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What is a header tank, and who should look at it?
A header tank is the stored-water cistern people ask about in a loft, and in Cheshire that look belongs to a plumber rather than a householder on a chair. This page says what the quote should name, and it does not tell you to open the hatch.
Last reviewed:What do people mean by a header tank?
In a house with stored cold water, the header tank is the cistern that holds that water, usually above the outlets it feeds. In an older heating system that is open to the air, a separate small tank in the loft can top up the heating circuit. Household speech uses "header tank" for both. A quote that says only "header tank" can mean either, so the first line of your job should say what you think you have, or that you do not know.
This page is about the tank as an object: where it sits, what a quote should name, and what you should not do to it. A trickling sound you cannot place is a different question, on a trickling sound. The flush on the pan is on toilet repairs.
Crewe, Nantwich and Sandbach are the towns this wording starts from. Anyone in the UK can post or register.
Why is the loft not the place to start?
HSE says work at height means work in any place where, if there were no precautions in place, a person could fall a distance liable to cause personal injury [S1]. It says to avoid that work where it is reasonably practicable, and that it must be carried out by competent people [S1]. A ceiling you can step through from a hatch is that kind of place. This page does not tell you to measure the tank, to photograph the lid, or to test a float.
If you have never been in the loft, say so. If a previous owner told you there is a tank, say you were told, and that you have not checked. Memory is enough for a job post. A measurement taken while standing on the ceiling is not.
HSE: work at height. QuoteZila is not affiliated with this organisation.
The HSE page on working at height is the source for that definition.
What if the tank is old?
HSE's diagram for a house lists an asbestos cement water tank among indoor places asbestos can occur [S2]. It also says asbestos can be present in any building built or refurbished before 2000, and that disturbing those materials releases fibres you cannot see, smell or feel [S3]. A lid that looks like ordinary plastic might still sit on an older cistern. Do not break a corner off to check.
Say "old tank, not disturbed" if that is true. Ask the plumber to say, in the quote, whether they expect to leave the tank, to re-line it, or to replace it, and what happens to the old one. This page does not name a replacement material and does not describe a joint.
What should the quote separate?
Ask for these as separate lines, even if one firm does all of them:
- Which tank: stored cold water, heating top-up, or both, and how they will tell.
- Whether the price includes finding the tank, or assumes you have already shown them a photo.
- Whether boards, a light or a larger hatch are included. A larger hatch can change the job. This page does not describe how to alter one.
- Who moves stored boxes, if the loft is full.
- What happens to the old tank if it comes out, including whether they think it should be treated as asbestos cement [S2].
WaterSafe Register describes itself as a free online directory of plumbers and water supply pipe installers that can be searched [S4]. Use that search yourself. Plumbers and heating engineers are the trades to compare, and they are not the same visit if gas is involved.
Gas pipework and a gas boiler are not a header-tank description. Check an engineer on the Gas Safe Register for that part of the work. Gas Safe Register. QuoteZila is not affiliated with this organisation.
How should you read the price?
Citizens Advice says some traders charge for quotes, so ask first, and to try to get written quotes from at least 3 traders [S5]. A quote is a fixed price and an estimate is a rough guess [S5]. The breakdown should separate materials [S5]. For a tank, "materials" means the cistern, the fittings they name, and any support they add. A price that says "tank" and nothing else cannot be compared with a price that includes a new platform and a new lid.
If they offer a daily rate, Citizens Advice says to get the days and the hours in writing, or the work can be strung out [S5]. A loft visit that becomes a second day because the hatch was too small should have been a question on day one, not a surprise.
A business registers for VAT when taxable turnover for the last 12 months goes over £90,000 [S6]. Ask whether the figure you are comparing includes VAT.
Jobs you might post
These are examples, not taken from real job posts.
- "Cold-water tank in the loft, I have not opened the hatch. Please quote to inspect and say whether it should stay or be replaced. Do not break the tank to test it."
- "Open heating system. I think there is a small tank in the loft as well as a cold tank. Please say which one your price covers. Gas boiler is not part of this job."
- "Tank dripped onto the landing ceiling last winter. Ceiling is stained. Please quote the tank only, and say if a plasterer is needed for the ceiling."
What does a good reply look like?
A useful reply names the tank, says whether access is included, and says what they will do if the cistern looks like asbestos cement. A reply that only says "we will sort the header" is not comparable with one that lists those lines.
Up to five matched local businesses can send a quote [QZ2]. QuoteZila is free for customers and local businesses [QZ1]. Wider plumbing visits are described on the plumber cost guide.
Honest status: QuoteZila is new. We're starting in Cheshire, beginning with Crewe, Nantwich and Sandbach, and growing area by area. Anyone in the UK can still post a job or register a business. How fast you get quotes depends on how many local businesses have joined near you. Businesses can register and receive jobs straight away. We don't check insurance, qualifications or registrations, so please check these yourself before you hire.
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Is a header tank the same as a toilet cistern?
No. A toilet cistern is the small box on the pan that flushes the bowl. A header tank, in the way this page uses the words, is the larger stored-water cistern, often in the loft, that feeds cold outlets or an open heating system. Repairs to the pan and the flush are a different job.
Is every header tank a heating tank?
Not in ordinary speech. Some people mean the cold-water storage cistern. Others mean the smaller feed-and-expansion tank on an open heating system. The quote should say which tank the plumber is pricing. This page does not tell those two tanks apart from a photograph you have not taken.
Should I lift the lid?
No. HSE says work at height is any place where a person could fall a distance liable to cause injury if precautions were not there, and that such work should be avoided where reasonably practicable. An old tank can also be asbestos cement. Leave the lid where it is.
Who is allowed to work on the heating side?
If the tank is only stored cold water, a plumber is the trade to ask. If the job touches a gas boiler or gas pipework, that part is for an engineer on the Gas Safe Register. Say what you can see from the landing, and let the person you hire say which trade the tank needs.
Does QuoteZila check plumbers?
No. We don't check insurance, qualifications or registrations, so please check these yourself before you hire. You can report a quote or a business from your job page.
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Related trades
Cost guides
Related pages
- How to remove a toilet flush valve. How to take out a push-button toilet flush valve to change a worn seal, which valves twist out, which need the cistern off, and when to call a plumber.
- How to remove a toilet seat safely. How to take a toilet seat off in a Cheshire home when the bolts move, when to stop so the pan does not crack, and what to measure before you buy another.
Sources
- QZ1: QuoteZila product fact. QuoteZila pricing line.
- QZ2: QuoteZila product fact. QuoteZila FAQ How does getting quotes work.
- S1: Introduction to working at height safely, Health and Safety Executive. Accessed 2026-10-29. https://www.hse.gov.uk/work-at-height/introduction.htm
- S2: Where asbestos can occur in buildings, Health and Safety Executive. Accessed 2026-10-29. https://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/diagrams.htm
- S3: Why asbestos is dangerous and where it can be found, Health and Safety Executive. Accessed 2026-10-29. https://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/introduction/why-and-where.htm
- S4: WaterSafe Register, WaterSafe. Accessed 2026-10-29. https://www.watersafe.org.uk/
- S5: Before you get work done on your home, Citizens Advice. Accessed 2026-10-29. https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/getting-home-improvements-done/before-you-get-building-work-done/
- S6: Register for VAT, GOV.UK. Accessed 2026-10-29. https://www.gov.uk/register-for-vat