Breakdown
Water leak repair in Uithoorn
Water on the floor, a wet patch in the ceiling, or a meter that keeps turning.
Reachable
From 07:00 to 22:00, every day
Driving time
usually 45 to 90 minutes
Call-out charge
€ 25 surcharge before 08:00, after 18:00 and on Sundays
In short
How we go about it
A leak costs money by the hour. Two things have to happen, and they are not the same thing: stop the water, then find where it comes from. Closing the main stopcock (in Dutch hoofdkraan, the valve next to your water meter) stops the water. It does not fix the cause.
We arrive with leak detection equipment and a moisture meter, isolate the affected circuit or branch, and look for the cause without opening up half a floor. Many Uithoorn houses from the 1970s and 1980s have the hot water pipe buried in the floor screed, the layer of mortar poured over the structural floor. Finding a leak there with a thermal camera is faster and cheaper than breaking the floor open.
As soon as we know what is broken, you hear what the repair costs before we start it.
Explained
What to do until we arrive
Close the main stopcock. In a Dutch house it is almost always in the meter cupboard (meterkast) by the front door, next to the water meter, and sometimes under the stairs or in the crawl space. Switch off the electrical circuit for the wet room. Put a bucket under the drip and photograph both the wet patch and the meter cupboard.
What we bring
Leak detection equipment, a moisture meter, press fittings for copper and plastic, and enough material for a temporary repair so the water can go back on the same evening.
What finishing the job means
The repaired section is pressure tested before we leave, and you are shown where the cause was. If the pipework is hidden, we note the position, so nobody has to go looking next time.
Is there water on the floor?
Call first and read the rest afterwards. Within a minute you know when somebody can be there and what the call-out costs.
Rates
What it costs
The same amounts as everywhere else on this site. There is no separate emergency rate that only gets mentioned at your door.
| What | Amount |
|---|---|
| Call-out charge | € 45 |
| Hourly rate | € 65 to € 85 |
| Out-of-hours surcharge | € 25 |
| After the first hour | per 15 min |
| Parts | separate |
The call-out charge applies once per visit. The lower hourly rate covers taps and sanitary ware, the higher one high pressure drain clearing and boiler work. The surcharge applies before 08:00, after 18:00 and on Sundays and is a fixed amount, not a percentage. After the first hour time is counted per quarter of an hour, and parts are listed separately.
If it takes longer than estimated. At the door you hear what appears to be needed and roughly what that costs. If it turns out to be more work, you hear that the moment it becomes clear and not afterwards on the invoice. Above € 400 nothing goes ahead without your agreement.
Background
What it usually comes down to in Uithoorn
Leaks are the most common reason people in Uithoorn call a plumber urgently. Four causes cover most of them: a compression fitting that has given up after years, a corroded galvanised steel pipe, a leaking waste trap under the shower tray, and condensation that looks like a leak but is not one.
Galvanised steel pipe is worth knowing about if you live in a Dutch house built before 1980. It is called verzinkt staal here, it is grey and magnetic rather than copper coloured, and it rusts closed from the inside before it finally rusts through. A pipe like that cannot be fixed with a repair clamp: the section is replaced with copper or plastic, and then that section is done for good.
If the leak is above a ceiling, send a photo on WhatsApp before we set off. The shape of a wet patch usually tells us whether it is a pressurised water pipe, a waste pipe or the roof, and then the right equipment comes along on the first trip.
Seen enough?
The amounts above are the amounts that end up on the invoice. Calling is fastest; a photo on WhatsApp often saves a trip.
Questions
Questions about water leak repair
Question not here? Calling is faster than searching; you hear straight away what is possible and what it costs.
Can you find the leak without breaking open the floor?
Usually. With a thermal camera and a moisture meter, a hot water leak under a screed floor can often be located to within half a metre. If breaking open turns out to be unavoidable, you hear where the hole goes and how big it will be, with a price, before anything is cut.
My water meter keeps turning with every tap closed. What does that mean?
Water is escaping somewhere after the meter. Close the main stopcock and watch the meter: if it stops, the leak is inside the house rather than in the supply. The most common culprit is a toilet that keeps refilling, and that is often fixed within half an hour.
Will my insurance pay for this?
Dutch buildings and contents policies (opstalverzekering and inboedelverzekering) commonly cover water damage, and much less often the repair of the pipe itself. We make no claims about your policy. What you do get is an itemised invoice stating what was broken and what was replaced, which is what an insurer asks for.
Is it worth calling if the water has already stopped?
Yes, and it often is. A leak that stops by itself is usually one that only appears under pressure or with hot water. It comes back, and preferably not while you are away.
Service area
Where we come for this
Other problems we fix
Rather not call?
Leave your number and you get a call back. That is fine for work that can wait; with water on the floor, calling is faster.
Request
No emergency? Leave your number
For work that can wait. With water on the floor or no heating at all, calling is faster, because this form is not read continuously.
Is it urgent?
Then call. The phone is answered from 07:00 to 22:00, every day, and you hear straight away when somebody can be there.