The tool asks what is happening, whether it is contained, and who is in the property, then tells you what to isolate immediately and whether the situation warrants an out-of-hours call-out or a booked visit.
What it does
- Asks what is actually happening – water escaping, no water, no heat, a smell, a noise.
- Establishes whether it is contained or getting worse.
- Tells you what to isolate, immediately, with plain instructions.
- Asks who is in the property, because vulnerable occupants change the answer.
- Gives a priority – now, today, this week, or book it.
- Tells you when it is not us you should be calling, which for gas and carbon monoxide it is not.
In a genuine water escape, what you do in the first five minutes matters more than how fast anybody can drive. Isolating the supply limits the damage far more than an engineer arriving twenty minutes sooner.
The things it will always tell you first
If you smell gas
Call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999. Turn off at the meter, open doors and windows, do not operate any electrical switch, do not use a flame, get everyone out if the smell is strong, and call from outside. They are free, available continuously, and they attend. Not us first.
If you suspect carbon monoxide
Same number. Turn appliances off, ventilate, get everyone out, and seek medical advice saying explicitly that you suspect carbon monoxide exposure. The symptom pattern is illness that improves when you leave the house, affecting several people or pets at once.
If water is escaping and you cannot stop it
Stopcock off, cold taps open downstairs, heating and hot water off, electrics isolated if water is near them. Then call. See a pipe has burst.
If a ceiling is bulging with water
Stay out of the room, keep everyone out, and turn off the electrics to that area. A ceiling holding water comes down suddenly and heavily.
How it decides priority
| Situation | Priority |
|---|---|
| Water escaping that cannot be stopped | Now |
| Water through a ceiling, or near electrics | Now |
| Sewage backing up into the property | Now |
| Gas smell or suspected carbon monoxide | Emergency service, not us |
| No water at all, vulnerable occupants | Now |
| No water at all, otherwise | Urgent – check neighbours first, it may be the supplier |
| No heating and no hot water, cold weather, vulnerable occupants | Now |
| No heating and no hot water, cold weather | Urgent |
| Blocked toilet, only one in the property | Urgent |
| Contained leak with the water off | Book it – cheaper and better done properly |
| No hot water, heating working | Book it |
| Dripping tap, running toilet, slow drain | Book it |
The distinction that runs through all of it: is the situation stable, or is it getting worse by the hour? A contained leak is stable. An uncontained one is not.
Why we would rather tell you it can wait
Out of hours work costs more, in every trade. We would rather tell you on the phone that something can be dealt with on Tuesday than take an emergency fee for a job that would be cheaper and better done then.
That is not generosity. A customer who was charged an out-of-hours premium for a dripping tap does not call again, and a customer who was told honestly that it could wait does.
It also frees the out-of-hours capacity for the person whose ceiling is coming down.
The architecture for it is defined and it is not yet live. When it is, it will be free, require no email address, and store nothing. The method described on this page is the same one we use in practice, and you are welcome to work through it with us in the meantime.
What to have ready when you call
- What is happening, described plainly rather than diagnosed.
- What you have already isolated, and whether it stopped.
- Any fault code, written down exactly before you reset anything.
- Whether it is getting worse.
- Who is in the property, if that affects urgency.
- What system you have – combi or cylinder, oil or gas – if you know.
- Access, and whether there is parking.
A good phone conversation frequently resolves the problem entirely, or establishes that it can safely wait – which is a better outcome for you than a call-out either way.
Not sure whether it can wait? Call and describe it. We will tell you honestly, including when the answer is Tuesday.
Questions we get asked about this
What counts as a plumbing emergency?
Water you cannot stop, water near electrics, no water at all, no heating in cold weather with vulnerable occupants, sewage backing up, and anything involving gas or suspected carbon monoxide.
Should I call you if I smell gas?
No – call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999 first. They are free, always available, and they will make it safe. We handle the repair afterwards.
Is no hot water an emergency?
Usually not on its own, unless there are vulnerable people in the property or it comes with no heating in cold weather. It is treated as urgent and rarely warrants an out-of-hours premium.
Will you tell me if I do not need a call-out?
Yes, and it happens regularly. Charging an out-of-hours fee for something that could wait is a good way to lose a customer permanently.
What is the single most useful thing I can do?
Turn the water off at the stopcock if water is escaping. It limits the damage far more than anybody arriving twenty minutes sooner.
Is the tool available now?
Not yet. In the meantime, call and describe what is happening – the triage on the phone is the same and it is faster.
Need this doing?
Call and describe the problem — you will speak to an engineer, not a call centre. Written quotes, no estimates over the phone.