Plumbers Lewisham

Boiler repairs, servicing and installation in Lewisham

Boiler repairs

A boiler that won't fire, keeps losing pressure or has locked out on a fault code is the most common reason we're called to SE13. We test the appliance before we condemn any part, because a fault code tells us where the boiler noticed a problem, not which component has actually failed underneath it. Common culprits include a failed diverter valve on a combi, a stuck pressure-relief valve, an ignition lock-out that clears with a reset and a proper check, or a PCB that's genuinely dead. We repair and service any make of gas boiler, and parts for the common brands ride on the van, so a straightforward fault is often fixed on the first visit. Time is charged at the published hourly rate, and any part is priced before it's fitted. Our boiler repair page covers the fault-finding process in more depth.

Boiler servicing

An annual service is a fixed £100 plus VAT, and it's worth booking in summer before the cold snaps push demand up. On the visit, the case comes off for a look at the burner and heat exchanger, safety devices get tested, a flue-gas analyser confirms the boiler's burning cleanly, and the whole thing is run up and watched under load. Most manufacturers make an annual service by a Gas Safe engineer a condition of the warranty, so skipping one can mean a claim gets refused later, even on a boiler that's barely a few years old. A landlord gas safety certificate can be booked at the same visit for £100 plus VAT, covering up to two appliances, and there's no discount for booking the two together, since each is a separate job in its own right. What's included on a standard visit is set out on our boiler servicing page.

Boiler installation

A straight like-for-like swap, same boiler type and same spot on the wall, is usually a day's work. Moving the boiler or changing the type, combi to system for example, takes two to three days because of the extra pipework and controls involved. Paul the Dulwich Plumber will always look at the property first before naming a figure, and any install over £1,500 gets a free on-site survey and a written quote rather than a number given cold over the phone.

Central heating and hot water in Lewisham

Radiators that are cold at the bottom but hot at the top are nearly always down to sludge sitting in the system. It isn't usually a sign the boiler itself is on its way out, and bleeding won't shift the sludge either, because that only cures trapped air. The fix is a flush: a single radiator can be lifted and hosed through on its own, and a whole system with the symptom across several rooms needs a proper power flush, which we run as a full day at the day rate, £680 plus VAT on a weekday or £870 plus VAT at the weekend, covering up to ten radiators, plus around £40 for the cleaning chemicals and inhibitor that go back in afterwards. A magnetic filter fitted at the same time, supplied and fitted for £230 plus VAT, catches the sludge before it reaches the boiler again and is required by some manufacturers to keep an extended warranty valid. We also handle radiator valves, pumps, heating controls and unvented hot-water cylinders, and can supply and fit a smart thermostat from £200 plus VAT if you want tighter control over when the heating actually runs.

Emergency plumber in Lewisham SE13

We take emergency calls in Lewisham 24 hours a day, seven days a week, though how quickly an engineer can reach you depends on who's already out on a job. Ring and we'll talk through what's actually wrong and how soon someone can get to you. Out-of-hours work is simply charged at the higher published band rather than any invented "emergency premium": weekday evenings £145 plus VAT, weekday overnight £180, weekend daytime £145, weekend evenings £180, and weekend overnight £270, all plus VAT, first hour minimum, no call-out fee on top. If a pipe has burst, turn the water off at the stopcock first, usually under the kitchen sink, open the cold taps to drain the system down, and photograph the damage before anyone starts drying it out. If you can smell gas, don't touch a light switch: ring the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999 first, then call us once the property's safe.

What a plumber costs in Lewisham

Weekday daytime, eight until six, is £100 plus VAT an hour, and the first hour is the minimum charge whatever the job. After that we bill in 15-minute steps rather than rounding up to the next full hour, so a 20-minute tap change isn't charged as an hour's work. There's no separate call-out fee at any time, on any job. Evenings, overnights, weekends and bank holidays follow the same published bands as above, and a job that straddles two bands, an 8pm start running past midnight say, is charged at each band separately rather than at whichever rate is worse. Longer jobs, generally anything heading past about six hours, are usually better value at the day rate instead. The same rates apply whichever SE postcode you're in; Lewisham doesn't carry a premium over anywhere else we cover. Card payment on completion, every major card except American Express, no cash. The full rate card is on our rates page.

Why choose Paul the Dulwich Plumber

The work in Lewisham is led by Paul the Dulwich Plumber, Head of Heating and Plumbing and a Gas Safe registered engineer, registration 657719. He holds an NVQ in plumbing and gas work, a BPEC unvented hot-water qualification, and an NVQ Level 3 in electrical work. That combination shapes the diagnosis as much as the repair: whether an old boiler's actually worth keeping another winter, and what the job will cost before anyone starts. One engineer turns up, explains what's wrong in plain terms, and prices it before touching anything.

Your local plumbers in Lewisham SE13

SE13 is split fairly evenly between newer flats near the centre and Victorian terraces further out towards Ladywell and Hither Green, and the two fail in different ways. Flats bring pressure faults and combi lock-outs, plus leaks that reach a neighbour downstairs within the hour if nobody's home to catch them. The terraces bring imperial copper that needs the right adaptor rather than a modern push-fit, pipe runs buried under original floorboards, and stopcocks that haven't been turned in years and have painted themselves shut.

Ceiling leak traced to a joint above, SE13

A brown patch had been spreading across a customer's ceiling for weeks and they were bracing for a roof problem. Water rarely comes straight down from its cause; it tracks along joists and pipework first. We started in the room above, followed the likely pipe run, and found a weeping joint under the floorboards. One board came up, the joint was remade properly, and the plaster dried out on its own without the ceiling needing to come down.

