Winter is harder on plumbing than most people realise. Pipes contract in the cold, pressure fluctuates, boilers work harder, and outdoor plumbing takes a battering. Spring is when the damage shows up.
The good news: most issues caught early are cheap and quick to fix. Left until summer — when demand rises and engineers are busier — the same problems tend to get worse and cost more. This checklist covers the ten checks worth making every April or May.
Winter damage is now visible, outdoor plumbing can be tested safely, and you're ahead of summer demand. Engineers are also less stretched than in October and November, so spring is often the easiest time to book a boiler service or a non-urgent repair at short notice.
The 10-Point Spring Plumbing Checklist
Boiler Pressure
Should read 1.0–1.5 bar when cold. Below 0.8 or above 2.5 needs attention.
Outside Tap
Check for frost damage — slow-open the tap and watch for drips at the valve body.
Dripping Taps
Even a slow drip wastes 5,500 litres per year. Usually a cheap washer fix.
Water Meter Test
Turn off all water, wait 1 hour, check for meter movement — confirms hidden leaks.
Radiator Heat
Run all radiators. Cold tops need bleeding. Patchy heat may need a balance or power flush.
Under-Sink Cabinets
Look for damp, mould, or moisture on pipes — slow leaks often hide here unnoticed.
Boiler Annual Service
Spring is the quietest season for engineers. Book ahead of next winter.
Drain Gullies
Clear leaf and debris build-up from winter. Blocked gullies back up in summer rain.
Toilet Cistern
Lift the lid and check for running water. A ghost flush adds £200+ to your annual bill.
Stopcock Location
Confirm you know where it is and that it turns freely. Vital in any emergency.
Check 1: Boiler Pressure
Start here. Your boiler pressure gauge is usually on the front panel. A cold boiler (not recently run) should sit between 1.0 and 1.5 bar. Pressure naturally drops slightly over winter as the system works harder and small amounts of water vapourise.
Reading the pressure gauge
0.8–1.0 bar: Low but functional — top up via the filling loop (see your boiler manual).
Below 0.8 bar: Needs repressurising. May trip the boiler into lockout if left.
Above 2.5 bar when cold: High pressure — do not repressurise. Call an engineer. This can indicate a faulty pressure relief valve or expansion vessel problem.
If your boiler keeps losing pressure — you top it up and it drops again within a few weeks — that is a sign of a leak somewhere in the system, not just a normal top-up. An engineer can locate the source.
Check 2: Outside Tap
Outside taps are the most vulnerable plumbing in the house. If the pipe supplying them was not properly lagged, or the tap was not isolated and drained for winter, you may find frost damage now that temperatures have risen.
To test: turn the tap on slowly, about a quarter turn. Watch the valve body and the wall behind the tap as water flows. Any drips at the valve body or escaping through the wall cladding means the pipe or tap has cracked. Turn off the isolating valve inside the house immediately and book a repair.
Even a slow drip from a damaged external tap or pipe can cause significant water ingress into the wall cavity over weeks. It can go unnoticed until you see damp patches inside the house. Turn off at the isolating valve and get it repaired properly.
Check 3: Dripping Taps
A tap that drips once per second wastes over 5,500 litres of water per year — more if it drips faster. On a metered supply, that is a meaningful addition to your bill. Hot water drips cost more because the boiler is also firing to heat what is running away.
Most dripping taps are caused by a worn washer or a degraded ceramic cartridge. Both are straightforward repairs — typically £80–£150 for a plumber to fix on a standard tap. Left alone, worn washers can also damage the valve seat, turning a simple washer replacement into a more involved repair.
Check 4: Water Meter Test for Hidden Leaks
You can confirm a hidden leak in about an hour without any tools. Locate your water meter (usually under a small cover in the front garden, near the boundary). Follow these steps:
Turn off all water in the house
Taps, appliances, and anything that uses water — dishwasher, washing machine, ice maker. Do not flush toilets during the test.
Note the meter reading
Write down the exact reading, including any small decimal digits. Take a photo if easier.
Wait one hour without using any water
Do not flush, run taps, or use appliances. One hour gives a clear result.
Check the meter again
If the reading has changed at all, water is escaping somewhere. Now isolate the inside stopcock (usually under the kitchen sink) and repeat the test. If the meter stops moving, the leak is inside the property. If it still moves, the leak is in the supply pipe between the meter and your stopcock — contact your water supplier, as that section may be their responsibility.
Check 5: Radiator Performance
Turn your heating on and run all radiators. Walk around the house and feel each one across its full surface — top, middle, and bottom. What you are looking for:
- Cold at the top, hot below: Trapped air. Bleed the radiator to release it — this is a simple DIY job.
- Cold patches scattered across the surface: Sludge build-up (magnetite). The system may need a power flush or chemical inhibitor dose.
- Completely cold despite the boiler running: Could be a stuck thermostatic valve, a balance issue, or an air lock deeper in the system.
- Leaking at the valve: Check the connection between valve and radiator. A small seep can be tightened; a crack needs replacing.
Heating systems should have a chemical inhibitor (such as Fernox F1) to prevent internal corrosion and sludge build-up. If your system has not had inhibitor added in the last two years, it is worth topping it up. An engineer can test the existing level when they service your boiler.
Check 6: Under-Sink Cabinets
Open every under-sink cabinet in the house — kitchen, bathrooms, cloakrooms. Look for moisture on the floor of the cabinet, damp patches on the back wall, or mould growth around the pipe joints. Slow drips from compression fittings or flexible hoses are common and easy to miss because they drip onto the cabinet floor rather than the floor of the room.
Pay particular attention to flexible braided hoses connecting taps and appliances. These have a lifespan of around ten years — old or discoloured hoses should be replaced before they fail.
