Why keep one tap on hard water if I fit a softener?

Because ion-exchange softening swaps calcium and magnesium for sodium, so softened water carries added sodium and isn't ideal as a household's main drinking and cooking water. The Drinking Water Inspectorate advises keeping an unsoftened supply for drinking where a softener is fitted, and the standard arrangement leaves the kitchen cold tap (or a dedicated drinking tap) on the unsoftened mains while softening the rest. If a plumber proposes softening the whole supply, drinking tap included, ask them to keep one tap unsoftened.

Do I need to tell my water company about kitchen work?

For routine sink, tap and appliance work, no. But some installations are notifiable before work starts — WaterSafe's list includes a water treatment unit that produces wastewater (covering many softeners) and a reverse-osmosis unit, with ten working days for the company to respond. Using an approved contractor doesn't remove that requirement for RO or wastewater-producing treatment units — they still need notifying, though an approved contractor can certify the work complies and help with the process. In split-supply Ealing, the notification goes to whoever bills you.

Kitchen Plumbing in Ealing | Verified Plumbers

Q: There's water under my kitchen units — where's it from?

Usual suspects, in order: the appliance connections (dishwasher/washing-machine fill or waste, and aged flexi hoses), the sink waste and trap, the tap tails and isolation valves, and least often the supply pipework itself. Because a fitted kitchen hides all of it, a slow leak can swell a cabinet base before you notice. Clear the cupboard, dry it, and watch where it returns — and if it's not obvious, a leak-detection approach beats pulling units out blind (see leak detection).

The kitchen is the most plumbed room in the house — sink, dishwasher, washing machine, sometimes a softener or filter — and the one where hard-water Ealing makes the strongest case for keeping a drinking tap on the unsoftened mains. Here’s the kitchen done properly.

✅ Checked before listing — identity, insurance, trading presence, Gas Safe (where relevant). How we verify →
✅ Workmanship guarantee badges on listings — 1, 3, 6 or 12 months

Kitchen jobs range from a tap-and-waste hour to a full fit-out — ask whether appliance connection, waste and isolation valves are included in the quote.

Contact verified plumbers in Ealing ↓

Are you a plumber covering Ealing?

Use the search above to find a local expert

Coverage: W3, W5, W7, W13, UB1, UB2, UB5 and UB6, plus the NW10 fringe around North Acton and Park Royal.
What this covers: sinks and taps, waste and supply pipework, dishwasher and washing-machine connections, water softeners and filters, and full kitchen plumbing fit-outs.
Not this page: a stand-alone appliance install is washing machine & dishwasher installation; a blocked kitchen waste is blocked drains; a dripping tap alone is tap repair.
Costs: an hour to a multi-day fit-out — see what it costs.
Availability: mostly planned work; a leaking appliance connection can be urgent.

Jump to: What kitchen plumbing covers · The drinking-water question · Softeners, filters and notification · Appliances done right · By district · Costs · FAQs

What kitchen plumbing actually covers

Kitchen plumbing is sink and supply, waste, and appliances — plus the fit-out coordination when a kitchen is being replaced. The everyday jobs: installing and connecting sinks and taps; running and altering hot and cold supplies; getting waste right, including the trap arrangements for a double bowl, a waste disposal unit or an appliance standpipe; connecting dishwashers and washing machines correctly; and fitting softeners and filters where wanted. On a full fit-out, the plumber’s first and second fix bracket the fitter’s work — pipework and waste positioned before units go in, appliances and tap connected after. A good first fix caps old supplies cleanly, renews isolation valves, tests wastes before the units cover them, and leaves access where it can.

The recurring kitchen failures are the unglamorous ones: a sink waste with a double-bowl trap or appliance spigot set with backfall, so it gurgles, smells or drains slowly; and an appliance connection done in haste — a washing-machine or dishwasher fill or waste that leaks slowly behind a unit, or a flexi hose reused past its life. Behind a fitted kitchen, those are leaks you don’t see until the cabinet base swells — which is why the small connection details earn the care. Under-sink space is its own puzzle: a softener, a filter, a drinking tap, a waste disposal unit, the dishwasher waste, the trap and the isolation valves can all end up competing for one cupboard, and planning that space is part of the job.

