HERTFORDSHIRE, BEDFORDSHIRE & CAMBRIDGESHIRE
Emergency Plumber in London Colney
London Colney mixes old coaching road buildings, a converted hospital estate and modern houses, and each hides its stopcock somewhere different. Ring at any hour and a person answers.
Is it an emergency tonight
Ring straight away if water is running and you cannot stop it, if it is coming through a ceiling or near electrics, or if a flat below is getting wet.
If you have turned the water off and the leak has stopped, it can usually wait. A weekday visit between 8am and 5pm has no call-out fee, so a dripping tap or a cistern that will not stop filling costs less to deal with then.
Not sure? Describe it on the phone and we will tell you honestly whether it needs someone tonight.
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
Close the stopcock clockwise, or the isolation valve on whatever is leaking
Open the cold taps and flush the toilets to drain the pipes
Switch off at the consumer unit if water is near electrics and you can reach it dry
Turn off the boiler or immersion if hot water is escaping
In a flat, knock on the door below
Then protect floors and belongings with towels and buckets, and take photos. Water travels, and your neighbour may see it before you do.
Finding the stopcock
Older High Street buildings
On the old coaching road, look low down under the kitchen sink or on the wall where the supply comes in at the front. Decades of paint and new kitchens mean many are stiff, so turn gently.
Cottages and twentieth century houses
In the Victorian cottages and the later village houses, try under the sink, then the hall or airing cupboard.
Napsbury Park apartments
The flats converted from the old hospital buildings have shared isolation points as well as a valve inside each flat. Know which one serves you, because closing the wrong one can cut water to your neighbours.
Napsbury Park houses
The newer houses on the estate keep their stopcock where you would expect in a modern home, usually close to where the main comes in.
Low ground by the Colne
The River Colne runs through the village, and some of the riverside buildings have low walls built to hold back flood water. Homes on the lower ground near the river and the old gravel pits are where drains and gullies struggle first in heavy rain.
If you live near the river, keep your stopcock free to turn and any pipework in a cellar or under the floor off the ground where you can. If a drain is backing up, tell us on the phone so the right kit comes on the van.
What we come out for
Most calls in AL2 fall into a short list, and the vans are stocked for all of them.
Burst and leaking pipes
No water, or very low pressure
Cisterns overflowing
Hot water cylinders leaking
Blocked toilets and drains
Shower and booster pumps that have failed
High pressure jetting is on the van. Since 2011 most shared drains and laterals beyond your boundary belong to the sewerage company rather than you, and we will say if the blockage is on their side.
Getting to you on the High Street
London Colney grew as a linear village along the old A6, more than a mile long, and the High Street is still a busy road with narrow plots. At night we ask about parking and access on the phone, so the engineer is not blocking traffic while working.
The buildings behind the frontages range from sixteenth and seventeenth century timber frames to Victorian cottages, often with pipework added by every generation. Finding which pipe feeds what can take a few minutes before anything is cut, and that is time well spent.
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.
What we tell you on the phone
We ask what has happened and whether the water is off, then tell you the call-out, the hourly rate and the deposit. You decide whether we come.
Once the engineer is there, the first hour is the minimum. If the job turns out different from what was described, they stop and price it with you before carrying on.
Out of hours costs
On weekdays from 8am to 5pm there is no call-out. Plumbing is £140 + VAT for the first hour (£168 including VAT), then £60 + VAT per half hour.
At any other time, every attendance has a £50 + VAT (£60 including VAT) call-out on top of the hourly rate, and out of hours plumbing rates are quoted before we set off. Half the first hour is paid in advance.
All our prices are published, so you can check the figures before you ring.
Gas smell
Leave the property, do not use switches or naked flames, and phone the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999 before calling anyone else.
Once they have made things safe, our Gas Safe engineers, registration 956889, can repair the fault.
After the leak
A leak on your own supply pipe may be quiet and slow, showing as a wet patch or a meter that never stops. Our leak detection in London Colney page explains how we find one without digging up the whole garden.
Once it is repaired, you get a written note of what failed and what we did, which is what insurers and management companies ask for. The labour is guaranteed for 12 months.
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Rated 4.9 on Google by the people we work for
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
What does the phone call involve?
We ask what has happened and whether the water is off, then tell you the call-out, the hourly rate and the deposit. You decide whether we come.
My Napsbury Park flat is leaking into the one below. What first?
Close the valve inside your flat, then tell your neighbour and your management company. If you cannot stop it, ring us.
Who owns the pipe under my front garden?
From the boundary stop tap into the house, the supply pipe is yours. The section on the street side belongs to Affinity Water.
My stopcock will not turn. Should I force it?
No, an old valve can snap. Use the external stop tap at the boundary and call us to replace the stuck one.
Are your engineers subcontractors?
No. They are our own engineers, Gas Safe registered under 956889.
What does a call-out cost at night in London Colney?
It is £50 + VAT (£60 including VAT) per attendance, plus the out of hours rate quoted before we leave.
Can a dripping tap wait until the morning?
Yes. Isolate it if you can and book a weekday visit, when there is no call-out fee.
Do you clear blocked drains near the river?
Yes. We carry jetting kit and tell you if the blockage is in a shared drain owned by the sewerage company.
Areas we cover around London Colney
We cover the whole of London Colney in AL2, including the High Street and old village core, the housing around it, and Napsbury Park.
Our engineers travel from our base in Stevenage. If you are close to London Colney and unsure whether we reach you, ring and ask.
Water escaping in London Colney
Close the stopcock and ring 01462 506 374. A person answers around the clock and tells you the cost before anyone 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