Plumbing
Plumbers in Harpenden,St Albans & LutonWho Fix It First Time
A five-strong team of plumbers and heating engineers, a free first visit with no call-out fee, and a fixed written price before a single fitting is touched. We attend same day wherever possible, so a leak found at breakfast is not still dripping at bedtime.
Same-day attendance wherever possible · 27 Checkatrade reviews rated 10/10 · 12-month guarantee
Gas Safe registered
Registration 620784
Checkatrade reviewed
27 Checkatrade reviews
Guarantee
12-month guarantee
Fully insured
£2 million public liability
Free first visit
No call-out fee, price in writing
What our plumbing service covers, and who it is for
Plumbing with C Hobbs means the full range of domestic water and waste work above ground: burst and weeping pipes, dripping and seized taps, toilets that run or will not flush, leaking cylinders, failed stop taps, radiator valves, outside taps, kitchen sink and waste pipework, washing machine and dishwasher connections, isolation valves, and complete re-plumbs in copper or plastic when a house is being stripped back.
The work is carried out by the same five plumbers and heating engineers who handle our heating installations, which matters more than it sounds. A plumber who installs central heating understands how a pressure drop in one part of the house shows up as a cold radiator in another, so a symptom gets traced back to its cause rather than patched where it happens to be visible.
Every visit starts the same way: we look at the job for free, with no call-out fee, tell you what is actually wrong, and put a price in writing before anything is booked in. If a repair is the sensible answer, we repair it. If a repair is money thrown at a component that is already failing, we say so and price both options so the choice stays yours.
Who it is for
- Homeowners with a leak, a blockage above ground, or a tap, toilet or valve that has stopped behaving
- Families having a kitchen or utility fitted who need supply, waste and appliance connections done properly
- Landlords who need a reliable engineer who answers the phone and certifies gas work on completion
- Anyone renovating who needs a house re-plumbed while walls and floors are open
When it is needed
- Water appearing where it should not be, a ceiling stain, a damp cupboard base, a meter that keeps ticking over
- Pressure that has dropped, or hot water that has gone lukewarm or intermittent
- Taps or valves that are seized, weeping from the spindle, or will not shut off
- A move, an extension or a refit where pipework needs rerouting or replacing
Free quote for plumbing
Free first visit and quote · No call-out fee. Fill this in and Craig or one of the team will come back to you.
Or call us direct on 07944 105588
What a small plumbing fault costs if it is left
Water is patient. A fault that looks like a cosmetic nuisance in week one is usually doing quiet structural damage by month three, and the repair bill grows faster than the leak does.
A weeping joint becomes a ceiling
A joint losing a few drops an hour saturates the plasterboard above it, then the joist, then the ceiling below. The plumbing repair stays small; the decorating, plastering and drying-out do not.
A running toilet runs up your bill
A toilet with a failed flush valve can push hundreds of litres a day through the overflow. On a metered supply that is a standing charge you pay every month until somebody changes a part that costs a fraction of it.
A dripping tap tells you about the system
Persistent dripping after a washer change usually means seat damage or pressure the system was never set up for. Chasing the drip alone means chasing it again next season.
A seized stop tap removes your safety net
If you cannot isolate the supply, a future burst becomes an emergency with no off switch. Freeing or replacing the stop tap is one of the cheapest bits of insurance in a house.
Common mistakes we are called out to undo
- Tightening a compression fitting harder instead of replacing the olive: it distorts the joint and guarantees a repeat leak.
- Sealing a leak with tape or filler so the water travels somewhere less visible, which is not the same as somewhere less damaging.
- Connecting a flexible hose behind an appliance and leaving it kinked against the back panel where nobody checks it.
- Ignoring a cold radiator as a plumbing issue when it is a sludge problem that our power flushing service exists to clear.
How we handle plumbing, step by step
The same sequence on every job, so you always know what happens next and what it costs before it happens.
Step 1
Free inspection
We come out, look at the job properly and isolate what needs isolating. No call-out fee, no charge for the visit or the quote.
Step 2
Diagnosis in plain English
You get told what has failed and why, including whether the cause sits somewhere other than where the water is showing.
Step 3
Fixed written price
Parts and labour in writing before work is booked. If we find something genuinely different once a panel is off, you hear about it before we carry on.
Step 4
The work, done tidily
Floors and surfaces protected, water isolated for the shortest time we can manage, and the site left clean: the detail our Checkatrade customers mention most.
Step 5
Testing and verification
Joints pressure-checked and watched under load, waste runs tested, appliances filled and drained, and any gas element certified on completion.
Step 6
Completion and guarantee
You get the paperwork, the guarantee, and a direct number rather than a call centre if anything needs a second look.
What you actually get out of it
Same-day attendance wherever possible
Ring in the morning with a live leak and you get an engineer, not a slot three weeks out. Emergency call-outs are available.
A free visit and no call-out fee
Diagnosis costs you nothing, so getting a second opinion on somebody else's quote carries no risk.
Fixed written pricing
You approve a number, not an hourly rate with an open end. That is why reviews describe the pricing as fair and well judged.
