How to find an affordable plumber near you

Looking for an affordable plumber? A plumber from HaMuch can help with all common plumbing jobs and is also clear on price. Most homeowners experience plumbing issues from time to time so you must make sure that the local plumbing services you choose is a specialist who will complete the job to a high standard.

Plumbing Jobs

A reliable plumber can be a homeowner’s best friend, helping out with everything from a new appliance installation, fixing leaks, cleaning and unblocking drains and installing a new kitchen or bathroom. They cover four main services;

• Plumbing Installations: Do you need a new bathroom, toilet, wet room or new boiler? Maybe you a fancy new mixer tap, sink or towel radiator? What ever the installation, plumbers on HaMuch are here to help you make sure it’s done properly the first time.
• Plumbing Maintenance Repairs: Fed up with dripping taps, leaking showers, or odd smells coming from your drains? Even the best household plumbing will eventually need some TLC. Have one of our registered plumbers come and diagnose the repair, recommend a solution, and get it sorted quickly with minimal disruption.
• Blockages and Leaks: Plumbers can help you with blockages and leaks, whether they occur inside or outside the home. If there’s a fault, a plumber can diagnose the cause and repair the faulty pipes or unblock the drain.
• Health and safety: When working on new builds and extensions, a plumber performs administrative duties, including ensuring building regulations and safety standards are met. This can be important if you are trying to sell your home or if you live in a shared building.

Finding an affordable plumber nearby who is reliable, CIPHE registered and available can be a chore, so we provide that service for you and it's FREE.

What jobs do plumbers near you do?

We have listed typical jobs that plumbers can do in your home.

Kitchen

• Plumbing in of appliances, e.g. dishwasher or washing machine
• Fixing or replacing leaky taps
• Replacing the kitchen sink
• Fitting a water softener to the mains water
• Fitting or repairing a food disposal machine
• Installing or repairing an instant hot water tap
• Fitting a mains water stopcock under the kitchen sink

Cost to replace a kitchen sink

Average rate: £42 per hour

Average time: 3 hour

Average material cost: £200 (including tap)

A plumber will usually charge an average of £42 per hour for replacing a kitchen sink. If it’s a straightforward job, it shouldn’t take more than 3 hour, so with materials you can expect to pay around £322. There are lots of different types of kitchen sinks on the market, so you could pay less or as much as £600+ for a premium kitchen sink with mixer tap. Your plumber can discuss the options with you, including finding a replacement that fits and a suitable mixer tap.

Bathroom

• Fixing or installing a toilet
• Replacing parts on a toilet
• Unclogging a toilet or backed up drains
• Replacing the bath or parts for the bath
• Replacing a bath tap or replacing the cartridge for the tap
• Renewing silicone in the bathroom
• Replacing or fixing a shower
• Repairing a leak in the pipework

Cost to replace a mixer shower

Average rate: £42 per hour

Average time: 4-5 hour

Average material cost: £300

Replacing a mixer shower can take up to 5 hours, especially if the replacement it very different from the shower it is replacing. Even for the simplest of replacements most plumbers will charge a minimum of 3 hours to complete the job at an average rate of £42 per hour. If you haven't already purchased a shower, the plumber will be able to advise you on which replacement is suitable for your bathroom. Mixer showers cost between £200-£1,000, making the total replacement cost averaging between £400-£1,200.

Outdoors

• Fitting an outside tap
• Installing an outside shower
• Fitting or replacing a mains water stopcock outside the property
• Leak detection

Fit an outside garden tap

Average rate: £42 per hour

Average time: 2 hour

Average material cost: £30

Having an outside tap gives you a convenient way to water your plants, pressure wash your patio or even fill up a paddling pool in the summertime. The average plumber’s rate for this type of job in the UK is £42 per hour, and it will take around 2 hours to complete. The average cost of a tap and all materials from £30-£100, making the average cost of fitting an outside tap around £140. Extending pipework to tap into a water source will cost extra.

Fixing plumbing emergencies

Whether it's a burst pipe or blocked toilet, do not yelp because HaMuch can quickly find you an affordable local plumber to put your plumbing back together again.

Toilet emergencies

Toilets become blocked when people try to flush down the toilet inappropriate items like nappies, sanitary towels or excessive amounts of toilet paper. Wire coat hangers or plungers can often clear such blockages before calling a plumber.

Toilets often leak between the toilet and the waste pipe due to the floor or fixing bolts moving. Toilets require a secure  fixing to the floor and pipe joints tightened to stop the leak. Toilets can leak from the cistern which sits on the bowl if it's not secure properly or the seal has failed.

