Heating & Plumbing Callouts
Not every problem announces itself neatly as "a heating issue" or "a plumbing issue" — a radiator that's cold at the bottom might be a heating fault or a sludge problem that started life as corrosion in old pipework, and a dripping valve under the boiler could be either trade's job depending on what's actually failed. This is the callout for exactly that situation: you know something's wrong, you're not sure which specialist to book, and you'd rather have one engineer look at the whole system than guess.
What's Included
- One engineer assesses both the heating and plumbing side of the problem
- No need to work out which trade to call first
- Straightforward diagnosis before any work starts
- Follow-on work quoted separately if it turns out to need a specialist visit
How It Works
- 1 You describe the symptom when you call — what you're seeing, hearing, or not getting (heat, hot water, pressure)
- 2 An engineer visits and checks both the heating circuit and the nearest plumbing to it
- 3 You get a plain-English diagnosis and a price before anything is fixed
- 4 The fix happens on the same visit wherever possible
Common Issues
- • Cold radiators with an unclear cause
- • Low boiler pressure alongside a slow, hard-to-locate leak
- • Noises from the heating system that could originate in either the boiler or the pipework
Pricing: Typically £80–£150 for the initial diagnosis and callout (indicative — confirm actual pricing with Rainbow Fix Ltd)
Heating & Plumbing Callouts — Frequently Asked Questions
I don't know if this is a heating problem or a plumbing problem — does that matter for booking?
No — that's exactly what this callout is for. Many faults in a UK home sit right on the boundary between the two: a radiator valve is a plumbing component, but it's part of the heating circuit, and a leaking pipe near the boiler could be either. Book the combined callout when you're unsure, and the engineer who attends is equipped to diagnose and fix either side of the problem on the same visit.
Will I be charged twice if it turns out to be two separate issues?
You'll be quoted for the diagnosis and the first fix during the visit, and if a second, unrelated issue is found, that's quoted separately before any work starts on it — nothing gets added to the bill without you agreeing to it first. In practice, most combined callouts turn out to be a single root cause affecting both symptoms, which is part of why it's worth booking one visit rather than two.
Can you fix it on the first visit, or will you need to come back with parts?
Most common faults — a stuck valve, a small leak, an airlock, a failed thermostat — are fixed on the first visit from what's carried on the van. Anything needing a specific replacement part (a particular boiler component, for example) may need a short return visit once it's ordered, and you'll be told this clearly at the time rather than finding out after the fact.
Is this the right callout for an emergency, like a leak I can't stop?
If water is actively escaping and you can't isolate it yourself at the stopcock, treat it as urgent and say so when you call rather than booking a routine slot — see the Burst Pipes page for what to do while you wait. This combined callout is best suited to problems that are inconvenient or concerning but not actively flooding your home.