Winter plumbing emergencies in Edinburgh
Emergency response in Edinburgh: under 60 minutes on averageOn call 24/7 · an average, not a guarantee · arrival estimate given when you call
Emergency lines open 24/7
A frozen or burst pipe needs the water stopped first. Here is how to find and turn off your stopcock in an Edinburgh home, what to do while help is on the way, and when to call. Our emergency line is open 24 hours a day.
Call 0131 210 0505 Call for availability and applicable charges. Price agreed before work starts. Request a planned visit →- Standard-hours calloutFrom £75
- Out-of-hours callout£100–£180
- Burst pipe repair£125–£250
Callout: attendance and diagnosis only. Repair and service prices: labour only; callout, parts and materials separate. Standard hours: 7am–7pm, Monday–Friday, excluding bank holidays. Out-of-hours labour quoted separately. No VAT charged. Agree charges before booking and work before it starts. Full price guide.
Find your stopcock (Edinburgh edition)
Turning off the water is the fastest way to limit the damage. Tap your type of home to see where the stopcock is usually hidden.
Step 1 · Tap your type of home
Choose one of the four options above.
Step 2 · Where it is usually hidden in a traditional tenement
Found it? Turn it clockwise until it stops. Do not force it. Then open the cold kitchen tap to check the water has stopped. If a single pipe to a toilet, tap or washing machine is leaking, the small valve on that pipe (a slot you turn a quarter turn with a flat screwdriver) may stop it on its own.
Step 2 · Where it is usually hidden in a modern flat or house
Found it? Turn it clockwise until it stops. Do not force it. Then open the cold kitchen tap to check the water has stopped. If a single pipe to a toilet, tap or washing machine is leaking, the small valve on that pipe (a slot you turn a quarter turn with a flat screwdriver) may stop it on its own.
Step 2 · Where it is usually hidden in a victorian or edwardian house
Found it? Turn it clockwise until it stops. Do not force it. Then open the cold kitchen tap to check the water has stopped. If a single pipe to a toilet, tap or washing machine is leaking, the small valve on that pipe (a slot you turn a quarter turn with a flat screwdriver) may stop it on its own.
Step 2 · Where it is usually hidden in a ex-council or four-in-a-block
Found it? Turn it clockwise until it stops. Do not force it. Then open the cold kitchen tap to check the water has stopped. If a single pipe to a toilet, tap or washing machine is leaking, the small valve on that pipe (a slot you turn a quarter turn with a flat screwdriver) may stop it on its own.
Step 3 · Still can’t find it, or it won’t turn?
Do this while you call
- Switch off the boiler and any immersion heater, so they are not running while the water is off.
- Open the cold taps in the bath and sinks to drain the water out of the pipes.
- Keep away from wet sockets, lights and switches.
- Do not force a stiff stopcock; it can snap.
Every home is different; these are the usual places, based on guidance from City of Edinburgh Council, Thames Water, WaterSafe.
What’s happening right now?
Our emergency line is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Water coming through the ceiling
- Turn off the water at the stopcock (usually under the kitchen sink).
- Keep away from wet light fittings and sockets. Switch off the electricity at the consumer unit only if you can reach it without touching water.
- If you are in a flat, knock on the door of the flat above.
- Put down buckets and towels, and move valuables.
Burst or frozen pipe
- Turn off the stopcock straight away.
- Turn off the boiler or immersion heater, then open the cold taps to drain the system.
- If a pipe is frozen but not leaking, thaw it gently with a hairdryer or warm cloth. Never use a naked flame.
- Catch any leak in a bucket and take photos for your insurer.
Toilet overflowing or sewage backing up
- Stop flushing and stop using sinks, baths and showers.
- Turn the isolation valve on the toilet’s water pipe, or lift the float in the cistern.
- Keep children and pets away and wear gloves to clean up.
- Tell neighbours if you share a drain or live in a flat.
No heating or hot water
- Check the boiler display for a fault code and the pressure gauge (usually 1 to 1.5 bar when cold).
- In freezing weather, check whether the condensate pipe outside is frozen.
- Try one reset using your boiler manual. If it locks out again, stop.
- If someone vulnerable is in the home, call us now.
I can smell gas
- Open doors and windows.
- Turn off the gas at the meter if it is safe to do so. Do not go into a cellar.
- Do not use switches, flames or electrical items.
- Leave and call the free National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999.
