repairs
Burst pipes and pipework repairs
Repairing an accessible burst pipe costs £150 to £400. Replacing a lead supply pipe from the boundary to the house is £1,000 to £2,500, and most water companies contribute to that or replace their side at no charge.
What this covers
What it costs. Repairing an accessible burst pipe costs £150 to £400. Full cost breakdown.
What the job covers
- Repairing burst and split pipe runs
- Thawing and insulating frozen pipes
- Replacing lead and galvanised supply pipe
- Repiping in copper or barrier plastic
- Water main renewal from the boundary to the house
What is involved
Pipes burst because water freezes and expands, because a joint has been stressed, or because copper has corroded from the inside to a pinhole. The freezing case is seasonal and preventable: the pipes at risk are the ones in unheated spaces, which means the loft, the garage, and any run through an external wall. Lagging those, and keeping loft insulation under rather than over the pipes so warm air can reach them, prevents most of it.
A repair to an accessible run is quick. The section is cut out and replaced with copper or push-fit, and a good plumber uses the opportunity to check what caused the failure rather than treating it as bad luck. Where a run is buried in a wall or under a solid floor, the calculation changes, and rerouting the pipe on a new path is often cheaper and less destructive than chasing out to reach the old one.
Lead supply pipes are still common in houses built before 1970. Lead is a health question rather than a plumbing failure, and replacing the private section from the boundary stop tap to the house is the owner's cost. Most water companies replace their own communication pipe free once you replace yours, and several run subsidy schemes, so ask them before commissioning the work.
If a pipe bursts, the sequence is: stop tap off, all taps open to drain the system down, heating off, and only then find a plumber. Water in the fabric of a building does more damage in an hour than the repair costs.
Repairing burst and split pipe runs, one of the jobs a pipework repairs specialist is hired for.
Choosing someone for the job
Ask whether the repair is a patch or a replacement of the failed section, and what caused the failure. Where pinholes have appeared once in a run, ask whether repiping that leg is the better answer. For lead replacement, contact your water company first, because their contribution changes the arithmetic.
Common questions
How do I stop a burst pipe flooding the house?
Turn the internal stopcock off, then open every tap to drain the pipes down. Turn the heating off. That takes a minute and limits the damage far more than anything a plumber can do on arrival.
How do I stop pipes freezing?
Lag every pipe in the loft, the garage and any unheated space, and keep loft insulation under the pipes rather than over them. Leave the heating on low rather than off if the house is empty in winter.