Plumbing in Knowle

Knowle sits on high ground south of Totterdown, with the Wells Road (A37) running up through it. The older part of the area is mostly Victorian and Edwardian terraced and semi-detached houses, some with bay windows and long gardens, while further south and west the streets give way to large inter-war estates. From many roads you can see right across the city. Shops and cafés along the Wells Road give it a neighbourly feel, and its position makes it a short trip into the city centre. Knowle West, to the south west, is a separate community with its own character.

Being on a hill affects plumbing in a few ways. Water pressure can vary between the top and bottom of a street, so showers and upstairs taps sometimes feel weaker than you would expect. Steep gardens and paths mean drains often drop sharply between the house and the road, and surface water rushes down to gullies in heavy rain. Many older Knowle homes have also been extended into lofts, adding bathrooms high up in the house. Bay window floors are another spot to watch, as pipes running underneath them are often close to cold outside walls. Hard Bristol water leaves limescale in shower valves and taps too, so a gradual loss of flow over months is common.

Common Knowle jobs

• Weak showers and low flow on upper floors
• Loft and top-floor bathroom plumbing
• Blocked gullies and surface water drains
• Leaking pipes under bay window floors
• Hard water limescale in taps and shower valves

Pressure and plumbing on a hill

If your shower is weak, the cause is not always the mains. Limescale in the shower head or valve, a partly closed stop tap or an undersized pipe can all reduce flow, and these are worth checking before looking at pumps. Pumps are not suitable for every system, so get advice first. For loft bathrooms, the waste needs a steady fall to the soil stack, and where that is hard to achieve a macerator may help. Our bathroom plumbing team can look at both sides. If you are planning work, it is worth talking it through before the builders start. Fitting the right valves and pipe sizes at that stage is far easier than changing them once tiles are on the wall and floors are down.

Plumbing services in Knowle

• 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