Plumbing · Putney, London
Shower Repair in Putney
A shower that has turned lukewarm, dribbles instead of sprays or leaks through the ceiling of the flat below is a daily irritation with a bill hanging over it. [Honest Plumber Putney](/) takes your call on 07782 232151, asks the questions that separate a ten-minute fix from a replacement, and sends an independently owned partner company that quotes in writing before touching anything.
Honesty about price helps. Published UK figures put a like-for-like mixer shower replacement at about £180 to £450 and an electric shower fitted at £200 to £600, so a cartridge or a descaled head should cost a good deal less than either. We say so when that is all it needs.
Hard water does most of the damage. Thames Water's Putney Heath supply measures 257 mg/l calcium carbonate, about 18 Clark degrees, and in a shower that means furred spray plates, sticky thermostatic cartridges and a heater element coated in scale. The shower that worked well when it was new weakens gradually, which is why people put up with it so long.
Pressure is the other local theme. Many West Putney conversions and Barnes houses still run showers from a loft tank or a low-pressure cylinder, and a mixer designed for mains pressure will disappoint there. Part of the diagnosis is working out which type of system you have.
A leaking shower in a flat is not just your problem. Water through the tray seal can stain a neighbour's ceiling within days, so if you can see damp, isolate the water and ring us.
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Shower Faults We Arrange
The type of shower decides the repair, so we find that out first.
Mixer and Thermostatic Showers
A shower that swings hot to cold, will not hold its temperature or will not turn off properly is usually a worn or scaled cartridge. Replacing the cartridge is far cheaper than a new valve, provided the valve body is sound. The partner company matches the cartridge to the make, and tells you if the valve itself has finished.
Electric Showers
An electric shower heats its own water, so a weak or cold flow can mean a scaled heating element, a blocked inlet filter or a tripped cord switch. The unit is wired to its own circuit and the electrical side is not something to open yourself. Where the water side is at fault, the partner company descales or replaces the unit.
Trays, Seals and Enclosures
Perished silicone, a gap at the tray edge or a split waste connection lets water into the floor. Resealing is cheap if caught early, and costly if the ceiling below has to be redone. A cracked tray or leaking door seal is quoted separately, with the cause identified first.
What's Included
How a Shower Repair Works
Small parts first, whole units only when needed.
Identify the System
Gravity-fed, pumped, mains or electric: the partner company confirms which, since the fix and the replacement options differ with each.
Cartridge, Head or Whole Unit
The quote lists the cheapest sound repair and the replacement alternative, with their costs side by side, so you choose with the numbers in front of you.
Tested Before They Leave
Flow, temperature stability and the seal are all tested, and fittings should be WRAS-approved and suit the Water Fittings Regulations 1999.
Tips
Shower Symptoms Explained
What your shower may be telling you.
Signs of a Fault
Common clues and likely causes.
- Spray that fans sideways or sputters: scaled head
- Temperature that drifts mid-shower: worn cartridge
- Only a trickle of hot water: pressure or scaled heater
- Water stains below the bathroom: leaking seal or waste
- Shower runs on after you turn it off: valve fault
Quick Things to Try
Safe, simple checks.
- Soak the head in descaler for an hour and rinse
- Clean the inlet filter if you can reach it
- Check other taps for low pressure too
- Look for failed silicone along the tray edge
- Switch off an electric shower at the isolator before any checks
The Difference
Showers in SW15, SW13 and SW14
What tends to go wrong where.
West Putney: Tanks and Flats
Houses and conversions off Upper Richmond Road and Hazlewell Road often have tank-fed hot water, so a pump or a gravity-rated shower is part of the conversation. A flat's shower tray sits over someone else's ceiling.
Roehampton: Blocks and Student Lets
Estate flats on communal hot water and rented rooms near the university see hard use. Reporting a fault to a landlord or managing agent is sometimes the first step, and we say when.
Barnes: Older Bathrooms
Barnes Village and the riverside streets have older bathrooms with old pipes behind tiles. Repair there starts with finding where the hot and cold supplies actually come from.
A shower fault often travels with other bathroom problems, so see toilet repair and leak detection & repair if water is going where it should not. Weak hot water can be a boiler issue, covered under emergency boiler repair, and central heating repair covers the wider system. Browse all services, or read about West Putney and Barnes.
What Shower Repair Covers
Shower repair covers the head and hose, the valve or cartridge, an electric unit's water side, the pump if you have one, the tray and enclosure seals, and the waste. It does not cover rewiring an electric shower; the electrical supply is a separate job. A good repair starts by working out which type of shower you own, because a thermostatic mixer, a power shower and an electric unit each fail in different ways.
What Affects the Price
Type of Shower
A cartridge or descale is the cheapest end of the work, a like-for-like replacement sits in the published £180 to £450 band for mixers and £200 to £600 for electric showers, and a new shower in a different position costs more because of new pipework.