The drinking-water question

This is the kitchen point worth settling before any softener conversation: for an ion-exchange water softener, retaining an unsoftened tap for drinking and cooking is strongly advised and standard good practice — normally the cold tap at the kitchen sink. The reason is straightforward: ion-exchange softening replaces calcium and magnesium with sodium, so softened water carries added sodium and isn’t ideal as a household’s primary drinking water. The Drinking Water Inspectorate advises keeping a supply of unsoftened water for drinking and cooking where a softener is fitted.⁴ The legal requirement is that drinking water remains wholesome; the practical way to satisfy it with a softener is to leave the kitchen cold tap on the unsoftened mains and soften the rest.

It matters more in Ealing than most boroughs, because both supply areas are genuinely hard: the council’s Infrastructure Delivery Plan maps drinking water as split between Affinity Water in much of the west and Thames Water in the east¹, and both companies confirm hard water — Affinity Water from chalky-limestone groundwater², Thames Water for its region³. So the softener question comes up a lot here — and a good plumber raises the unsoftened-drinking-tap point before you do.

Softeners, filters and notification

A water softener is a popular Ealing upgrade and a legitimate response to genuinely hard water — and some treatment units are notifiable before installation. WaterSafe‘s list of work that must be notified to your water company before it starts includes a water treatment unit that produces wastewater (which covers many softeners on regeneration) and a reverse-osmosis unit, with the water company having ten working days to respond.⁵ Importantly, the approved-contractor exemption under Regulation 5 does not cover reverse-osmosis units or wastewater-producing treatment units — so these still require prior notification regardless of who installs them.⁶ A WaterSafe-approved contractor can issue a certificate that the work complies and can help with the notification process, but doesn’t remove the requirement to notify for these categories. In split-supply Ealing the notification goes to whichever company bills the property.¹

Beyond notification, the softener and its connections, like all supply-side fittings, must meet the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999 — appropriate quality, suitable, workmanlike⁷, with WRAS or equivalent certification (NSF REG4, Kiwa KUKreg4) used to demonstrate it⁸ — and the unsoftened drinking tap from the section above is the standard good-practice arrangement.

Appliances done right

Dishwashers and washing machines are the kitchen’s most common plumbing connection — and the most commonly botched. The essentials a verified plumber gets right: a dedicated isolation valve on the supply so the appliance can be shut off without the whole kitchen; a correctly arranged waste — the standpipe height and trap set so the appliance drains properly and an air gap prevents waste water siphoning back into the machine; and hoses that are new and properly secured rather than tired ones reused from the old machine. UK appliance waste arrangements differ in their standpipe-and-trap detail from those used elsewhere, which trips up some self-installs.

This is enough of a topic in its own right that it has its own page: see washing machine & dishwasher installation in Ealing for the detail. As part of a kitchen fit-out, it’s simply one more connection a careful plumber gets right the first time — and in a W5 conversion flat, a dishwasher waste leaking behind an integrated unit may not show until the ceiling below stains, so new hoses, accessible isolation and tested wastes matter.

Renting? Kitchen water and sanitation installations are the landlord’s repairing responsibility under Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985⁹; council tenants use Ealing Council’s repair routes — 0800 181 744 or 020 8825 5682 out of hours.¹⁰

Find a verified kitchen plumber by district

Kitchen plumbing is less postcode-bound than drains — a sink waste connects the same way everywhere. What varies in Ealing is the housing and how hard the water hits the kitchen:

Acton (W3, parts NW10). Period terraces with kitchens in back additions, where supply and waste routing — and maintaining fall on a long run to a rear extension — is the real work; the new Acton Gardens blocks¹¹ bring fitted-kitchen conventions where appliance connections hide behind integrated units. Above-shop flats around the High Street and Churchfield Road can have awkward kitchen waste routes and limited access through boxed-in services.

Ealing (W5, W13). Conversion flats with compact galley kitchens, where a leaking appliance connection becomes the downstairs flat’s ceiling — and where the softener-and-drinking-tap conversation comes up often. Above-shop flats around Ealing Broadway add the same awkward-waste-route challenge.

Greenford (UB6, parts UB5) and Northolt (UB5). Interwar and post-war homes, many with original kitchen layouts being modernised; in estate and ex-council flats, confirm whether supply, waste or isolation runs through shared risers before a fit-out.

Hanwell (W7). Older houses where kitchens have been extended or relocated over the years — inherited supply and waste compromises, including over-long waste runs to rear additions, that a careful fit-out can put right.

Perivale (UB6). Interwar homes whose kitchen pipework may be decades old — a fit-out is the moment to renew supplies and isolation rather than connect new units to tired pipes.

