Plumber Price List Singapore (2026): Chokes, Leaks, Taps, Heaters

A simple toilet choke costs from $80 to clear; the price rises with the tool needed and the depth of the blockage.

Choke prices work as a ladder. A simple choke is cleared by hand. A stubborn one needs a manual auger (from $100) or a powered snake (from $130), and a toilet with a foreign object stuck inside may have to come off the floor. A main-pipe blockage is quoted only after testing, because its position, and whether it sits in your branch pipe or the town council's main pipe, shows only once the line is checked. If the blockage is in the main sanitary pipe, the town council handles it. Before any visit, ask which step the quoted price covers, so a simple-clearing price doesn't become a machine job without warning.

HDB links an overflowing floor trap to solids and grease, and a smelly one to trapped particles, or to a toilet left unused for a long period, which lets the smell break through the floor trap's water seal (HDB: floor traps). PUB lists clearing blockages in floor traps, toilets and sanitary appliances as simple works a handyman may do (PUB: plumbing works). HDB advises a PUB Licensed Plumber for serious floor trap chokes and for a toilet choke a plunger can't clear, and HDB requires a PUB Licensed Plumber to install, replace or remove a toilet bowl, including taking it off to reach a blockage.

Related guides cover clearing a choked toilet bowl, choke clearing cost in Singapore, the HDB floor trap choke, and the HDB kitchen sink choke.

Finding a visible leak costs from $60; the repair then depends on what failed: a hose, a trap, or an exposed or concealed pipe.

Exposed leaks are the cheaper kind, because the fault can be seen and reached. Flexible hoses under sinks and basins are among the first parts to fail in older flats, and a hose leak costs from $60 plus the hose. Copper pipe repair costs more than PVC. A concealed leak, hidden in a wall, under tiles or in a ceiling, is investigated first (from $180), and the repair is quoted after diagnosis, because the method, such as opening tiles or rerouting a pipe, isn't known until the source is found.

For a leaking pipe, HDB's advice is to shut the stopcock at your flat's PUB water sub-meter, just outside your main door or in a service cupboard (HDB: pipes). Do that first, then photograph where the water is coming out. Repairing a water pipe itself is work for a PUB Licensed Plumber.

Read more on detecting water leakage in a ceiling, concealed pipe leaks in HDB flats, and what to do about a burst pipe in an HDB flat.

A toilet inspection or minor adjustment costs from $60, and a toilet that keeps running costs from $70 to fix.

Most toilet faults sit in the cistern, and many are adjustments rather than new parts. For an overflowing cistern, HDB pairs each cause with its fix: a water level set too high is lowered at the valve screw, a damaged ball float is replaced, and a worn-out washer is replaced (HDB: toilets). HDB also lists an angle valve (which HDB calls the ball valve) not fully open, a float set too high or low, and a defective or stuck outlet seal as causes of cistern trouble. When a part has to go, a flush valve costs from $90, plus the part. PUB's simple-works list doesn't name the inlet (fill) valve or the angle valve, so have a PUB Licensed Plumber replace either.

The toilet bowl itself is different. PUB counts installing, changing or relocating a toilet bowl as sanitary plumbing work for a PUB Licensed Plumber, while replacing the cistern's flushing mechanism is simple work a handyman may do.

Related guides explain a toilet that keeps running after flushing, HDB toilet bowl replacement cost, a toilet bowl leaking at the base, and a leaking bidet spray.

A leaking tap costs from $60 to repair, and replacing a basin tap costs from $65 plus the tap.

HDB notes that a pillar tap usually leaks when its washer is worn out (HDB: sinks and wash basins), so a drip is often a repair, not a new tap. Single-lever mixer taps usually use a cartridge instead of a washer. A mixer tap costs more to fit (from $80) because it has hot and cold supply hoses. If you buy the tap yourself, check that its mounting (deck or wall), hole size and connections match the old one.

Swapping a tap or mixer is on PUB's list of simple plumbing works a handyman may do. Adding a new tap point, which means laying or altering water pipes, is regulated work for a PUB Licensed Plumber.

For more detail, see fixing a leaking tap in Singapore, and tap replacement cost for kitchen, basin and mixer taps.

A basin leak repair costs from $70, and a shower head costs from $50 to replace, plus the shower head.

Under most HDB sinks and basins sits a bottle trap, which HDB calls the common wash trap. Its chokes come from solid matter or hardened grease, and a replacement costs from $80 plus the part. Replacing a whole basin or kitchen sink is priced as labour, or with a basic basin supplied.