Access and Waterproofing
A boxed-in valve or a tiled wall that has to be opened adds labour and making-good. Where a seal has failed, the question of whether water has already got into the wall or floor affects the scope.
Standards
Fittings follow the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999, use WRAS-approved components and meet BS EN 806. Drainage follows Part H.
Reporting a Leak in a Flat
If water is reaching the flat below, tell the occupant and your landlord or managing agent at once, switch off the shower's water supply and take photographs with dates. That record protects you if a claim follows. We pass the job to a partner company that can come out and find the cause.
Descale, Repair or Replace?
Honest answers sit on a scale. If the problem is a furred head, descaling is a soak and a rinse. If the temperature wanders, a cartridge is the probable cure. If the valve leaks from the body, the finish has gone or the manufacturer no longer supports it, replacement is a fair spend, and the partner company says so without dressing it up.
Why Hard Water Keeps Coming Back
Descaling restores a shower, but in water at 257 mg/l calcium carbonate the scale builds again. A shower head cleaned every few months and a wipe of the glass after use cost nothing. A water conditioner is an option some households choose, though it is not required, and we would not push one on you.
Leaks Behind Tiles
A shower that is damp behind the tiles is the worst version of this job. The partner company may need to open a small access hole, trace the pipe, and repair before the finish goes back. The written quote states what is included for making good, so you do not meet a surprise after the plumbing is done.
Straight Answers
How much does it cost to repair a shower in Putney?
A cartridge or descale is a small job, while a like-for-like mixer shower replacement is published at roughly £180 to £450 and an electric shower fitted at £200 to £600 in the UK. These are indicative ranges, not our quotes. The partner company diagnoses first and gives you the repair price and the replacement price in writing.
Why has my shower gone lukewarm?
On a mixer, the thermostatic cartridge may be scaled and sticking. On an electric shower, the element may be coated in limescale. Putney Heath's water is hard at 257 mg/l calcium carbonate, which makes both more likely. A low-pressure hot supply can also cause it, so the partner company checks the system before changing a part.
My shower pressure is poor. Is it the shower or the house?
Test another tap. If the hot tap in the basin is also weak, the problem is the supply or tank, not the shower. If the basin flows well, a scaled head or a blocked filter is likely. Gravity-fed showers need a pump to match mains-style showers, and the partner company can advise on that. Tell us what you find when you ring, because it helps the partner company bring the right parts.
Can limescale be removed from a shower head?
Usually, yes. Soaking the head in a descaling solution for an hour, then rinsing and rubbing the nozzles, restores most of the spray. If the plate is heavily crusted or the rubber nozzles have hardened, replacing the head is cheaper than persisting. Fixing the head will not cure a scaled cartridge or element behind it.
Is it safe to repair an electric shower myself?
No. An electric shower is wired to its own circuit at high load, and the cover should stay shut until the supply is isolated. You can safely clean the head and perhaps the inlet filter with the power off at the isolator. Anything inside the unit should be left to the partner company who attends.
My shower tray leaks. How soon do I need to act?
Quickly, particularly in a flat. A failed seal or waste connection sends water into the floor and the ceiling below, and the damage grows each time the shower is used. Stop using it, ring us, and the partner company finds the source. Resealing early costs far less than redecorating a neighbour's ceiling. If the water has already stained the ceiling below, photograph it and tell your landlord or managing agent today.
Do I need a new shower or just a new cartridge?
If the valve body is sound and the shower is only drifting in temperature, a new cartridge restores it for far less than a new unit. If the valve is corroded, the manufacturer has stopped making parts or the finish is failing, replacement makes more sense. The partner company puts both figures in front of you.
Will a new shower work with my loft tank?
Only if it is designed for low pressure. A mains-rated thermostatic mixer starved of pressure will trickle, and the usual remedies are a shower pump or a different type of shower. The partner company establishes the pressure and flow and recommends a unit that matches it, rather than selling a shower that will not perform.
Who is responsible when my shower leaks into the flat below?
If the leak comes from your shower tray, seal, waste or pipework, it is generally your responsibility, because it sits inside your flat. If it comes from a shared pipe or the building's structure, it may belong to the freeholder. The partner company identifies the source, and you should tell your landlord or managing agent promptly.
Can you repair a shower over a bath?
Yes. The same faults apply: scaled heads, worn cartridges, perished seals along the bath edge and loose diverters. The extra concern is the seal between bath and wall, where movement opens a gap. The partner company reseals and tests it, and tells you if the wall behind has taken on water. Bath showers also fail at the diverter, which is a small, cheap part when caught early.
What if the shower fails again after the repair?
Ring us on 07782 232151 and we contact the partner company that did the job and chase until they come back to you. Any warranty on the work is between you and them, as they quoted and invoiced it. You never need to work out who to call yourself. If the same fault returns within a short time, say so clearly, because it suggests the first diagnosis missed something.
