My pipework is leaking or is noisy
My hot or cold pipework is leaking
If you have a leak on mains cold or the hot water pipework, and you can find where the leak is coming from, you should try to isolate the supply for both hot and cold water using a service valve which is usually located near or under each appliance. This will leave the rest of the water supply on. The service valve would need to be upstream of the leak for it to be able to isolate the pipe. If it's downstream of the leak turning it off won't stop it.
If you have a leak on your radiator or heating pipework please click here for more information.
Watch our video on how to isolate a leak.
If the leak is in a wet room, the water will drain away down the drain. This means it is a containable leak.
If you can’t see where the leak is coming from, turn off the main stop tap, which should stop the leak. This is usually in the kitchen under the sink or at the back of a kitchen unit.
If you know it’s the hot water supply pipework, and the boiler is a heat only boiler (meaning you’ll have tanks in your loft and a cylinder in the airing cupboard that stores hot water), you can isolate the supply in the airing cupboard. There should be a brass stop tap or isolation valve above the hot water cylinder. This tap can be turned off, which will turn off the supply to the hot water. Once closed, turn on the hot taps and this will drain the system and stop the leak.
If you have a combi boiler, turning the main stop off will isolate both the hot and cold water.
My pipework is noisy
Pipework can sometimes be noisy when a hot tap is run and may vibrate throughout the property. This usually happens if you have a heat only boiler with a hot water cylinder and tanks in the loft or airing cupboard. You can sometimes reduce the noise by turning on a cold tap which will reduce the pressure at the valve. This can also happen when you flush a toilet. It’s likely to be a faulty valve, and although the noise can be a little alarming (it sounds like a foghorn!), it’s nothing too serious and won't cause any damage. Report a repair so we can take a look.
How do I report a repair?
You can report a repair to us at anytime, anywhere using My Account or contact us via Live Chat. Let us know when reporting that you’ve followed the advice and what you’ve tried to get it working, this helps us to assess what to do next to get the right person for the job.
If your home is at risk of flooding because you can’t contain a leak or you’ve had to turn off your main stop tap and have no water to the property, give us a call on 0300 456 2531 to report it so we can get one of our plumbers out as soon as possible.
