Emergency Leak Repair in Woking
A homeowner in Woking discovered water coming through their kitchen ceiling. Here's exactly what happened, how we diagnosed it, and what the repair involved.
Response time
55 minutes
Time on site
2 hours
Cost range
£180 – £240
Warranty
12 months
The Problem
A homeowner in the GU21 area of Woking called us at 8:47am on a weekday morning. Water was dripping through their kitchen ceiling — a moderate but steady flow that had started approximately 20 minutes earlier. The water was clear, not discoloured, which suggested a supply pipe leak rather than a waste leak.
The homeowner had already turned off their stopcock — which was the correct first action — and water flow had slowed but not stopped entirely, suggesting either a secondary supply or residual water in the system above.
The Diagnosis
On arrival, we inspected the bathroom directly above the kitchen — the most probable source. We found that the bathroom basin had a slow drip from a compression fitting on the hot water supply pipe, partially hidden behind the under-sink cabinet. The leak had been slowly saturating the floorboards for some time before finally breaking through to the ceiling below.
The compression olive had corroded and was no longer making a watertight seal — a common failure in properties built in the 1980s and 90s using original fittings. Turning off the stopcock had slowed but not stopped the flow because the hot water cylinder still held pressurised water above the leak point.
The Repair
We isolated the hot water supply, cut out the failed compression fitting, and replaced it with a new push-fit coupling — a faster and more reliable solution for this pipe run. We then checked all other compression fittings on the same pipework and found one further connection showing early signs of corrosion, which we replaced as a precaution.
Total repair time on site: approximately 2 hours including investigation, repair, reinstatement and a full pressure test to confirm no further leaks.
Isolated hot water cylinder supply
Cut out failed compression fitting
Fitted push-fit coupling and tested
Outcome & Advice to the Homeowner
The leak was fully resolved in a single visit. We advised the homeowner to contact their buildings insurer regarding the water-damaged ceiling — the trace and access work (finding and exposing the leak) is covered under most policies, and the ceiling damage itself is often covered under accidental damage.
We also recommended checking the remaining original compression fittings throughout the property during any future maintenance visit, given the age of the pipework.
Job Summary
More Case Studies & Services
Request Your Free Quote
Describe your plumbing issue and we'll get back to you with a free, no-obligation quote — usually within hours.