Plumbing repairs: from dripping taps to burst pipes

A dripping tap usually has a worn washer or, in modern mixer taps, a worn ceramic cartridge. Cartridges vary by make, so a photo of the tap and, if you have it, the brand saves time. A toilet that keeps running or refilling has a faulty fill valve or flush valve seal; water often runs silently into the pan, which you can spot as a constant ripple.

Low pressure can come from a partly closed stop tap, a blocked filter in a combi boiler or tap aerator, a failing pressure-reducing valve, an undersized or corroded supply pipe, or a problem on the water company's side. Asking neighbours whether they are affected helps to narrow it down. Knocking or banging pipes, often called water hammer, happens when water stops suddenly; loose pipe clips, fast-closing valves or high pressure are typical causes.

Slow-draining sinks and baths are usually a blocked trap or waste pipe. If several fittings drain slowly at once, or the gully outside overflows, the problem is in the drains and a drainage company is the better call.

Water coming through a ceiling, a burst pipe or a leak you cannot contain needs the water turned off at the stop tap before anything else. Knowing where your internal stop tap is, usually under the kitchen sink or where the supply enters the house, and checking once a year that it turns, is the single most useful thing a household can do. In a flat, the stop tap may be in a communal cupboard or in another flat; find out before you need it.

If water is near light fittings, sockets or the consumer unit, keep away from them and treat the electrics as a separate job for an electrician once the leak is stopped. Take photos for your insurer before the clean-up. Many home insurance policies cover damage from escaping water, and some also cover the cost of finding a hidden leak; the policy wording tells you which.

Owners pay for repairs to the pipes and fittings in their property and, in most cases, to the supply pipe from the boundary into the house. The water company is generally responsible for its pipes up to the boundary or the external stop tap. If a leak is on the supply pipe, call the water company first, because many have schemes that help with supply pipe repairs.

Tenants should report faults to the landlord in writing. Landlords are normally responsible for keeping the installations for the supply of water and for sanitation in repair, so a tenant who pays a plumber directly without the landlord's agreement may struggle to get the money back. In a block of flats, pipes serving more than one flat are often the responsibility of the freeholder or management company; your lease sets this out.

Plumbers price small repairs in different ways: a fixed price per job, a call-out charge plus an hourly rate, or a first-hour charge that includes the visit. Emergency visits in the evening, at weekends or on bank holidays cost more. Ask what is included before the plumber sets off, and whether parts are charged at cost or with a mark-up.

Grouping several small repairs into one visit is almost always better value than calling a plumber for each one separately.

• the symptom, when it started and whether it is getting worse
• photos of the tap, cistern, valve or pipe, including any make or model
• your hot water system and whether the fault is on hot, cold or both
• whether you have turned off the water, and where the stop tap is
• whether you own or rent, and for flats who manages the building
• access times and parking

After you confirm your phone number by code and your email by link, plumbers in your area see the repair without your name or contact details. One firm can buy it; after that it is gone from the list. The plumber pays Offrano and you pay nothing for the introduction.

We email you the plumber's name, address and phone number before your details are released. No one is obliged to take the job, and a request that nobody buys within 21 days is withdrawn, so for a real emergency also call a plumber directly. Offrano checks only that buyers are registered businesses; for boilers and gas water heaters, ask to see the Gas Safe ID card.