Quick answer
A local handyman-type company might quote around £50–£80 to swap a tap? However the safety valves needed to stop your water supply becoming contaminated cost close to that on their own, so a price in that range is unlikely to include them — which means the risk of contracting Legionnaires' Disease, Leptospirosis, Giardia or Norovirus from your own taps would be higher than you'd probably like.
The slightly longer answer
A far better option is to contact a qualified plumber — but specifically one who holds both a Water Regulations qualification and a Legionella Risk Assessment qualification. (The main awarding bodies for these are WRAS, BPEC and City & Guilds.)
Why do these qualifications matter?
A plumber holding a Water Regulations qualification has proven, under exam conditions, that they understand the dangers of waterborne illness and what the Water Regulations require to minimise the risk to everyone living in the home. Leptospirosis, Giardia and Norovirus are biological agents that can thrive in a plumbing system that fails to comply with Water Regulations.
Legionnaires' Disease is less common in a domestic property than the illnesses above, but it does happen and is potentially fatal.
Your risk of Legionnaies Disease in your home is increased when pipes are installed or modified in a way that creates sections of redundant pipework, or areas of low/stagnant flow. Your risk can be increased further if the installer uses materials that are more likely to encourage bacterial growth — materials which are usually cheaper to buy and quicker to install.
Here's roughly what a compliant tap installation actually involves:
- Check the existing isolation & service valves. Are the correct valves already present at the tap, and do they meet current Water Regulations? Many older installations are missing these valves entirely, meaning they will need to be installed.
- Check the pipework. Is the supply pipe in good condition, or does it show signs of corrosion and/or leaks?
- Connect the tap. The new tap is fitted and connected to the supply, making sure to remove any redundant pipework that has been identifed.
- Test for leaks. Every connection is checked under pressure before we consider the job finished.
- Flush through. The system is flushed through with clean water to remove any particles that have entered the pipe during the installation process.
Anyone can legally call themselves a plumber
Did you know that YOU can legally set yourself up in business as a plumber with no qualifications, no experience whatsoever and charge people to work on the plumbing system in their home?
To be clear, we are not suggesting you do this, but there is nothing legally stopping you. If you done this and then (as a result of your work) someone became sick in the property, nothing happens to you because it is the homeowner's responsibility to ensure their plumber is qualifed for the task at hand.
Always choose a plumber who can prove their qualifications and that way, if something ever did go wrong, your plumber is liable — not you. When you choose a cheaper, unqualified option, that liability sits with you as the homeowner.
If your property is a rental property, your obligations go further with regards to Leginnaires Disease Prevention as detailed on the Health & Safety website. (Links below)
Click here to read the HSE's Approved Code of Practice on legionella (L8) → | HSE guidance on legionella in health & social care settings →
Why we use copper, not plastic
When pipework needs upgrading to bring an installation up to standard, it can be done in plastic for less money — and it would still pass the regulations. However we use copper instead, and it's worth knowing why:
- Copper has a natural anti-bacterial quality that plastic doesn't, which supports the same aim as both the Legionella Prevention and Water Regulation guidance mentioned above — keeping bacterial growth out of your plumbing system.
- It gives a neater, more robust finish.
- It's far less prone to leaking if it's knocked — something that happens more often than you'd think when the cupboard is full.
- Unlike plastic, copper isn't vulnerable to being chewed through by rodents. — A problem that seems to be a more common cause of leaks in recent years!
- Copper is 100% recyclable; plastic pipe isn't.
None of this is required by the regulations — plastic would still be legal. It's simply the standard we choose to work to.
Costs
Pricing this job properly depends on the state of your current installation, so here's exactly how it works:
We charge £47 to attend, inspect the current installation and give you a fixed price for the work. If you decide not to go ahead, that's the only fee you pay — nothing more.
If you decide to proceed with the work straight away and your existing pipework already meets the Water Regulations, the job is classed as a small installation and charged at our minimum rate for installation/repair work which is £187.
This £187 will include the £47 already paid, plus materials (typically a few replacement seals/washers) — so you'd pay a further £140, plus the cost of the replacement seals/washers.
If the installation doesn't currently comply — for example missing isolation or safety valves — the price will be higher, and will depend entirely on what needs bringing up to standard. Many clients are surprised by how much the valves alone add to the material cost. In this situation, if the total price ends up more than you'd budgeted and you need to postpone the installation, your only cost remains the £47 to attend your property, access the installation and calculate a fixed price for the work.
Things that can increase the cost
| Situation | Why it adds cost |
|---|---|
| Tiled bath panel | If the panel can't easily be removed to reach the connections underneath, extra time and access work is needed. |
| Back-edge bath taps | Taps fitted on the back edge of the bath, away from the panel, sometimes can't be reached without removing the bath itself. |
| Blocked access | Where a unit, basin or toilet has been fitted close to the bath and blocks access to the taps, it will need removing first. |
| Single taps → mixer taps | Mixer taps require more safety valves than single taps. These are unlikely to already be present and will need supplying. |
| Kettle taps | A more involved installation than a standard tap, which increases the cost. |
Legal obligations
As a qualified plumber, we're obliged to make sure every installation complies with the Water Regulations. If we cut corners to offer a lower price and someone in your home became ill as a result, we would be liable to prosecution.
If you were to employ someone who isn't qualified, that liability for prosecution falls on you as the homeowner if someone becomes ill — or worse.
As a company, we're not willing to cut corners. The price we give you to change your taps will simply the cost to do the work correctly.
Is Exclusive Trades the company you want?
The first thing you need to know is, you will find a cheaper company elsewhere, meaning if you are specifically looking for the cheapest company in town, we are not the company you're looking for.
Upon completion of any work, we welcome an inspection from the Local Water Authority or Building Control to verify our work fully complies with all relevant regulations.
Obviously we understand that nobody wants to pay more than they have to for work in their home, but at the same time you probably don't want your water supply exposing you and your loved ones to waterborne illness, do you? (Leptospirosis, Giardia and Norovirus can all be contracted through the plumbing installation in your home if certain regulations are 'overlooked' in an attempt to keep costs down. Legionnaires' Disease, while less common domestically, does happen and can be fatal.)
We would rather be known as the Expensive Company
in town, rather than a company that put you or your loved ones in hospital because they wanted to help you out with a cheaper price!
If the safety of everyone in your home is important to you, we might be the company you are looking for? Keep reading the next section to see if we are the type of company you want to have working in your home.
Before You Contact Us. . .
Assuming you. . .
- Want the work to comply with all regulations.
- Want the work carried out to a high standard.
- Accept we will not be the cheapest company in town.
. . . then there is just one last question to determine if we are the right company for you? . . . Would you object to having 'Freddy' in your home while the work takes place?
If you have no objections to Freddy being in your home while this work takes place, contact us using the button below to schedule your appointment now.