HERTFORDSHIRE, BEDFORDSHIRE & CAMBRIDGESHIRE
Emergency Plumber in Barnet
A burst in a New Barnet terrace or water coming through from the flat above in High Barnet: ring 01462 506 374 at any hour, speak to a person and hear the cost before anyone leaves.
Tonight, or first thing tomorrow
Two questions decide it. Can the water be stopped, and is it clear of anything electrical? If both answers are yes, a weekday visit between 8am and 5pm costs less.
Ring now: a split pipe still running with the stopcock shut
Ring now: water coming through a ceiling towards a light fitting
Ring now: hot water pouring from a cylinder discharge pipe
Ring now: sewage backing up into a bath, shower or ground floor toilet
Can wait: a toilet cistern that keeps refilling, isolated at its own valve
Can wait: a slow drip from a joint caught in a bowl
Unsure which list you are on? Ring anyway and the person who answers will help you decide.
Get a fixed price before we start
Call and talk to an engineer, or send us the details and we will come back to you with a price.
The first five minutes in a leak
Close the stopcock
Turn it clockwise until it stops. If it is stiff, work it gently back and forth rather than forcing it.
Use the small valves
Toilets, basins and washing machines usually have their own isolation valve, a slotted screw that closes with a quarter turn, so the rest of the house keeps water.
Keep water away from power
If water is near sockets or a ceiling light, switch off at the consumer unit, but only from a dry floor with dry hands.
Empty the pipes
With the supply off, run the cold taps on the lowest floor so the pipes drain there rather than through the split.
Where the stopcock tends to be in Barnet homes
New Barnet grew up after the Great Northern Railway arrived in 1850, so many streets there have late Victorian villas and terraces. Look under the kitchen sink first, then along the front wall where the main enters, often behind units added long after the house was built.
In the Edwardian detached houses and the 1950s and 1960s council houses, try the kitchen first, then the hall cupboard or under the stairs.
In flats, from the 1980s and 1990s low rise blocks to the converted Station Road office buildings and the Dollis Valley Estate, there should be a valve inside your own front door as well as a communal one. Find yours before you need it.
Pressure on high ground
Chipping Barnet stands at about 130 metres above sea level, one of the highest urban points in London. On high ground, a sudden fall in pressure is as likely to be a supply problem in the street as a leak inside your home.
Check whether a neighbour has lost pressure too. If they have, ask Affinity Water, who supply Barnet. If only your home is affected and the meter turns with every tap shut, the leak is on your side.
What we come out for
Burst, split and leaking pipes, including joints under floors
No water at all when the street supply is fine
Cisterns and loft tanks running to overflow
Leaking hot water cylinders and their valves
Blocked drains, toilets and waste pipes
Failed shower and heating pumps
Water coming through from the flat above
Whoever comes is one of our own employees, never a subcontractor, with a van carrying the usual fittings.
When you ring, and what you are told
Your call to 01462 506 374 is picked up by a person, at any hour. We ask where in Barnet you are, whether it is a house or a flat, what is leaking and whether the water is off.
Then you hear the cost: any call-out, the rate for that time and the deposit, which is half of the first hour. You decide before anyone sets off.
If the engineer finds the job is different from what was described, they stop, price it and wait for your answer before carrying on.
Answered by a person, day or night
A genuine 24 hour line, the charges explained before anyone sets off, and the common parts on the van.
How out of hours work is charged
In Barnet on a weekday between 8am and 5pm, attendance is free of any call-out fee. Plumbing is £140 + VAT (£168 including VAT) for the first hour, which is also the minimum charge, then £60 + VAT for each half hour.
Outside those hours, every attendance carries a call-out of £50 + VAT (£60 including VAT) on top of the hourly rate. Out of hours plumbing is £198 + VAT for the first hour on weekday evenings until 8pm and weekends from 8am to 8pm, or £250 + VAT overnight from 8pm to 8am. More detail is on our pricing page.
Leaks you cannot see
A damp patch on a ceiling or a meter that keeps turning does not mean floors have to come up. The pipework can be isolated section by section and pressure tested to narrow down where the water is going.