Not sure how urgent it is? Send us a photo ↗ Can’t find your stopcock? →
Tap your problem for what to do in the next two minutes. Water spreads under floors and into ceilings quickly, so stopping it first saves the most damage. Our average response to emergency callouts is under 60 minutes. It is an average, not a guarantee: arrival depends on your location, traffic and other callouts, and outlying towns take longer. When you call, we give you an arrival estimate for your address.
See the full price breakdown and what is included
What does a winter emergency visit cost?
We’re proud to be clear about our prices. Published guide charges, a clear breakdown of what is included, and your agreement before work starts. Callout, labour, parts and materials are explained separately so you can make an informed choice.
Standard hours are 7am–7pm, Monday to Friday, excluding bank holidays. Evenings, nights, weekends and bank holidays are out of hours. All times are Edinburgh local time.
Callout charges cover attendance and diagnosis only and are separate from repair labour. The service prices shown are labour charges only. Parts and materials are charged separately. No VAT is charged.
Service labour figures below are guides for standard-hours work. Out-of-hours labour is quoted separately. Where a callout applies, for urgent attendance, it is payable for attendance and diagnosis even if you decide not to proceed with a repair; confirm the applicable fee before agreeing to attendance.
Prices correct as of . Published prices are subject to change without notice for future enquiries. This does not change an accepted quotation or an agreed contract price; any additional work or price variation requires your agreement before proceeding. Read our pricing policy →
All applicable attendance, diagnostic and service charges are confirmed before work begins.
- Emergency visits: call-out/attendance charges may apply.
- Planned bookings: charges are confirmed when booking.
| Service | Guide charge | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Standard-hours callout | From £75 | Attendance and diagnosis only |
| Out-of-hours callout | £100–£180 | Attendance and diagnosis only |
| Burst pipe repair | £125–£250 | Labour only |
| Leak detection | £100–£225 | Detection labour only; repair separate |
Ask for the callout charge, labour and any other known costs before agreeing to a visit. We will agree the total price, or how it will be calculated, before you commit; any repair, parts or additional work needs your agreement before it starts.
Leak detection does not include the repair. Boiler work requires an appropriately qualified engineer; the boiler service price does not include a separate landlord gas safety certificate. Jobs outside the listed ranges or services without a published guide require an individual quote.
Full price guide and charging details → · Call 0131 210 0505 to discuss your job
Selected five-star
Google reviews.
Customer feedback about our business across its service area. Reviewers’ own words, with their original ratings.
Emergency call after 11pm, Amir attended within the hour. He was calm, professional, dealt with the burst pipe promptly. Read on Google
Khan was so amazingly helpful when we woke early on Sunday morning to a big leak coming through our ceiling. Read on Google
Attended at short notice late on Sunday eve. Arrived promptly and were immediately helpful and professional. Highly recommended and would not hesitate to call them again in the future.
We had AJ come to our flat for an emergency leak above our kitchen ceiling. Top notch service, and advice. Read on Google
A selected set of five-star reviews, rather than an overall business rating. Reviews describe individual experiences and do not guarantee response times or outcomes for a future visit.
Winter emergency checklist
- Turn off your stopcock. If you cannot find it, see where to look below.
- Keep clear of water near lights, sockets and appliances. Only switch electrics off at a dry consumer unit.
- Switch the boiler off with its normal control if it is dry and safe to reach.
- Open the cold taps to drain the water left in the pipes. Leave the hot taps closed if pipes may be frozen.
- Move belongings away from the water and catch drips in buckets. Stay out from under a sagging ceiling.
- In a flat, tell the neighbours below and above, and the landlord or factor.
- Call 0131 210 0505 with your full postcode and whether the water has stopped.
How to find your stopcock in an Edinburgh home
The stopcock (also called a stop tap or stop valve) controls the cold water coming into your home. Where it sits depends on the type of property.
Tenement flats and other flats
It is usually inside your own flat: under the kitchen sink, in a hall or bathroom press, or close to where the supply pipe comes in. Some older stairs have valves in a common cupboard. Do not close a shared valve without warning the neighbours it serves.
Houses
Look under the kitchen sink, beneath the stairs, in a utility room or in an attached garage. Many houses also have an outside stop tap under a small cover near the boundary. It usually needs a special key and can serve more than one property, so use the stopcock inside the house.
Older homes with a cold-water tank
If cold water is stored in a tank in the loft, water can keep flowing from the tank after the stopcock is closed. Close the valve on the tank outlet pipe if one is fitted and you can reach it safely; otherwise open the cold taps to drain it. Do not go into a loft over a leak or onto unboarded joists.
Rented homes
Ask the landlord or letting agent where the stopcock is when you move in, and keep a note of it with their emergency contact number.
