boiler pressure, a frozen condensate pipe and a failed pump or valve are among the common causes.

If the boiler seems to be the problem rather than a leak, say so when you call and read out any fault code on the display. Boiler faults are covered in more detail on the boiler repair page.

Older and newer pipework

South Tyneside housing runs from Victorian and Edwardian terraces to interwar semis, postwar council houses, bungalows and newer estates. Older properties can still have sections of lead or iron pipe, while newer homes tend to use plastic pipe hidden behind plasterboard or under floors. Either kind can leak, and a repair looks different on each.

A smell of gas is a different call

If you smell gas, the call to make is to the National Gas Emergency line on 0800 111 999, not to a plumber. Leave the building, avoid light switches and naked flames, and turn the gas off at the meter if you can reach it safely.