The small drawers
Plumbing bits
Washers, olives, fittings and pipe, sold one at a time, so you do not have to buy a pack of twenty for one drip.
A dripping tap needs one 20p washer. Everywhere else sells a pack of twenty-five, in plastic. We open a drawer and count one out.
The drawers behind the counter go up to the ceiling. Brass compression fittings, tap washers, ballcocks, flexi connectors, radiator valves, waste traps and enough odd things to fix most of what breaks in a terraced house. Bring the old part in and we will match it, even if it is older than you are.
We will tell you when to call a plumber. Anything on the gas side of a boiler must be done by a Gas Safe registered engineer, and we will happily give you a local name. We sell washers, not bravery.
How it works here
- Fittings and washers sold one at a time
- Old parts matched at the counter
- Copper and plastic pipe cut to length
- Advice on what you can safely do yourself
- A local plumber's number if you should not do it yourself
What it costs
Tap washers from 20p, olives 30p, compression fittings from £1.50, copper pipe cut to length from £4 a metre, and PTFE tape 80p. More prices are on the prices page, and the departments page lists what is where.
Questions about plumbing bits
Can you tell me how to change a tap washer?
Yes, and we will draw it on a paper bag. Turn the water off first. Everyone tells you that, and about a third of people still get wet.
Do you stock gas fittings?
No. We sell bottled gas and regulators, but gas pipework is a job for a Gas Safe registered engineer.
Bring the broken bit in.
Hand it over the counter and we will find you the part, or tell you what you actually need. Monday to Saturday, and until 1pm on a Wednesday.