Leaks & burst pipes
Leaks & Burst Pipes
With any leak or burst pipe, turn the water off at the stopcock first. It is usually under the kitchen sink or where the supply pipe enters the building. If water is near sockets or lights, switch the electrics off at the main switch, as long as the consumer unit is dry. Then find your type of leak below.
Water pouring out right now
A split or burst pipe can release a lot of water fast. Shut the stopcock, open the taps to drain the pipes, and switch off the boiler and immersion so they do not heat an empty system. Burst pipe: what to do walks through the first half hour, and the first 10 minutes of a water leak covers leaks that are not a full burst.
In a freeze, pipes often split while frozen and only leak when they thaw. See frozen pipes: what to do before you warm anything.
Do not touch switches or sockets with wet hands or while standing in water. If water is coming through a light fitting, switch the power off at the consumer unit. If the consumer unit itself is wet, keep away from it and get an electrician.
Water through the ceiling or in the walls
A stain spreading below a bathroom is usually a failed seal, a waste joint or a pipe under the floor, not a burst. Ceiling leak below a bathroom explains how to narrow it down. A bulging ceiling can come down, so keep people out from under it.
In a flat, the water may be coming from the one above. Leak from an upstairs flat: who pays covers the neighbour, the freeholder and the insurers.
Slow drips from pipes, radiators and appliances
Drips under a sink are usually a compression joint or a flexible tap connector, see pipe leak under the sink. A radiator weeping at the valve or the tail is covered in radiator leaking: what to do. Washing machine leaks are often the hose, not the plumbing.
If the meter keeps turning with every tap shut, you have a hidden leak somewhere. Pipe on your side of the boundary stop tap is usually your responsibility, while the water company looks after the pipe up to it. Report a leak to Thames Water explains which is which.
Getting a leak or burst pipe repaired
A burst pipe emergency repair is the £60 call-out at any hour. The engineer isolates the section, cuts out the damage and fits a permanent joint where possible, so your water can go back on. The repair price is agreed with you on site before any work starts.
Emergency repairs
Guides
- Burst Pipe Repair Cost: What You Should Expect to Pay
- Burst Pipe: What to Do Right Now
- Burst Water Main in the Street: Who Fixes It?
- Ceiling Leaking Below the Bathroom
- Central Heating Pipe Leak Under the Floor
- Copper Water Pipe Leak Repair
- Dishwasher Leaking: Checking the Plumbing Side
- Emergency Leak Repair Cost
- How to Fix a Leaking Radiator Temporarily
- Frozen Pipes: How to Thaw Them Without Bursting Them
- Gutter Leaking at a Joint
- Signs of a Hidden Water Leak
- How to Stop Pipes Freezing This Winter
- How to Read a Water Meter to Check for a Leak
- Isolation Valve Leaking
- Leak From the Upstairs Flat: Who Is Liable?
- Leak Repair Before the Insurer Visits: Allowed?
- Leak Under the Bath: Finding the Source
- Leak Under the Bathroom Sink
- Leaking Pipe: Temporary Fixes That Actually Hold
- Leaking Pipework Joints: Compression, Solder or Push-Fit
- Leaking Radiator Fluid: Inhibitor, Sludge or Water?
- Leaking Shower Head: Why It Drips After Use
- Leaking Waste Pipe: Kitchen or Bathroom
- Outside Tap Leaking or Frozen
- Overflow Pipe Dripping Outside: Which Pipe Is It and Is It Urgent?
- Pipe Burst While You Were Away
- Pipe Leaking Under the Sink
- Radiator Leaking: What to Do Now
- How to Report a Water Leak in the Road
- Shower Leaking: Tray, Seal, Valve or Waste?
- Stop-Leak Products: When They Help and When They Hurt
- Thames Water Burst Pipe or Leak: Whose Side Is It On and Who Pays?
- Thames Water Leak Allowance: Getting a Leak Taken Off Your Bill
- Thames Water Leak Map: How to Read It
- Thames Water: How to Report a Leak (and What Happens Next)
- Underground Water Leak: What You Can Do Yourself
- Washing Machine Leaking Underneath: Plumbing or Machine?
- Banging Pipes When Taps Turn Off (Water Hammer)
- Water Leaking From an AC Unit Indoors
- Water Leak at the Meter
- Water Leak at Home: The First 10 Minutes
- Water Leak in a Flat: First Steps for Tenants and Owners
- Water Leak in My Area: How to Check and Report It
- Water Leak Inside a Wall: Signs and Next Steps
- Water Spots on the Ceiling but No Leak?
- Where Is the Water Meter Located?
Questions people ask
Will my insurance cover a burst pipe?
Many home policies cover damage from escape of water, but often not the repair to the pipe itself. Check your policy wording. Photograph everything before it is cleared and keep the plumber’s invoice.