Gas Safe registered
Registration 620784. Any gas element of a plumbing job is certified on completion, and you are welcome to check the register.
Fully insured work
£2 million public liability and £1 million employer's liability cover on every job we take on.
Backed for 12 months
Our work carries a 12-month guarantee, and the same engineers come back rather than a subcontractor who has never seen the property.
Plumbing detail: materials, methods and the jobs behind them
Most plumbing complaints come down to the wrong material, the wrong joint, or a system nobody balanced. Here is how we approach the decisions that decide whether a repair lasts.
Copper, plastic and where each belongs
Copper is still our default on exposed runs, in airing cupboards and anywhere pipework is visible or near heat: it holds its shape, takes clips cleanly and looks like a finished job. Push-fit and barrier-pipe plastic earns its place under floors, in long buried runs and in retrofits where cutting back plaster to solder would do more harm than the pipe is worth. On a re-plumb we usually mix the two deliberately rather than picking one on principle.
Joints: soldered, compression and push-fit
Soldered end-feed and yorkshire joints are the neatest and most permanent choice where we can work safely with heat. Compression fittings go where a joint may need breaking later, such as at valves and appliance points, and get the olive replaced rather than over-tightened. Push-fit is fully supported and depth-checked, never left taking the strain of an unsupported run.
Pressure, flow and the difference between them
A shower that has gone weak is usually a flow problem, not a pressure one, and the two are fixed in different places, a partially closed valve, a scaled cartridge, an undersized run, or a cylinder and boiler mismatched to the number of outlets. We measure at the source and at the outlet before recommending anything, which is how you avoid paying for a pump that was never the answer.
Isolation, protection and getting the water back on
Before the first cut we establish where we can isolate, and we free or replace stop taps and service valves when they have seized. It shortens every future repair in the house and means the supply comes back on the same day rather than being left drained overnight.
Variations of this service we carry out
Emergency repairs
Burst pipes, live leaks, no water and no heating. Same-day attendance wherever possible, with emergency call-outs available during our Monday to Friday 7:30am to 5:30pm operation.
Planned installations
Taps, toilets, cylinders, outside taps, radiator replacements, kitchen and utility supply and waste, and appliance connections booked in around your week.
Full re-plumbs and renovations
Whole-house pipework replaced while floors are up, coordinated with heating and bathroom work so the house is opened once rather than three times.
Not sure which applies to you? Call 07944 105588 and you will speak to an engineer.
Related services
- Bathroom InstallationComplete bathroom suites fitted by the same team start to finish, left spotless.
- HeatingFull central heating systems designed, installed and balanced properly.
- Power FlushingCold spots and sludge cleared so your radiators heat evenly and your boiler works less.
See everything on our services overview or go back to the homepage.
Where we carry out this work
Harpenden, St Albans, Luton are our core areas, and the team covers the wider counties from our base in Caddington, Luton.
- Plumbing in Harpenden
- Plumbing in St Albans
- Plumbing in Luton
- Plumbing in Dunstable
- Plumbing in Bedford
- Plumbing in Milton Keynes
- Plumbing in Hertfordshire
- Plumbing in Bedfordshire
- Plumbing in Buckinghamshire
Just outside the list? Check our service areas or get in touch and we will tell you straight away.
Plumbing: your questions answered
How much does a plumber cost in Harpenden, St Albans or Luton?
The first visit and the quote are free, with no call-out fee, and you get a fixed written price for the work before anything is booked in. Pricing depends on the parts and the access, so we would rather look at the job than guess a number down the phone.
How quickly can you get to a leak?
We attend same day wherever possible, and emergency call-outs are available. Call 07944 105588 and you will speak to an engineer rather than a call centre.
Do you charge for the quote?
No. The first visit and quote are free and there is no call-out fee, whether you go ahead or not.
Is your plumbing work guaranteed?
Yes, our work carries a 12-month guarantee, and we hold £2 million public liability and £1 million employer's liability insurance.
Are you Gas Safe registered?
Yes, under registration number 620784. Any gas element of a plumbing job is certified on completion and you are welcome to check the register or ask to see the card at the door.
How long does a typical plumbing repair take?
Most single repairs (a tap, a valve, a toilet, an accessible leak) are completed in one visit. Re-plumbs and multi-room work are scheduled with a start and finish date so you know when your water is off.
How long should new pipework last?
Properly supported copper and barrier-pipe plastic installed to manufacturer specification is a decades-long installation, not a repair. Wearing parts such as washers, cartridges and flush valves are the items that need attention over time.
Do you cover my area?
Harpenden, St Albans and Luton are our core patch, and the team also covers Dunstable, Bedford, Milton Keynes and the wider Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire area.
Can you handle the plumbing for a bathroom or kitchen refit?
Yes. The same team fits complete bathroom suites and handles kitchen and utility supply, waste and appliance connections, so one company is accountable for the whole installation.
Get a plumber out today, with the price agreed first
Free first visit, no call-out fee, a fixed written price and a 12-month guarantee. Same-day attendance wherever possible across Harpenden, St Albans and Luton.
Gas Safe registration 620784 · £2 million public liability · 12-month guarantee · Mon–Fri, 7:30am–5:30pm