Plumbing in Bedminster Down

Bedminster Down sits on high ground above Bedminster, with Bishopsworth to the south and Ashton Vale lower down to the west. It is mainly residential and was largely built up in the 1930s, so a good deal of its housing dates from that period, with later homes filling the gaps. St Oswald’s Church, built in 1927, is one of its best-known buildings. It is a settled, family area, and many of its houses have now been in the same hands for years, with improvements made bit by bit. Gardens front and back are common, which brings outside taps, garden drains and longer supply pipes into the picture.

Homes of this age rarely have their original plumbing intact, but they rarely have it all replaced either. The supply pipe under the front garden may be decades old while everything indoors is newer copper or plastic. Drains are often clay, and after the best part of a century the joints can shift, crack or let roots in from nearby trees and hedges. Many houses have also had kitchens moved, downstairs toilets added or garages turned into rooms, and each change adds another connection to an old drain. Small problems in an old drain, such as a slow-draining sink or a gurgling toilet, are often an early warning that a joint further down the run has moved.

Common Bedminster Down jobs

• Root ingress and blockages in older clay drains
• Leaks on supply pipes under the garden
• Outside taps for gardens and driveways
• Downstairs toilet and utility room plumbing
• Limescale build-up in showers and taps

Extending a 1930s home

Rear and side extensions are common in this part of Bristol, and they nearly always affect the plumbing. A new kitchen at the back may need its waste taken to a different drain, and a manhole can end up inside the new floor area if nobody plans for it. Radiators have to be extended from the existing system, and the heating needs balancing afterwards so the new room warms up properly. Getting us involved early, before the builders close anything in, means pipe and waste routes can be sorted while access is easy. It also avoids lifting a new floor later to fix something that could have been done right the first time. If the work affects a shared drain, that needs checking before anything is built over it.

Plumbing services in Bedminster Down

• Emergency plumbing: burst pipes and serious leaks, aiming to arrive within the hour
• Blocked drains: sinks, toilets, gullies and manholes
• Leak repair: pipes, joints and appliance connections
• Radiators and heating: valves, cold spots and system pressure (no gas work)
• Taps and toilets: drips, running cisterns and replacements
• Bathroom and kitchen plumbing