Plumbing repairs and installations in Royston

What is Royston's housing like?

Royston grew up in the Middle Ages where two ancient routes cross, Ermine Street and the Icknield Way, around a priory that once stood here. The old centre keeps that layout, with narrow streets, yards and long plots behind the main frontages, and much of it lies in a conservation area. Further out are Victorian and Edwardian streets, then estates from the twentieth century and newer housing built out towards the town's fringes.

Why do older Royston properties hide their pipework?

Buildings in the centre have been altered many times. Shops have flats above them, back ranges have been added and kitchens moved. Pipes from different decades often meet in one house, with copper joined to older runs, and may pass under floors or through thick walls. When a stain appears, the leak behind it can be some distance away. If your building is listed, internal changes as well as external ones can need consent from the council, so ask before any pipework is rerouted.

Does living near the Cambridgeshire border make a difference?

The town sits right on the county edge, and the SG8 postcode reaches into villages on the Cambridgeshire side. For plumbing the rules are the same, as both counties are in England. The difference is practical: check your water bill to see which company supplies you before reporting a fault on the public side, as it may not be the same company as your neighbour across the boundary.

What about the villages in SG8?

The SG8 postcode covers far more than the town. On the Hertfordshire side it takes in villages such as Therfield, Barkway and Barley on the higher ground to the south, and across the county line it reaches Melbourn, Bassingbourn and Meldreth in Cambridgeshire. Village homes run from brick and timber-framed cottages to farm buildings turned into houses, and their pipework often travels further than it does in town. A supply pipe may cross a long front garden or a yard before it reaches the house, and a converted barn can have its kitchen and bathroom at opposite ends of one long building.

If you live in a village, tell the plumber whether any outbuildings have water, such as a garage, stable or garden room, and where your stopcock is. In a group of converted farm buildings, say whether you think the supply is shared with the neighbours, since some groups are fed through a single pipe. A shared pipe means a leak or a pressure problem may need sorting out with the neighbours as well.

What problems does Royston's water cause?

Like most of this part of England, Royston sits on chalk, and hard water leaves limescale in taps, shower heads, cisterns and valves. A cistern fill valve that sticks or a mixer tap that has become stiff is often scaled rather than broken.

What about cold weather?

Royston sits at the foot of the chalk hills, on open ground that cold winds reach easily. Outside taps, pipes in detached garages and anything in an unheated outbuilding are worth draining or lagging before winter.

How do I send an enquiry from Royston?

Give your SG8 postcode and describe the fault. If a plumber works in your part of SG8 and you agree, we hand the enquiry to them alone. If no plumber works there, we explain that, and your details are not handed on.