How to turn off a stopcock safely
Turn the stopcock clockwise, slowly, until it stops. A lever-type isolating valve is closed when the lever sits across the pipe. If the stopcock is stiff, use steady hand pressure only. Old stopcocks can seize or snap, and forcing one with a wrench can turn a leak into a flood.
If it will not move, or water keeps running after it is closed, concentrate on containing the water and keeping clear of electrics, and call us.
Test it before the weather turns
Turn your stopcock off and back on once in the autumn so you know it works. A stopcock that is seized or will not seal is a small planned repair now, rather than an emergency in a freeze.
Frozen pipe or burst pipe?
If taps slow to a trickle or stop during freezing weather and no water is escaping, a pipe is probably frozen. Turn off the stopcock and thaw it only by gentle warming, never with a flame or boiling water. Our frozen pipes guide explains the safe steps.
If water is escaping, treat it as a burst pipe, even if it only appears as the ice melts. See burst and frozen pipe repairs for what to expect and the charges.
If the heating has stopped but the cold taps still work, the boiler’s condensate pipe may be frozen. Read why your boiler stopped in the cold.
While you wait for a plumber in a cold snap
- Keep the water off. Do not restore the supply until the pipework has been checked.
- Keep portable heaters well away from water and wet floors.
- Photograph the damage from a safe position for your insurer.
- Have the stair door entry code, flat position and any parking details ready. Much of central Edinburgh is a controlled parking zone.
- Keep your phone free for our callback and answer unknown numbers.
For safety advice on gas, electrics and heating leaks, see what to do while waiting for an emergency plumber.
Before the next freeze
- Lag pipes in lofts, garages, cellars and along outside walls.
- Turn off and drain outside taps before winter.
- Keep the heating on low during freezing nights, especially if the property will be empty.
- Check where your boiler condensate pipe runs and whether you can reach it from the ground.
- Save 0131 210 0505 in your phone.
Get help now
Call 0131 210 0505 Call for availability and applicable charges. Price agreed before work starts.Look up your boiler fault code.
What the code means, what you can safely check and when to call an engineer, for Worcester Bosch, Vaillant, Ideal, Baxi, Viessmann.
Find your fault code ↗ No code? Noisy, leaking, no heating or hot water →
Find your radiator problem.
Cold at the top or bottom, one radiator cold, leaking or noisy: what it means, what you can safely check and when to call us.
Find your plumbing problem by symptom.
Ceiling leak, low pressure, running toilet, banging pipes, brown water, smelly drains or a stuck stopcock: what it means and what you can safely do first.
Plumbing problems guide ↗ Water coming through the ceiling →
Trace and access, with a report for your insurer.
We find hidden leaks, open up only where needed, repair and make good, and give you a written report with photos and the cause. Insurer-referred jobs welcome.
Helpful answers before you call.
Which way do I turn a stopcock to switch the water off?
Clockwise, like most taps. Turn it slowly until it stops. A lever-type isolating valve is closed when the lever sits across the pipe rather than along it.
What if my stopcock will not turn?
Do not force it with tools, because an old stopcock can snap and make the leak worse. Contain the water, keep clear of wet electrics and call 0131 210 0505.
Is a frozen pipe an emergency?
A frozen pipe with no water escaping is urgent but not yet a flood. Turn off the stopcock, open the cold taps and call for advice. Treat it as an emergency as soon as water starts to escape.
Do you come out at night during a cold snap?
Yes. Our emergency line is open 24 hours a day and plumbers are on call every night, including weekends and bank holidays. Out-of-hours charges apply and are confirmed before you agree to a visit.
Prefer to book on WhatsApp?
WhatsApp booking requests are for weekday daytime visits, Monday to Friday within 7am–7pm, Edinburgh local time. One same-day slot is offered each weekday, at least 3 hours ahead; for a same-day booking, call 0131 210 0505 to confirm.
Choose an available date and then a two-hour time window in the chat. Bookings are provisional until the plumber confirms. The work and price must be discussed and agreed before work starts. Online and WhatsApp bookings are not available at weekends: for a weekend or bank holiday visit, call 0131 210 0505 (out-of-hours pricing applies). Standard rates apply Monday to Friday, excluding bank holidays. Callout, labour, parts and materials are separate charges: agree all applicable charges before committing to a visit.
Call for availability and applicable charges. Price agreed before work starts.Need plumbing help in Edinburgh?
Tell us what’s happened. We’ll discuss availability and your options.
Our emergency line is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.