This page is for the plumbing jobs in Edinburgh that need doing properly rather than in a panic: a toilet that leaks at the base, a slow basin, a waste pipe weeping under the sink, a soil stack that gurgles, or a list of small jobs for a rented flat. We are drainage engineers who also do general plumbing, working from our base in Pumpherston, so we can tell whether a fault is in the fitting or further down the drain. If water is pouring out right now, our emergency plumber in Edinburgh page is the one you need. Call 07427 195142.
Plumbing we do in the city
Our plumbing work sits close to drainage, which is where most of the problems in older buildings end up. The plumbing we take on includes:
- Toilet repairs, from pan connectors to cistern valves
- Sinks, basins, baths and showers that drain slowly
- Leaking traps, waste pipes and overflows
- Leaking supply pipework and replacement of damaged lengths
- Soil stack and internal drainage faults
- Maintenance visits for landlords and letting agents
Shared pipes in tenement flats
Many parts of the city, Dalry among them, are built as tenements, with several flats stacked on one set of pipes. A slow kitchen waste on the second floor may be your own trap, or it may be a shared branch that every flat above drains into. Before we touch anything we work out which, because the answer decides who pays and whether neighbours need to know. If it is shared, we will say so and suggest you speak to your factor or the other owners before the work goes ahead.
Older buildings and conservation streets
The Georgian New Town and the largely Victorian rebuilt Old Town are old housing stock by any measure, and the plumbing inside them has usually been altered many times. It is common to find modern plastic waste joined onto much older pipe, boxed-in runs nobody has seen for years, and fittings that were never designed to work together. We take the time to trace a run before replacing part of it.
The city has 50 conservation areas, and the Old and New Towns together are a World Heritage Site. That rarely affects work inside a flat, but anything that changes an outside wall, a frontage or the paving in front of a building may need checking with the City of Edinburgh Council first. We will flag it if a repair looks like it heads that way.
Leith, Corstorphine, Morningside and Portobello
The south and west of the city, including Morningside and Corstorphine, traditionally have more detached and semi-detached villas, where the plumbing and the drain usually belong to one household and a fault is more straightforward to own. In a flat in Leith or Portobello, it is worth settling the shared-pipe question above first. Wherever you are, the approach is the same: find the cause, fix it, test it.
Prices and booking
We do not publish a price list, because two jobs that sound the same can be very different once the boxing is off. Tell us what is happening when you call or use the quote form, and we will discuss the cost before any work starts. Edinburgh's water, like most in Scotland, is soft, so we will not try to sell you descaling you do not need.
For drainage problems rather than plumbing ones, see drain unblocking in Edinburgh, or our Edinburgh area page for the wider picture.
Questions
Do you do plumbing jobs in Edinburgh that are not emergencies?
Yes. Leaking traps, toilet repairs, slow basins and landlord maintenance visits can all be booked in. Call 07427 195142 or use the quote form.
My flat's waste is slow. Is it my pipe or a shared one?
We check before working. If the fault is in a branch other flats drain into, we will say so, as it may be a shared cost to raise with your factor.
How much does a plumber in Edinburgh charge?
It varies with the job and access. We talk through the cost with you before starting rather than quoting a flat rate that may not fit.
Do you work for landlords and letting agents in the city?
Yes. We carry out landlord maintenance visits and can group several small plumbing jobs into one booking.