Burst pipe, no heating, or a boiler that's given up in the middle of the night? Call now and we'll connect you straight through to a local plumber covering Coleraine and the surrounding area.
This is a free call-connection service linking you to an independent, local plumbing professional — not a plumbing company itself. You'll always be told who you're speaking to, and no work goes ahead without you agreeing a price first.
A few quick actions can limit water damage and keep you safe while you wait to speak to a plumber.
Find your stopcock and turn it clockwise to stop the flow before it does any more damage.
A quick glance at the pressure gauge can tell you whether it's a simple repressurise or something bigger.
Once things are stable, get connected to a plumber who can advise on next steps or come out to you.
Whether you're in a terrace off the Waterside, a bungalow out towards Ballycastle Road, or a holiday let overlooking the Bann, the first few minutes of a plumbing emergency matter more than anything a plumber does afterwards. Knowing where your stopcock is and what your boiler pressure gauge is telling you can be the difference between a minor mop-up and a ceiling coming down.
In the vast majority of UK homes, the main stopcock sits under the kitchen sink, tucked behind the U-bend or in the base cupboard. If it isn't there, check other likely spots: a downstairs toilet, a utility room, under the stairs, in a garage, or wherever the incoming water main first enters the property. Older Coleraine housing stock — particularly terraces and semis dating from before modern plumbing regulations — sometimes has the stopcock in a less obvious spot, so it's worth locating yours before you ever need it in a hurry. To shut it off, turn the handle or lever clockwise until it stops; if it's stiff, use gentle, steady pressure rather than force, since old stopcocks can shear off if they're twisted too hard when seized. If yours won't budge at all, don't keep forcing it — that's exactly the kind of job a plumber can sort quickly and safely.
Most combi boilers have a pressure gauge on the front, and for cold, everyday running you're typically looking for somewhere around 1 to 1.5 bar. If the needle has dropped well below that, the boiler may be losing water somewhere in the system, or it may just need a routine top-up using the filling loop described in the boiler's manual. If pressure has crept up well above 2 bar, or the boiler is cutting out, tripping a pressure relief valve, or making unusual noises, that's less of a DIY job and more of a "get someone out" situation — particularly if you're not confident about which valve does what. When in doubt, it's safer to call and describe what you're seeing than to keep adjusting things yourself.
Coleraine and the surrounding coastal and river valley towns get their share of sharp overnight frosts, especially with the damp air coming off the Bann estuary and the north coast. Pipes most commonly freeze in unheated or poorly insulated spaces — lofts, garages, external walls, and any pipework run through cold voids under floors. If a tap has slowed to a trickle or stopped altogether in freezing weather, that's often the first sign. Never use a naked flame to try to thaw a pipe; instead, open the affected tap slightly, and gently warm the pipe with a hot water bottle, warm (not boiling) cloths, or a hairdryer on a low setting, working from the tap end back towards the blockage. If you can see or hear a pipe has already split, or water is coming through somewhere it shouldn't, turn off the stopcock straight away and call a plumber rather than continuing to try to thaw it yourself.
A lot of the area's housing sits somewhere between older stone-built terraces near the town centre and more recent estates further out, and each brings its own quirks. Older properties can still have cast iron soil stacks or aging boiler installations that were perfectly adequate decades ago but are more prone to leaks, corrosion or pressure problems now. Riverside and low-lying ground near the Bann can mean mains pressure that varies more than you'd expect, which occasionally shows up as noisy pipework or inconsistent shower performance. Along the coast towards Portstewart, Portrush and Castlerock, salt-laden air and a good number of seasonal holiday lets add another layer: properties left unheated or unoccupied for stretches over winter are more exposed to frozen or corroded pipework being discovered only when someone next turns the taps on. None of this means every property will have an issue — it's simply the kind of general pattern that a local plumber, familiar with this part of Northern Ireland, will recognise quickly.
Calls to this number can be connected to a plumber covering Coleraine itself and the surrounding towns and villages, including:
If you're just outside these areas, call anyway — coverage can extend further depending on which plumber is available.
A straightforward way to reach a local plumber, without the guesswork.
Plumbing emergencies don't keep office hours, so the line is open 24/7, including evenings, weekends and holidays.
You'll be put through to an independent plumber who knows Coleraine and the surrounding area, not a call centre script.
No hidden call-out surprises — you'll always be told what's happening and asked to agree a price before any work starts.
Don't wait for it to get worse. Call and get connected to a local plumber straight away.
Call … nowHonest answers to the questions people usually have before they call.
Call-out charges and hourly rates vary between plumbers, and can depend on the time of day, how urgent the job is, and what parts are needed. There's no single fixed price for emergency plumbing. Always ask for an estimate of cost before any work begins so there are no surprises.
Response time depends on the plumber's current workload and how far you are from them, so it isn't possible to promise an exact number of minutes. When you call, you'll be given an honest idea of timing for your situation rather than a guaranteed arrival time.
Turn off the water at the stopcock as soon as you can, then open cold taps to drain the remaining water out of the system and reduce pressure. If water is anywhere near sockets, switches or the fuse box, switch off the electricity at the consumer unit if it's safe to reach. Then call a plumber to arrange a repair.
In general, UK landlords are responsible for keeping a property's fixed plumbing, heating and hot water systems in good working order, while tenants are expected to report problems promptly and take reasonable care to avoid causing damage. Responsibilities can vary by tenancy, so always check your tenancy agreement or ask your landlord or letting agent if you're unsure.
A suspected gas leak is not a job for a plumber to handle over the phone. Leave the property, don't operate light switches or anything else electrical, and don't use naked flames. Once you're safely outside, call the National Gas Emergency Number on 0800 111 999 (Gas Networks Ireland / your regional gas emergency line) straight away.
In most UK homes the stopcock is under the kitchen sink, though it's sometimes found in a downstairs cupboard, utility room, or near where the water supply enters the house, such as under the stairs or in a garage. If yours is stiff, corroded or you simply can't locate it, don't force it — a plumber can find and free it, or show you where your particular property's shut-off is for next time.