That costs far less to put right than lifting boards at random in a Victorian villa. See leak detection in Barnet.
Once the water is off
An emergency visit stops the damage and makes the repair. Replastering and new flooring come later, usually through insurance, so ask the engineer for a written note of what failed and what was done.
If you live in the Wood Street or Monken Hadley conservation areas, tell us before any external pipework is changed. Visible alterations on older buildings there may need more thought than a like for like repair.
A smell of gas
Leave the building, do not touch light switches or anything electrical, and call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999 from outside. They come before any plumber.
Once it is safe, our Gas Safe engineers (registration 956889) can repair the fault, with a 12 month labour guarantee on the work.
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Why choose Vantage
Rated 4.9 on Google from more than 700 reviews across Google, Checkatrade and Trustatrader. Qualified, accredited engineers, a fixed price before any work begins and a labour guarantee on every job, from an established local company with an office team you can actually reach. No job too small.
Gas Safe registered
Company registration 956889. Every gas engineer carries their own Gas Safe ID card, and you can ask to see it.
Refcom F-Gas certified
REF1024550. Legally required for air conditioning installation and servicing, and we hold it.
CHAS Elite accredited
Veriforce CHAS assessed for health and safety, which is why commercial clients and landlords use us.
City & Guilds and BPEC qualified
Qualified, insured engineers on every job. No subcontracted strangers.
700+ reviews, 4.9 on Google
Across Google, Checkatrade and Trustatrader. Read them before you book.
Labour guarantee on every job
12 months on repairs, installations and everything else. Two years on a full bathroom refit. If anything we did develops a fault, we come back and put it right.
Fixed price before we start
The price is agreed with you before any work begins. No hidden extras on the invoice.
24/7, answered by a person
The emergency line is answered every day of the year by someone who can send an engineer, not a call centre.
Fully stocked vans
Five vans carrying the parts that fail most often, so most jobs are fixed on the first visit.
An office team behind every job
An established local business with multiple engineers and a dedicated office team to keep you informed.
Vaillant myREWARDS and Ideal Max accredited
Accredited installer status means extended manufacturer warranties on the boilers we fit.
Emergency response within the hour
Our average response to an emergency call is under an hour across Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire.
Trusted & Accredited Professionals
Frequently asked questions
Is a sudden drop in water pressure in High Barnet an emergency?
Not usually. On high ground it is often a supply issue, so check with a neighbour first.
What should I do if water is pouring from my cylinder pipe outside?
Switch off the boiler and any immersion heater, then call. It means a safety valve on an unvented cylinder has opened.
Where is the stopcock in a New Barnet Victorian terrace?
Usually under the kitchen sink or on the front wall where the main comes in, sometimes hidden behind later kitchen units.
How much is a night call-out in Barnet?
Each attendance outside weekday hours has a £50 + VAT (£60 including VAT) call-out, added to the out of hours rate we quote before setting off.
Do I pay anything before the engineer comes?
Yes. On reactive call-outs, half of the first hour is paid when you book.
Can a leak in my flat wait if it is only dripping into the flat below?
No. Shut your own valve, warn your neighbour and ring us, because water between flats can reach wiring.
Who do I call if the leak is in the street?
Affinity Water supplies Barnet, and leaks on their main or before your boundary stop tap are theirs to repair. The supply pipe from your boundary to the house is your responsibility.
What if I smell gas as well as having a leak?
Leave the property and call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999 first. We can come once the gas is made safe.
Areas we cover around Barnet
We cover Chipping Barnet and High Barnet in EN5, including Arkley and the streets around Wood Street and Monken Hadley, and New Barnet, East Barnet and Cockfosters in EN4.
Nearby, we also reach Hadley Wood, Totteridge and Whetstone. For planned work that is not urgent, see plumbers in Barnet.
Water escaping in Barnet right now
Close the stopcock, keep clear of wet electrics and call 01462 506 374. A person answers day and night and tells you the charges before an engineer sets off.
Related services
Repairs, leaks and installations
Found without the digging
Kitchen, bathroom and outside
Cleared the same day
All makes, Gas Safe engineers
Every rate, published