Plumbing in Windmill Hill

Windmill Hill rises between Bedminster and Totterdown, with Victoria Park covering much of its eastern side. The railway line through Bedminster station runs along the bottom, and together with Windmill Hill City Farm it separates the hill from the busier streets of Bedminster, giving the area a tucked-away feel. Most homes are Victorian terraced houses on streets that climb towards the park. There are also two residential tower blocks, Polden House and Holroyd House, so the area has a real mix of houses and flats. Many families have lived here for years, while others have arrived more recently and renovated older properties.

In the terraces, the kitchen and bathroom usually sit in the back addition, with waste running out to a clay drain that may be shared with the neighbours. Over the years most of these homes have been opened up, extended and refitted, often more than once. The result is a patchwork of pipe materials and fittings under floors and behind boxing, and the joins between them are where small leaks tend to start. Bristol’s hard water adds its own wear, leaving limescale in showers, taps, cisterns and the heating system. If your shower has lost pressure or your kettle furs up quickly, scale is usually part of the story, and descaling or replacing a worn valve often helps.

Common Windmill Hill jobs

• Kitchen sink and washing machine waste blockages
• Dripping taps and running toilet cisterns
• Radiator valves and cold spots
• Leaks under the bath or behind boxing
• Shower plumbing in refitted bathrooms

Flats and tower blocks

If you live in a flat, whether in one of the tower blocks or a converted house, some of the plumbing is yours and some is shared. Knowing where your own stop tap is makes a big difference when something goes wrong, because shutting the water off quickly limits damage to the flat below. In a block there may also be communal valves, tanks and risers looked after by the landlord or freeholder rather than by you. When we find a leak, we’ll fix what’s inside your flat and tell you plainly if the problem is in a shared pipe, so you know who needs to deal with it. That saves a lot of back and forth between neighbours. We’ll also show you where your stop tap is, if you’re not sure.

Plumbing services in Windmill Hill

• 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