Plumbing

Plumbing repairs

Leaks, dripping taps, running cisterns, burst pipes and the like.

Post a task Plumbing repairs by county

Whether this needs a licence in Ireland

Ireland

No licence required

Taken from the statute below; not yet reviewed by a lawyer

Irelandwww.cru.ieChecked 14/10/2026

Plumbing repairs: what the job involves

Fixing the everyday faults in a home’s water system: dripping taps, a toilet cistern that keeps running, leaking joints under a sink, a burst or weeping pipe, low pressure or knocking pipes. Most are done in one visit once the plumber knows what fittings you have.

Also asked for as: emergency plumber · leaking pipe · burst pipe · dripping tap · toilet keeps running

How the job is usually done

Agree over chat what is leaking or not working, and where the stopcock is.
Isolate the water at the nearest valve or the stopcock, and drain down if the fault is on the attic tank side.
Find the cause: a worn washer or ceramic cartridge, a failed fill or flush valve, a perished compression olive, a split pipe.
Replace the part or the section of pipe, using a like-for-like fitting where one is still made.
Refill, bleed air out of the system and check every joint that was disturbed under pressure.
Show you what failed and anything else that is close to failing.

Plumbing repairs: what is included

Usually included

Finding the fault and isolating the water
Washers, cartridges, olives and small fittings the plumber carries in the van
Testing the repair under pressure and cleaning up the work area

Usually not included — agree it separately

Making good tiles, plaster, boxing or flooring opened to reach a pipe
Drying out or insurance work after water damage
Anything on a gas boiler, which needs a Registered Gas Installer
New taps, toilets or valves you choose yourself — usually priced as supply-and-fit

Materials and who supplies them

Washers, cartridges, fill and flush valves, compression fittings and short pipe lengths — the plumber usually supplies these
A replacement tap or cistern mechanism: either side can supply it, but agree who before the visit
Isolating valves, fitted at the same time if a tap or toilet has none

How long it takes

Most repairs take an hour or two; longer when the pipe is under a floor or behind tiles, or when a part for an older fitting has to be ordered.

When to book

Lag pipes in the attic and outside walls before the first frost; most burst pipes in Ireland happen on the thaw after a cold snap.

Plumbing repairs: the rules in Ireland

What the official sources say, checked against them on the date shown. A summary, not legal advice — follow the link to read the rule itself.

Plumbing is not a restricted trade in Ireland: there is no statutory register of plumbers. The restricted works are electrical (Safe Electric) and gas (RGI), and they often sit next to plumbing.
Applies to: the homeowner choosing a plumber
Commission for Regulation of Utilities · cru.ie · Checked 9 October 2026
Pipes inside the property boundary, including the supply pipe from the boundary to the house, are the owner’s responsibility; Uisce Éireann looks after the public side. A leak on the footpath side is reported to Uisce Éireann, not fixed by your plumber.
Applies to: the homeowner
Uisce Éireann · water.ie · Checked 9 October 2026
A VAT-registered plumber charges the reduced rate of 13.5% on work to a home, unless the materials come to more than two-thirds of the total, when the two-thirds rule puts the whole job at the rate of the goods.
Applies to: VAT-registered contractors
Revenue Commissioners · revenue.ie · Checked 9 October 2026

Grants

Domestic Lead Remediation Grant
Pays 100% of the cost of replacing lead pipes that carry drinking water within the home, up to €5,000.
Who qualifies: Owner-occupiers, and long-term tenants with the owner’s permission, of a principal residence with lead pipes confirmed by a water test; not means-tested. Apply through your local authority before the work.
localgov.ie · Checked 9 October 2026

What plumbing repairs costs, and why

What jobs on Talqero came to

Not enough comparable jobs yet to publish a range here. Talqero shows a price range only once at least five comparable jobs, agreed prices or offers exist — a range from fewer would describe a handful of jobs, not the market. Post your job and compare the offers you get.

What affects the price

Urgency: an emergency or out-of-hours call-out against a booked visit
Access to the pipe — open under a sink, or under floorboards, behind tiles or in boxing
Whether parts for the fitting are still made or have to be sourced
The number of separate faults fixed in the one visit
Water damage that needs to be traced and made good afterwards
VAT: building work on a home is charged at the reduced rate of 13.5% by a VAT-registered business — unless the materials come to more than two-thirds of the price, when Revenue’s two-thirds rule applies the goods rate to the whole job. Ask whether a quote includes VAT.

Paperwork to ask for at the end

An invoice naming the fault found and the parts replaced
For a leak claimed on house insurance: the plumber’s written note of the cause and photographs

Safety

Know where your stopcock is — usually under the kitchen sink, or in the footpath box outside — before anything goes wrong.
If water is coming through a ceiling near a light fitting, switch off that circuit at the fuse board and keep clear of the bulge.
Lead pipes are still found in houses built before the 1970s; lead pipe work should be replaced, not patched.

Plumbing repairs: before you hire

Questions to ask a tradesperson

Will you carry the likely parts, or will it need a second visit?
Is the call-out charge separate from the repair?
If you find lead or old iron pipe, what do you recommend?
Will you make good after opening a floor or boxing, or do I need someone else?

What you can do yourself

Changing a tap washer or a toilet flush valve is a fair householder job once the water is isolated, but a pipe joint you cannot see or reach is worth a plumber.

What to put in your task

What is the problem?
Is water leaking right now?
Can you see the leaking pipe or fitting?
Roughly when was the house built?
Have you already bought a replacement part?

Photos that help

The leak or faulty fitting, close up, with water visible if it is running
The fitting from further back, showing the pipes going into it
Any brand name on the tap, cistern or valve
Water staining on a ceiling or wall below

Plumbing

Need plumbing repairs? Describe the job.

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Questions about plumbing repairs

Does plumbing repairs need a licence in Ireland?

No licence is required for this work in Ireland (source: www.cru.ie). Ask instead for references and photographs of similar jobs.

Who fixes a leak outside my house?

Inside your property boundary the pipe is yours, and a plumber fixes it. A leak on the public side — in the footpath or road — is reported to Uisce Éireann, which repairs its own network.

Why does my toilet keep running?

Usually the fill valve is not shutting off or the flush valve seal has worn, so water trickles into the pan. Both are standard parts on most cisterns and are normally replaced in one visit.

Is there a grant for replacing lead pipes?

Yes. The Domestic Lead Remediation Grant pays the cost of replacing lead drinking-water pipes inside your property, up to the published limit, once a water test confirms lead. Apply through your local authority before the work starts.

My pressure has dropped — is it my plumbing?

Check whether neighbours have the same problem and whether Uisce Éireann has reported works in the area. If it is only your house, a partly closed stopcock, a blocked filter or a failing pump are the usual causes.

Often booked with plumbing repairs

Plumbers