Handyman jobs

Small plumbing repairs: taps, toilets and drains

Most household plumbing problems start small: a tap that drips, a cistern that keeps running, a basin that drains slowly. Each wastes water and gets worse, and most are an hour's work for someone with the right parts.

Tell us what's leaking, running or blocked, and we'll pass it to a partner handyman, who quotes, finds the cause and fixes it.

Ask for a quote What’s covered

A dripping tap over a basin, with the pipes under the sink, a wrench and a bucket

What plumbing repairs covers

The usual jobs under this heading. Tick it in the enquiry and describe yours; if it isn’t here, describe it anyway.

Taps and mixers

Dripping taps fixed by replacing washers or cartridges, and old taps and kitchen mixers swapped for new ones.

Toilets and cisterns

Cisterns that keep running or won't fill, flush buttons that stick, wobbly toilet bowls, and seats and bidet sprays replaced.

Choked sinks and drains

Slow kitchen sinks, basins, floor traps and shower drains cleared, and bottle traps under the basin cleaned or replaced.

Shower sets

Shower heads, hoses, rails and mixers replaced, and leaking connections resealed.

Leaks under the sink

Dripping waste pipes, loose connections and worn flexible hoses under kitchen and bathroom sinks found and fixed.

Fixtures

Basins, toilet roll holders, soap dishes and bathroom accessories fitted or replaced.

If water is coming through a ceiling or a wall, turn off the water at the meter or the stop valve under the sink before you do anything else, and say so in the enquiry.

Plumbing repairs: a small fix or a bigger job?

What this site arranges

A handyman job

Fixing a dripping tap or a running cistern
Clearing a slow sink or floor trap
Replacing a shower set or a tap
Fixing a leak under the sink

A wall with its plaster hacked off to the bricks, a bin of debris and new tiles: a renovation — A bigger job

A renovation

Replacing pipes hidden in walls or floors
Moving a toilet or sink
Re-piping a flat

Moving fixtures or replacing concealed pipes is a renovation job. Junk to Clear, a renovation and disposal company we refer jobs to, takes renovation enquiries.

What affects the price

We don’t publish prices. The partner handyman quotes once it knows the job. These are the things it will ask about.

What's wrong. A washer is quicker than replacing a whole cistern mechanism.
Whether parts are needed, and whether you've bought them or the handyman brings them.
For blockages, where the blockage is and how far into the pipe it sits.
Access: a tap behind a fixed cabinet or a cistern boxed into the wall takes longer.
How many fixtures, and how soon you need the visit.

Photos that help the quote

The tap, toilet or drain, and the leak or blockage if you can see it.
The pipes under the sink, with the cabinet door open.
The brand and model of a tap or cistern you want replaced, if it's visible.

Keep them on your phone: the handyman may ask for them when it contacts you.

How to prepare, and what happens on the day

Before the visit

Find the water stop valves under the sink and near the toilet, and the main valve at the meter, and check they turn.
Empty the cabinet under the sink and put a towel down.
Have any replacement tap or shower set you bought, still in its box.
Stop pouring chemical drain cleaners down a blocked drain before the visit, so the handyman isn't working in them.

On the day

1 The handyman finds the cause: which seal, valve or joint is failing, or where the blockage is.
2 The water is turned off at the nearest valve, and the part is repaired or replaced.
3 The water is turned back on and the repair checked for drips under pressure.
4 Blocked drains are run with plenty of water to check they're clear.

Afterwards

Keep fat and food scraps out of the kitchen sink and hair out of the shower drain; a strainer costs little and prevents most blockages. Turn each stop valve once or twice a year, so it hasn't seized when you need it.

Plumbing repairs in homes and offices

The same job differs between a flat, a landed house and an office. Here’s what changes.

HDB flats

HDB flats have a water meter outside the main door with a valve that shuts off the whole flat. A blockage in the common stack pipe that serves the block is the town council's to clear, not the flat owner's.

Condos

A leak that reaches the unit below or a common area should be reported to the management office as well as fixed. Some condos have their own rules on who may work on shared pipes.

Landed homes

Landed homes have their own pipes from the meter to the house, outdoor taps and more bathrooms, and older houses can have galvanised pipes that corrode from inside.

Offices

Pantry sinks, washroom taps and toilets used all day. Repairs can be scheduled before opening hours, and the landlord may handle anything outside your unit.

Questions about plumbing repairs

My toilet keeps running. Is that a big job?

Usually not. A running cistern is most often a worn flush valve seal or a fill valve that doesn't shut off, and both can be replaced without taking the toilet out.

Can you clear a blocked floor trap?

Yes, in most cases. If the blockage is in the common pipe shared with other flats, it's for the town council or management office to clear.

Can I buy the tap myself?

Yes. Check that it suits your sink and the pipes under it, or send the handyman the link before buying.

Can you replace my water heater?

Mention it in the enquiry, with the heater's type and model. We'll check whether the partner takes on that job.

Ask for a plumbing repairs quote

Tell us what needs fixing, the property and roughly where it is. It takes a minute, and there's no obligation to book.