Plumbing in Speedwell

Speedwell is a mainly residential area on the eastern edge of Bristol, close to the boundary with Kingswood in South Gloucestershire. Speedwell Road runs through it, and the housing is a mix of older terraces and twentieth-century homes, with plenty of semis and houses that were originally council built and are now owner-occupied or rented. It sits close to Fishponds, Hillfields and St George, with Kingswood just over the boundary. Many residents have lived locally for years, and others have moved in more recently and are slowly improving older homes.

Homes from that period often have a simpler layout than older terraces, but the original plumbing is now a good age. Copper pipework may still be in place under floors, cold water storage tanks sit in many lofts, and some homes still have older cylinders in an airing cupboard. Where houses have been bought and improved, it is common to find a modern bathroom plumbed into a system that has not been looked at for a long time. Hard Bristol water adds to the wear over time, coating heating elements, valves and shower parts with limescale. Original toilets and cisterns from older refits also tend to start running or leaking at the flush valve after many years of use.

Common Speedwell jobs

• Loft tank ball valves sticking or overflowing
• Leaks from hot water cylinder pipework
• Shower problems in updated bathrooms
• Blocked toilets and soil pipes
• Noisy pipes and sticking radiator valves

Older tanks, cylinders and lofts

If you have a cold water tank in the loft, it is worth checking now and then. A sticking float valve can let the tank overfill and send water out of the overflow pipe on the outside wall, which is often the first sign something is wrong. Check that the tank has a lid and that pipes in the loft are lagged against frost. If a tap, shower or cylinder seems weak or noisy, our shower problems page covers common causes, or call us for a look. We deal with the water side of the system only, so any boiler or gas work needs a Gas Safe engineer. If you ever need a hand, free quotes are usually given over the phone, so you know what to expect before we arrive, and there is no call-out fee on top.

Plumbing services in Speedwell

• 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