Southall (UB1, UB2). In larger or heavily used kitchens, wherever they occur in the area, appliance isolation and robust waste connections matter most — and the softener question is as live here as anywhere in the borough. Above-shop flats around Southall Broadway can share awkward rear waste routes with the premises below.

What it costs

Kitchen plumbing spans a tap swap to a full fit-out, so the quote detail matters. Ask what’s included — appliance connection, waste alterations, isolation valves, softener install — and whether the plumbing is priced separately from the kitchen fitter’s work.

Job	Indicative range (editorial estimate)
Replace kitchen tap or mixer	£80–£200
Plumb in a dishwasher or washing machine	£80–£180
Install a water softener (supplied separately)	£200–£500
Sink, waste and supply for a new kitchen (plumbing element)	£300–£800
Full kitchen plumbing fit-out (multi-stage)	£800–£2,500+

Editorial estimate only, for orientation. These are NOT regulated rates, NOT market data and NOT a published cost survey — appliance count, softener choice and access change the price. Always get an itemised written quote.

There is no official price list for kitchen work in Ealing. Local cost context: Ealing is inside London’s ULEZ¹², and the council’s infrastructure evidence records half the borough’s road network as covered by controlled parking zones¹ — a multi-day fit-out may carry several days of contractor parking. For reading any quote line by line, see how to read a plumbing quote.

Frequently asked questions

It’s a reasonable choice — both Ealing supply areas are genuinely hard,⁴ and a softener protects appliances, pipework and fittings from scale.

For an ion-exchange softener, keep at least one tap — normally the kitchen cold — on the unsoftened mains for drinking and cooking, which the Drinking Water Inspectorate advises, since softening adds sodium.⁴

Factor the install correctly too: a softener that regenerates produces wastewater, which makes it notifiable to your water company before installation.⁵

Drinking Water Inspectorate — water softeners

London Hard Water Guide

Because ion-exchange softening swaps calcium and magnesium for sodium, so softened water carries added sodium and isn’t ideal as a household’s main drinking and cooking water.

The Drinking Water Inspectorate advises keeping an unsoftened supply for drinking where a softener is fitted,⁴ and the standard arrangement leaves the kitchen cold tap, or a dedicated drinking tap, on the unsoftened mains while softening the rest.

If a plumber proposes softening the whole supply, drinking tap included, ask them to keep one tap unsoftened.

Drinking Water Inspectorate — water softeners

It’s doable with existing valved connections, but the details that prevent floods and contamination are easy to get wrong: a proper isolation valve, the correct waste arrangement with the right standpipe height and an air gap so dirty water can’t siphon back into the machine, and new hoses rather than reused ones.

UK waste arrangements differ in detail from those used elsewhere, which trips up some self-installs.

If your kitchen doesn’t already have the valved supply and waste in place, it’s a plumber’s job — see appliance installation in Ealing .

Common causes, cheapest first: a scaled aerator on the spout — unscrew and descale, a frequent Ealing culprit — a partly closed or scaled isolation valve under the sink, scale in the tap cartridge, or a genuine supply-pressure issue affecting the whole property.

Boiling-water, filtered and pull-out spray taps are especially sensitive to scale narrowing their valves.

If only the hot side is weak, suspect the hot-water system or a scaled connection rather than the mains.

A plumber will work through these in order rather than jumping to replacing the tap.

Usual suspects, in order: the appliance connections, including dishwasher or washing-machine fill or waste and aged flexi hoses; the sink waste and trap; the tap tails and isolation valves; and least often the supply pipework itself.

Because a fitted kitchen hides all of it, a slow leak can swell a cabinet base before you notice.

Clear the cupboard, dry it, and watch where it returns — and if it’s not obvious, a leak-detection approach beats pulling units out blind. See leak detection in Ealing .

For routine sink, tap and appliance work, no.

But some installations are notifiable before work starts — WaterSafe’s list includes a water treatment unit that produces wastewater, covering many softeners, and a reverse-osmosis unit, with ten working days for the company to respond.⁵

Using an approved contractor doesn’t remove that requirement for RO or wastewater-producing treatment units — they still need notifying,⁶ though an approved contractor can certify the work complies and help with the process.