On the shower side, a weak shower is diagnosed first (from $80). If only the shower is weak, the shower head or hose is usually clogged with scale. If every tap in the flat is weak but the neighbours' are fine, check that the valve at the water sub-meter is fully open. HDB asks residents to tell the town council about low water pressure caused by a malfunctioning booster pump, so if the neighbours are weak too, call the town council. A rain shower needs enough water pressure and, with an instant heater, enough heater flow, so check both before you buy one.

Related guides cover a basin leaking underneath, kitchen sink replacement cost in Singapore, low water pressure in an HDB flat, and rain showers in HDB flats.

Replacing an instant water heater costs from $130 in labour, plus the heater; a storage heater swap needs a PUB Licensed Plumber.

A storage heater costs more to replace than an instant one: the tank is heavier, it hangs on the wall or ceiling, and it needs a pressure relief valve and more pipework. A new installation costs more than a replacement because it needs a new water and power point. A heater that won't heat is diagnosed first (from $80), and an electrical fault is priced after inspection.

Water heaters come with their own safety rules. The Consumer Product Safety Office says electric water heaters are Controlled Goods that must carry the SAFETY Mark, and advises having one wired by a licensed electrical worker through a double-pole switch, with a pressure relief valve on storage heaters (CPSO: water heaters). On the water side, PUB lists replacing or removing the pipe between a stop valve and an instantaneous water heater as simple work. New pipes to a new heater point, and installing, replacing or relocating a storage heater, need a PUB Licensed Plumber.

From 1 Apr 2026, only 5-tick water heaters can be bought with Climate Vouchers (Climate Friendly Households: water heaters). Guides on instant vs storage water heaters, water heater replacement cost in Singapore, a water heater that isn't hot, a water heater that keeps tripping, a leaking water heater and water heater Climate Vouchers go further.

Each price covers the labour and the checks the service lists; parts, harder access, heavier methods and concealed pipes cost more.

This price list is per job, not per hour. When you compare plumbers, ask whether each quote is per job or per hour, and what it includes. These things raise the price:

• Parts: taps, hoses, valves, traps, seats and flush parts are added to labour where marked.
• The method: a choke that needs an auger or powered snake costs more than one cleared by hand.
• The pipe: copper costs more than PVC, and concealed pipes cost more than exposed ones.
• Access: pipes behind tiles, cabinets or false ceilings take longer to reach.
• New versus replacement: a new heater or basin point needs pipework a like-for-like swap doesn't.
• Shared pipes: a choke or leak that involves the town council's pipe or a neighbour's flat takes longer to sort out.

Which jobs are priced after diagnosis?

• A main-pipe or deep blockage: its position and owner are unknown until the line is tested.
• A concealed leak repair: the source and repair method are found during the investigation.
• A water heater electrical fault: it needs an inspection, and wiring work needs a licensed electrical worker.

What's included in the price?

A job price covers the labour and the checks each service lists: a flow test after clearing a choke, a leak test after tap work, a pressure check on leak repairs, silicone sealing on basin work, and a leak and function test on water heaters. Parts are extra where marked.

What photos help get an accurate price?

• The fixture and any model label: tap type, heater model and capacity, cistern type.
• The pipes and fittings under the sink or basin.
• Where the water collects, and any stain on the ceiling or wall.
• A 10-second video of a slow drain, a backing-up floor trap or a running cistern.
• Anything in the way, such as a cabinet or false ceiling panel.

What should you ask any plumber before booking?

• Is the price per job, and which step of the job does it cover?
• Can I get an itemised quote?
• Are parts included, or added?
• If the job needs a PUB Licensed Plumber, is the plumber on PUB's register?
• What happens if the fault turns out to be in the town council's pipe?

Most water pipe and sanitary work in Singapore needs a PUB Licensed Plumber; handymen may do only a short list of simple jobs.

PUB defines water service work as laying, installing, altering, repairing or replacing water pipes, tanks, taps and fittings, and says it must be done by a Licensed Plumber, except for the simple works above (PUB: plumbing works). Treat jobs not on the list, such as changing a stop or angle valve, as licensed work. Since 1 Apr 2018, it has been an offence to engage a plumber not licensed by PUB for regulated water service and sanitary plumbing works.

To check a plumber, search their name on PUB's licensed plumber search, linked from the same PUB page. The guide to which plumbing jobs need a PUB-licensed plumber has the full list.

In an HDB flat, the owner maintains the flat's sanitary branch pipes, and the town council maintains the main sanitary pipes.

If only one fixture drains slowly, the choke is usually in its trap or branch pipe, which is the owner's job. If several fixtures back up at once, or the neighbours report the same problem, tell the town council first. For ceiling leaks, HDB lists a few contractors for reference only and says you negotiate the price with them yourself (HDB: ceiling leaks). Tenants should check their tenancy agreement before booking any repair. The guides on who pays for a pipe choke in an HDB flat and who pays for an HDB ceiling leak explain each case.