Know what's wrong and what it costs, before we arrive

Water on the kitchen floor and no idea what it costs to fix. We're a plumber for older homes in Claremont. You get a photo of the problem and a fair price on WhatsApp, before we book a visit.

Klipspringer Plumbing repairs the pipes, drains and geysers in Claremont houses that have stood since before the 1980s, where years of use have worn them out. We're the ones to call when you've owned the place for decades and never learnt what runs behind the walls. We explain what went wrong in plain words, show you the trouble spot and tell you what it takes to put right. By the time we pack up, you understand exactly what happened in your own home.

What plumbing problem are you dealing with?

You're standing in the kitchen with water on the floor and no idea where it came from, or the toilet runs all night and the water bill keeps climbing. In older Claremont homes these faults are common, because the galvanised pipes have thinned over the decades and the clay sewer lines have shifted. A pinhole leak behind a wall soaks the plaster long before you see a stain.

Damp comes first. Then the paint blisters. The wood under the sink swells and splits. By the time it shows, the leak has been running a while.

So the fix depends on the fault. Hidden water needs someone who can trace it. A toilet that won't stop needs a different job entirely. Send us a photo on WhatsApp before arriving and we'll tell you which one it is. For wider background, see Saving water (City of Cape Town).

Our plumbing services

You know something is wrong. You just don't know if it's a leak buried in the wall or a toilet that needs new parts. Send a photo first and we'll point you at the right fix. That might be Leak detection for water you can't trace, or Toilet repair for a cistern that runs and runs.

• Leak detection

  Trace a hidden leak behind the wall or under the slab before it costs more.

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• Toilet repair

  Quote the full repair before we touch the toilet, so the price never moves.

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Plumbing service for Claremont homes

Claremont's older houses came with plumbing built for a different era. We work on the galvanised pipes, clay drains and tired geysers that came with them across the southern suburbs.

The faults follow the age of the house. Pipes laid before the 1980s pinhole from the inside. Roots push into clay sewer lines under the garden and slow the whole drain. We've seen these same problems from Muizenberg and Lakeside through to Tokai and Constantia. Claremont homes tell the same story.

Because we know these houses, we don't guess. We trace the fault, show you what we found and explain it in plain words before any work starts. That way you know who's touching your pipes and why.

Why choose us for plumbing in Claremont

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  A photo before we arrive

  Send us a WhatsApp picture of the problem. We'll tell you what's likely wrong and what it should cost, before a visit is booked.

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  The quote is the price

  The number we give you on WhatsApp is the number on your invoice. No surprise line items added at the end.

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  A registered plumber

  We're a plumbing business you can check up on, so the work is done properly and to standard.

• 

  No overselling

  If a timer solves it, we fit a timer. We won't talk you into a job you don't need.

• 

  Photos and a clear invoice

  You get before-and-after photos and an invoice that matches the quote, so you can see exactly what was done.

Frequently asked questions

What do plumbers charge per hour in South Africa?

It depends on what's actually wrong, not just the hour on the clock. A running toilet, a hidden leak behind a wall and a shifted clay sewer line all take different tools and different time, so the labour hour alone doesn't tell you much. What moves the price is the fault itself, how much access it needs and whether parts are involved. Send us a photo on WhatsApp and we'll tell you what we think it is and give you a fair price before we book a visit, not after.

How do you check that a plumber is actually who they say they are?

Ask if they're registered and ask before they arrive, not while they're standing in your kitchen. We're a plumbing business you can look up before you book and we'll always confirm that if you ask. It's a small thing to check but it tells you a lot about who you're letting into an older home with pipes and drains you can't see.

What can I do myself before calling someone about a blocked drain?

Not much, honestly and that's the truth even if it's not what you want to hear. A kettle of hot water or a plunger might shift a simple clog near the surface, but in an older Claremont home the real cause is often further down, roots in a clay sewer line or a pipe that's shifted with age. Pouring anything stronger down there can do more harm than good. Rather send us a photo of what's coming up or where it's pooling and we'll tell you what it looks like from there.

Could I end up with a big invoice for work that doesn't even fix the problem?

Not with us and that's the whole point of quoting from a photo first. We look at what you send us on WhatsApp, tell you what we think is wrong and give you a number before anyone lifts a spanner. That number is the number on the invoice. If a smaller fix like a timer solves it, we won't talk you into a bigger job you don't need.

What are the different types of plumbers?

Most plumbers who work on homes cover the same ground: finding leaks, fixing toilets and cisterns, sorting geysers and clearing or repairing drains and sewer lines. Some lean toward one or two of these, others handle the lot. For an older Claremont house, what matters more than the label is whether the plumber knows how galvanised pipes and clay drains age, because that's what decides whether the fix actually holds.

Is this a job for a plumber or an electrician?

If water is involved anywhere in the problem, start with a plumber. A geyser that's tripping the power, a leak near a plug point or damp that's reached wiring can look electrical but usually starts as a water problem. Send us a photo and we'll tell you honestly if it needs an electrician instead, we won't take on a job that isn't ours to fix.

How much does Klipspringer Plumbing charge for a call-out in Claremont?

Call-out (trip and first assessment, first 30 minutes): R450 excl. VAT. Labour, after hours, weekends and public holidays (per hour): R950 excl. VAT per hour: per hour, after hours, weekends and public holidays. R650 excl. VAT per hour, weekdays 07:30–17:00. Call-out: R450 excl. VAT (trip and first assessment, first 30 minutes); after hours, weekends and public holidays: R950 excl. VAT per hour (Labour); After-hours: R850 excl. VAT (call-out); always quoted before we fit them: cost plus a fair handling margin (Parts).

Explore more

• Your Rondebosch rental gets fixed and documented, without you on site

  Old pipes and geysers in Rondebosch rentals fixed and documented, without a site visit.

Stop living with a leaking geyser

A burst geyser floods fast. Pipes pinhole while you wait. One photo tells us what's wrong.

WhatsApp us a photo. We'll quote from it, before we arrive.

See more at Klipspringer Plumbing.