In split-supply Ealing, the notification goes to whoever bills you.¹

Why verified plumbers — not a general directory

Kitchen plumbing hides behind units within a day of being done — a botched appliance connection or a softener wired across the drinking supply isn’t visible until it’s a problem. That’s why every listing here is checked before going live and re-verified annually: we confirm the business is legitimately trading and verify the named contact, we check evidence of public liability insurance, and we confirm the plumber covers Ealing’s W and UB postcodes before a profile is approved.

The supply-side fittings and water-using appliances in kitchen work are water-fittings work — you can look any plumber up yourself on WaterSafe, the free, water-industry-backed national register, whose approved members can certify that their work complies and help with any softener or treatment-unit notification. The wastewater pipework falls under Building Regulations rather than the Water Fittings Regulations. Where any gas appliance is involved — a gas hob or cooker connection — that’s a job for the Gas Safe Register, which we confirm directly. Profiles may be suspended or removed if credentials lapse or credible concerns are raised — see the full verification process →

There’s no pay-to-play ranking of listings and no customer middleman fee: enquiries go directly to the plumber.

Related areas

Verified kitchen plumbers across Ealing’s neighbourhoods, including:

Acton
Brentham Garden Suburb
Central Greenford
Dormers Wells
Ealing Broadway
Ealing Common
East Acton
Greenford
Greenford Broadway
Hanger Hill
Hanwell
Hanwell Broadway
Lady Margaret
Montpelier
North Acton
North Ealing
North Greenford
North Hanwell
Northfields
Northolt
Northolt Mandeville
Northolt West End
Norwood Green
Perivale
Pitshanger
South Acton
South Ealing
Southall
Southall Broadway
Southall Green
Southall West
Walpole
West Ealing

Related services

Other verified plumbing services in Ealing:

Related guides

A kitchen in Ealing is plumbed for hard water whether anyone planned it or not — which is why the softener-and-drinking-tap arrangement, the appliance connections and the compliant fittings matter as much as the units on top. The verified plumbers listed above get the hidden half right, so the visible half lasts.

Contact verified plumbers in Ealing ↑

← Back to all plumbing services in Ealing

Last reviewed: June 2026 by Adiel Khan — SFEDI-accredited business advisor 20+ years experience (South East Enterprise Ltd) and operator of VerifiedPlumbers. LinkedIn ↗

This page is checked for compliance and regulatory accuracy against the regulations and bodies cited on this page, including the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999, Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, WaterSafe, Thames Water, Affinity Water, the Drinking Water Inspectorate, Ealing Council and Transport for London. Source links are provided within this page where relevant.

Sources & further reading

Ealing Council Infrastructure Delivery Plan, Part One: Infrastructure Baseline Report, Feb 2024 (water supply split; CPZ coverage) — https://www.ealing.gov.uk/download/downloads/id/19508/part_one_infrastructure_baseline_report.pdf
Affinity Water (water hardness) — https://www.affinitywater.co.uk/water-quality/hardness
Thames Water (hard water) — https://www.thameswater.co.uk/help/water-and-waste-help/water-quality/hard-water
Drinking Water Inspectorate (hardness, scaling and softener advice) — https://www.dwi.gov.uk/consumers/learn-more-about-your-water/water-hardness-hard-water/
WaterSafe (do I need to notify my water supply company of planned plumbing work) — https://www.watersafe.org.uk/advice/hiring_a_plumber/planning_your_plumbing_work/do_i_need_to_notify_my_water_supply_company_of_planned_plumbing_work/
Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999, Regulation 5 (notification; approved-contractor exemption) — https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1999/1148/regulation/5
Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999 — https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1999/1148/contents/made
WRAS (how to demonstrate compliance to Regulation 4) — https://www.wrasapprovals.co.uk/news/articles/compliance1/
Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, Section 11 (landlord repairing obligations) — https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1985/70/section/11
Ealing Council (reporting a housing repair) — https://www.ealing.gov.uk/info/201093/repairs_-_council_property/2742/reporting_a_housing_repair
Ealing Council (South Acton Estate regeneration) — https://www.ealing.gov.uk/info/201104/housing_regeneration/377/south_acton_estate
Transport for London (Ultra Low Emission Zone) — https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/ultra-low-emission-zone
NSF (NSF REG4 certification — Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations compliance) — https://www.nsf.org/water-systems/regional-certification-approvals/uk-approvals-certifications/nsf-reg4-certification
Kiwa (KUKreg4 — demonstrating Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999 compliance) — https://www.kiwa.com/gb/en-gb/insights/stories/water-regulation-4-compliance—dispelling-the-myth-of-wras-approval/