Kitchen mixer tap replacement, SE13

A kitchen tap had been dripping after every use and had worked loose on its lever. The cartridge was worn, and on a tap of that age tracking down a matching replacement cartridge rarely pays off against just fitting new. Paul the Dulwich Plumber fitted a chrome mixer with a side control lever and remade the connections underneath, tested on its first run straight into the sink.

A local tip from Paul the Dulwich Plumber

In the older Lewisham terraces, find your stopcock before winter and check it actually turns. Decades of paint seize them solid, and the ten minutes it takes to free one now can save a ceiling later if a pipe ever lets go while you're out.

Paul the Dulwich Plumber · Gas Safe Reg. 657719

Reviewed 18/07/2026

What Lewisham customers say

Genuine Google reviews for the business are shown live below and update as new ones come in; we don't edit or select which ones appear. You can also read the fuller review history on Trustpilot or find us on MyBuilder and Google, where the same jobs get rated by the people who actually had them done.

Lewisham plumbing questions answered

How quickly can a plumber reach me in Lewisham SE13?

We're based a short drive from SE13, so travel time is genuinely short, though we won't put an exact figure on it, since that depends on where our engineers already are that day. Calls come in around the clock, seven days a week. If no one's free to get to you quickly, we'll say so on the phone instead of guessing at a time.

Do you send Gas Safe registered engineers for gas and boiler jobs in Lewisham?

Yes, registration 657719, which you can check yourself at gassaferegister.co.uk or by asking to see the card at the door. Every boiler, gas and heating job we do in SE13 is carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer, and the business carries £2,000,000 of insurance cover.

What kind of plumbing and heating work comes your way in Lewisham?

Everything from a dripping tap or running toilet to boiler repairs, annual servicing, landlord gas safety certificates, central heating faults, power flushing, radiators and unvented hot-water cylinders. A few jobs we don't take on: dedicated drain jetting and macerator work go to a specialist, and we don't service heat pumps, so say so on the phone and we'll point you the right way instead.

Is Lewisham priced differently to your other areas?

No. One rate card covers every area we work in: £100 plus VAT an hour on a weekday daytime, first hour minimum, no call-out fee, and the same £680 plus VAT weekday day rate wherever the job is. Lewisham doesn't carry a premium over Dulwich, Catford or anywhere else on our patch.

Have you actually worked on properties in Lewisham?

Yes, regularly. Two recent jobs: tracing a ceiling leak in an SE13 property back to a weeping pipe joint under the floorboards above, and replacing a worn-out kitchen mixer tap that had been dripping for weeks. Both are covered above with photos from the actual jobs.

What does a plumber cost per hour in Lewisham?

£100 plus VAT on a weekday between eight and six, with the first hour as the minimum charge and 15-minute billing after that. Evenings run £145 plus VAT, weekday overnight is £180, weekend daytime is £145, weekend evenings £180, and weekend overnight £270, all plus VAT. There's no call-out fee at any time.

How do I pay, and do you take cash?

Card payment on completion of the job, taken on the day the work's finished. We accept all the major debit and credit cards except American Express, and we no longer take cash on any job, large or small.

A pipe has burst in my Lewisham home. What should I do before you arrive?

Turn the water off at the stopcock first, usually under the kitchen sink, then open the cold taps around the house to drain the system down as far as it'll go. Switch off any electrics near the water if it's safe to reach the fuse board, move anything valuable out of the way, and take a few photos of the damage for your insurer before anyone starts drying it out. Then call us with your postcode.

My boiler has broken down on a Saturday. What will it cost to get it looked at?

Weekend daytime is £145 plus VAT an hour, first hour minimum, no call-out fee, then 15-minute steps after that. Parts are extra and always priced before they're fitted. If the fault isn't urgent, we'll say so on the phone, since a weekday visit at £100 plus VAT is the cheaper route if it can safely wait.

How much is a boiler service in Lewisham?

A fixed £100 plus VAT, carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer. It typically takes 40 to 60 minutes and can be booked alongside a landlord gas safety certificate in the same visit for £100 plus VAT more, since each is priced as its own job.

My boiler keeps losing pressure. Is that dangerous?

Usually not dangerous in itself. The boiler locks itself out below around 0.5 bar as a safety measure, but persistent pressure loss means water's escaping somewhere, or a valve or the expansion vessel has failed. Topping the system back up to around 1.5 bar gets you through an evening, but if it keeps dropping we'd rather trace the actual cause than have you re-pressurising it every few days.

How much do you charge for a landlord's CP12 in Lewisham?

£100 plus VAT, covering up to two gas appliances, with each additional appliance beyond that £30 plus VAT. Issued by a Gas Safe registered engineer, registration 657719, and valid for 12 months from the inspection date.

Nearby areas and our services

We're next door to Catford SE6, Brockley SE4 and Greenwich SE10, and cover the rest of South East London from the same rate card; the full list is on the coverage area page. For boiler work specifically, see our boiler repair and boiler service pages, or the rates page for the complete published price list.

Book a plumber in Lewisham SE13

Send your postcode and a photo on WhatsApp to 07521 853 507, or call 020 8935 5206. Tell us the problem and your postcode, send a photo or video if it helps explain it, and we'll say whether it needs a visit, what the rate is, and book a time that works.