Plumber in Amsterdam — help in English

If something is happening right now

Water coming in: close the main water valve first. In most homes here it is in the meter cupboard by the front door, in a hallway cupboard, or under the stairs. Find it now rather than during a leak — it is the one thing that stops the damage getting worse while you wait.

If water is coming through a ceiling, switch off the electricity to that part of the house at the fuse box before you put anything under it.

If your carbon monoxide alarm sounds, or you suspect carbon monoxide: warn everyone in the house, get outside, and call 112. That is the order the Dutch fire service gives, and it does not change because you are unsure. Your grid operator advises opening all windows immediately. Do not wait to find the cause first.

If you smell gas, do not switch anything on or off — not a light, not a phone charger. Open windows, leave, and call from outside.

What we do

Boilers and central heating

Your boiler stops, makes noise, loses pressure, or shows an error code. We service, repair and replace central heating boilers.

On the phone we can often tell from the symptom and the error code whether this is a repair or the end of the boiler's life. That matters before anyone drives out to you.

Leaks

A wet patch on a ceiling, a water meter that keeps turning when every tap is closed, a radiator that drips.

Finding the leak is usually the work; fixing it is often the quick part. That is why we ask what you have already seen before we come — it shortens the search.

Blocked drains

Toilet, kitchen sink, shower, or the main drain running out to the street.

In much of this region the sewer under the public road is the municipality's responsibility and they clear it at no cost to you. The section between your house and the property line is yours. We will tell you which side of that line you are on instead of billing you for it.

Bathrooms and sanitary work

Taps, toilets, showers, and complete bathroom installations.

Including the pipework behind the wall, which is what decides whether the rest of it lasts.

General plumbing

Water pipes, drainage, outdoor taps, and the old lead or galvanised pipework that is still common in pre-war housing here.

How a job runs

You call or send a message with what is going on. Three things make a first estimate useful instead of a guess: what exactly you see or hear, since when, and what is on the label of the appliance. With those we can often say on the phone what is likely wrong and whether it can wait.

You hear what it costs before we drive out, not on the invoice afterwards. If a job turns out to be bigger than it looked, you hear that while we are there and before that part starts — not when it is finished.

One engineer comes. The same one who was on the phone, so you do not have to explain it twice, and so nobody has to be talked through it second-hand.

Where we work

27 towns and districts across Noord-Holland. The place names are Dutch — these are the names on your address and on the road signs.

• Zaandam
• Amsterdam-Noord
• Purmerend
• Oostzaan
• Monnickendam
• Landsmeer
• Koog aan de Zaan
• Zaandijk
• Wormerveer
• Krommenie
• Assendelft
• Wormer
• Volendam
• Edam
• Marken
• Broek in Waterland
• Ilpendam
• Diemen
• Weesp
• Haarlem
• Beverwijk
• Alkmaar
• Hoorn
• Amsterdam
• Heemskerk
• Castricum
• Uitgeest

Not on the list? Call and ask — the edge of the area is a driving time, not a hard border.

Questions we get from people who have just moved here

I rent. Do I pay for this, or does my landlord?

For a rented home in the Netherlands, maintenance and repair of the boiler is normally the landlord's responsibility, not yours. Small day-to-day things — bleeding a radiator, topping up the pressure — are usually yours. If you are not sure, call before you agree to anything: we can often tell from the symptom which side of that line it falls on.

Do I need permission from the VvE?

If you live in an apartment, the owners' association — the VvE — usually owns the shared pipework, the risers between floors, and often the flue. Work on those needs their agreement; work inside your own flat generally does not. A blocked stack that affects your neighbours is almost always a VvE matter rather than yours alone. We will tell you which one you are dealing with before we start, because it decides who gets the bill.

The drain outside is blocked. Is that mine?

Often not. In most of this region the sewer under the public road belongs to the municipality, and they clear it at no cost to you. The section between your house and the property line is yours. Knowing where that line runs is the difference between a bill and a phone call.

Where is the main water shut-off valve?

Usually in the meter cupboard by the front door, in a hallway cupboard, or under the stairs. Find it now rather than during a leak. If water is coming in and you cannot find it, call and we will talk you through it.

It is freezing. Should I be worried about the pipes?

Pipes in unheated spaces are the ones that burst: a garage, a crawl space, an outside tap, a pipe run along an uninsulated wall. Drain and close the outside tap before the first frost. If you leave the house empty in winter, do not switch the heating off completely — leave it low rather than off. A burst pipe is discovered when it thaws, which is usually the moment nobody is there.

What should I have ready when I call?

What you see or hear, since when, and the label on the appliance — brand, model, and the error code if there is a display. That is enough to make the first answer useful. In English is fine.

Answered in full, with the source

• Renting in the Netherlands: who pays for the boiler?If you rent your home in the Netherlands, repairing or replacing the boiler is the landlord's responsibility, not yours. Dutch law puts only a short, closed list of small jobs on the tenant — and a broken boiler is not on it.
• A blocked drain: yours, or the municipality's?In most of this region, the sewer under the public road belongs to the municipality and they clear a blockage there at no cost to you. Only the section between your house and the property line is yours. Knowing which side of that line the blockage sits on is the difference between a bill and a free phone call.
• Lead pipes and old plumbing: is the tap water safe?Lead water pipes were banned in the Netherlands in 1960, so any home built after that is clear. In pre-war housing — common across Amsterdam and the Zaanstreek — they can still be there. Replacement is split at the water meter: the building owner from the meter inwards, the water company from the meter to the street.

How to reach us

Water coming in, no heating in winter, or you smell gas: call. A message can sit unread and those cannot wait.

Anything else — a quote, a dripping tap, a boiler that needs replacing, a question about who pays — send a WhatsApp message. Writing is easier than talking for both of us, you can send it at any hour, and you get an answer you can read back.

What to send: what you see or hear and since when, your postcode and house number, and a photo. A photo of the label on the appliance, the error code on the display, or the wet patch tells us more than a paragraph does. English is fine.

Email works too if you prefer it. There is no English form on this site on purpose: a message with a photo gets you a better answer than a form does.

Call +31640115625 WhatsApp info@mackainstallatie.nl