Who is responsible when water comes through my ceiling from the flat above in my retirement block?

If the leak comes from communal pipework, such as a shared riser or the main serving the block, it belongs to the freeholder or managing agent, so report it to your scheme manager. A leak from inside the flat above is usually that flat's to arrange. If you're not sure which side of the line it sits on, describe it when you call and we'll tell you straight, rather than charging you to find out.

Our hot water cylinder has stopped heating. Is that a plumbing emergency?

It depends on the cause. A failed immersion heater is a repair rather than an emergency, though in cold weather we'll still treat it as urgent for an older household. If the cylinder itself is leaking, or water is dripping from the airing cupboard, switch off the immersion heater, turn off the water and call straight away. Where the hot water comes from a boiler, we handle the plumbing side and will tell you straight away if a Gas Safe registered engineer is needed.

Can you come out tonight?

Yes. We run a 24 hour rota that covers evenings, weekends and bank holidays. Call and you get a real arrival window before anyone sets off, not a vague promise.

I manage things for my mother, who lives alone in Bexhill. Can you deal with me over the phone instead of her?

Happily, and it's a common arrangement in this town. Give us your number when you book and we'll call you with what we found, what it costs and what we recommend before any chargeable work goes ahead. The plumber will still show ID at the door, explain things clearly to your mother and leave the place as found.

Emergency Plumber Bexhill-on-Sea

No water anywhere in the house

First we check whether the neighbours have water, because a dry street points at the supplier's main. If they do, we check the outside stop tap and the internal stopcock, which in older Bexhill houses can be seized half shut. Anything from your boundary to the house is ours to find.

Pressure has dropped to a trickle

Hard water and old galvanised or narrow lead supply pipes are the usual pairing here. Scale and corrosion close the bore over decades until a shower barely runs. We measure pressure and flow at the stopcock, then tell you whether it is a valve, a partial blockage or the pipe itself.

One tap has stopped working

A single dead outlet with everything else running means the problem sits on that branch. A closed or failed isolation valve, a jammed cartridge or debris lodged after work on the main are the usual causes. We check the valve before anything is taken apart.

No hot water from the cylinder

Many Bexhill homes still run a vented cylinder fed from a loft tank. No hot water can mean a failed immersion heater, an empty feed tank with a stuck float valve, or an airlock. We check the tank and the feed first, and tell you straight away if a Gas Safe registered engineer is needed for the boiler.

Pipes banging when taps turn off

Water hammer is a pressure wave hitting a loose or unsupported pipe when a valve shuts quickly. Worn washers, a chattering float valve or missing pipe clips in a void are the usual culprits. Left alone it loosens joints, so we find the source and fix it.

Washing machine leaking across the floor

Appliance leaks usually come from the hose, the connection at the valve, or a waste pipe that has backed up. We isolate the appliance valve, check whether the leak is on the supply or the waste, and replace the failed part so the rest of the kitchen keeps its water.

Stopping the water comes first, then restoring whatever can run without risk. If old pipework is past saving you will hear that plainly, not a patch dressed up as a repair.