Toilets can flush water continuously if the flushing float mechanism or ballcock becomes damaged or stuck. New parts are required that can be fitted by a professional HaMuch plumber.

Turning off the water supply for a leaking toilet

If you can turn off the water supply to the toilet you can limit water damage before the plumber gets there. There will be a water feed pipe including a valve which if you turn ¼ anticlockwise it will stop the water entering a toilet cistern.

To find the valve you may need to lift the cistern lid, look under or behind the toilet at pipes feeding water to the toilet. Or If it’s a wall mounted flush you will need to remove the flushing plate on the wall for access. 

If you cannot isolate the water supply to the toilet then you can turn off the mains stopcock - usually under the sink - and this will isolate mains water.

Water or gas pipe leak or burst

Pipes can burst or leak due to various reasons:

Structural movement

Pipes fixed into the ground, in walls or to structural timbers could fracture or cause failure of pipe joints resulting in leaks if there is movement of the property or its foundations.

Mechanical damage

Nails hammered into walls can find and pierce copper and plastic pipes easily. When moving heavy hard edged appliances such as fridges and washing machines they can accidentally cause damage to pipework when pushed over or onto them. 

Freezing

During the cold weather pipes outside can freeze causing pipes to split due to ice expanding more than water. A frozen slip pipe in a loft can cause severe damage if the pipe thaws and a non stop flow of water pools onto the ceiling.

Corrosion and erosion

Condensing boilers can produce acidic condensation which can leak and drip onto copper pipes and dissolve them. Central heating radiators corrode internally and build up “sludge” at the bottom of the radiator. Copper pipes corrode around the joints and internally at elbows due to friction as debris circulates, scratching the inside of pipes over years until pin holes start to appear.

What to do if you have a mains water leak

If you have a leak between the water supply point (usually at pavement) and stopcock - it’s the mains water. If the mains water leaks underground, over time the water can cause subsidence under your property which is costly to rectify. 

So, to avoid more potential damage the first step is to turn off the supply at the pavement to stop the leak and then you might want to look at your house insurance policy to see if you are covered.

To fix a mains leak underground (not at the meter or stopcock) the tradesperson will need to dig a trench along the pipe to find the leak and replace the old pipework which may be an old lead pipe. You are advised to get your water authority involved which can be a hassle, but if it is an emergency - i.e. you don’t have water - they usually get to you quickly.

What to do if you have a leak in your home

A leak in your home is from a pipe or appliance after your stopcock. Pipes generally leak due to a historically bad connection which finally fails or mechanical damage like a rogue nail. Either way, turn off the stock and call a plumber. 

Appliances leak for the same reasons and also require you to first find and turn off the stopcock and call a plumber to replace the appliance or fitting.

How can you stop a heating system leak?

If you smell gas, open the windows and doors and turn the gas off if you know how. The tap will probably be near the meter then move outside and call your gas supplier or a Gas Safe Engineer.

A  water leak in the heating system is most often caused by radiators or fittings corroding internally or from leaking radiator valves. You may see dirty black/brown sludgy water dripping from the radiator or corroded fitting, such as the pump or valve.

A radiator leak can be stopped by turning off BOTH valves on the radiator. If it’s a thermostatic valve (TRV) you need to set it to 0 or the snowflake/asterisk. If it’s a conventional radiator valve you will need a spanner or pliers. Either way, put a tray under the leak to protect the carpet or flooring.  

If the cause of the leak is corrosion you may need to replace all old radiators while the going is good. Changing the one leaking radiator will fix the immediate problem but you will continue to get more leaks from other points in the system unless you get your system cleaned (Powerflushed) or change the radiators.

How to find a specialist plumber near you

To find a specialist plumber near you, follow our simple three-step process:

1. Post your job: Enter the trade you need and the postcode of your project then describe your job.
2. Get quotes: We’ll send your job details to plumber specialists in your area and match you with local professional tradespeople qualified and skilled to complete your project. We’ll notify you via text or email when a tradesperson is available to quote.
3. Select your tradesman: Compare rates, proximity, review profiles and experience of the tradesmen interested in working with you. You can use HaMuch to safely message, ask questions or just phone them — you’re in complete control!

Our search tools are designed to help you find a tradesman that best suits your needs, budget and location.

Are you looking for a plumber? Find the perfect tradesmen for you on HaMuch. Our directory lists vetted, trusted plumbers near you.