Check 7: Boiler Annual Service
If your boiler has not been serviced in the last twelve months, spring is a good time to book it. April and May are the quietest months for heating engineers — autumn bookings fill up fast, and you will often wait longer and pay more in October than you would now.
An annual service keeps your boiler safe, efficient, and valid under warranty. The engineer will clean the burner, check flue integrity, test safety devices, measure combustion efficiency, and provide a service record. Gas Safe registration number 934668.
Annual servicing is not optional if you have a warranty
Most boiler manufacturers require annual servicing to keep the warranty valid. Missing a year can void it entirely — which matters a great deal when a repair bill arrives for a unit still within its supposed warranty period.
Check 8: Drain Gullies and Inspection Chambers
External drain gullies collect water from gutters, downpipes, and yard surfaces. Over winter they accumulate leaves, soil, and debris. A blocked gully does not cause immediate problems, but when a heavy summer rainstorm arrives, the water backs up and can flood the yard or find its way under the door threshold.
Pull the gully cover, remove any visible debris, and flush with a bucket of water. Check inspection chamber covers in the garden are seated correctly and undamaged. If you notice a damp patch on the lawn above where you know a drain runs, that is worth investigating — it can indicate a cracked or displaced pipe.
Check 9: Toilet Cistern
Lift the lid from your toilet cistern and watch the water inside. A healthy cistern fills after a flush, then stops when the float valve closes. If water is trickling over the internal overflow pipe, or if you can see the surface of the water rippling slightly without flushing, the cistern is running continuously.
A constantly running toilet can add £200–£350 to your annual water bill on a metered supply. The cause is usually a worn flap valve (the rubber seal at the bottom of the cistern) or a misaligned float. Both are inexpensive parts — a plumber can replace a flap valve in under an hour for around £80–£120.
Check 10: Stopcock Location and Operation
The stopcock is the isolation valve for your entire water supply. In a burst pipe or major leak, turning it off immediately limits the damage. Most homeowners know roughly where it is — usually under the kitchen sink, in the utility room, or in a downstairs cupboard — but have never actually turned it.
Locate yours now, before you need it in a hurry. Turn it clockwise until it is fully closed, then open it again. Stopcocks that have not moved in years can seize — if yours is stuck, that is important to know before an emergency. An engineer can free or replace a seized stopcock for a small cost.
Full Spring Plumbing Checklist
- Boiler pressure reading: 1.0–1.5 bar when cold
- Outside tap: turn on slowly, check for frost damage or drips
- All taps: check for dripping at spout or base
- Water meter test: confirm no hidden leak is running
- All radiators: run heating, feel for cold spots or leaks at valves
- Under-sink cabinets: check for moisture, mould, or damp pipework
- Flexible hoses: inspect for discolouration, bulging, or age
- Boiler service: book if not serviced in the last 12 months
- Drain gullies: clear winter debris, flush with water
- Toilet cisterns: confirm no continuous running
- Stopcock: locate it, confirm it turns freely
What Issues Are Worth Fixing Before Summer?
If you work through this checklist and find issues, here is a simple priority guide.
Spring Repair Priority Guide
Fix immediately: Cracked outside tap or pipe, active drip under a sink, high boiler pressure above 2.5 bar, any signs of a structural leak
Fix within a few weeks: Dripping taps, running toilet cistern, cold radiators after bleeding, seized stopcock
Book in spring: Annual boiler service, inhibitor check, drain jetting if gullies are partially blocked
Monitor: Slightly low boiler pressure (top up, watch whether it drops again), minor scale build-up in showerheads
All prices from Manako Plumbing are fixed quotes — you know the cost before work starts.
Common Questions
When is the best time for a spring plumbing check?
April and May are ideal. Winter is over so any cold-weather damage will be visible, but summer demand on outdoor taps, garden hoses, and cooling systems has not started yet. You have time to fix problems before they become urgent.
Should I get my boiler serviced in spring?
Spring is actually a good time for a boiler service. Engineers are less busy than in autumn and winter, so you can usually book a faster appointment at a better price. Servicing in spring means your boiler is in good shape and certified before next winter. Annual servicing is recommended by manufacturers and is often a condition of warranty.
How do I check my boiler pressure at home?
Look at the pressure gauge on the front of your boiler. When cold (not recently used), a healthy combi boiler should read between 1.0 and 1.5 bar. Below 0.8 bar means it needs repressurising — you can do this via the filling loop (your boiler manual has instructions). Above 2.5 bar when cold suggests a problem and you should call an engineer.
What is a dripping tap likely to cost to fix?
Most dripping taps are fixed by replacing a worn washer or ceramic cartridge — typically £80–£150 depending on the tap type. Left unfixed, a dripping tap wastes around 5,500 litres of water per year, which adds up meaningfully on a metered supply.
How do I know if I have a slow water leak?
Turn off all water in the house, note the meter reading, and check it again after one hour without using anything. If the number has changed, water is escaping somewhere. Common hidden locations are behind toilets, under kitchen sinks, and in the ground between your meter and the stopcock.
What outdoor plumbing checks should I do in spring?
Test your outside tap for frost damage — turn it on slowly and look for drips around the valve body or behind the wall where the pipe enters. Clear debris from drain gullies. Check inspection chamber covers are seated correctly. Look for boggy patches on the lawn above drain runs, which can indicate a cracked pipe below.
Useful guides and services
- Book a boiler service → — Gas Safe engineers, fixed price, Slough & Berkshire
- General plumbing repairs → — taps, toilets, pipes, leaks
- How to bleed a radiator → — step-by-step guide
- How to find a water leak → — meter test and location methods
Need a plumber or heating engineer this spring?
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