Plumber in Alstonville, NSW
Plumbing and gas from Main Street out to the macadamia blocks
Our Alstonville work sits in two kinds of ground. In the village, the streets around Main Street, Commercial Road and The Avenue were first cut into small blocks of roughly 420 to 500 square metres. Beyond the last street, macadamia orchards and farm blocks roll out across the plateau on deep red volcanic soil, with Maguires Creek on the western side. Rain is the weather that matters here, about 1,800 millimetres a year. Winters are mild, so frozen pipes are not the worry.
The village streets are easy to find and tight to work in, with old fences and, on the oldest lots, houses built across what were once two blocks. Farm blocks are a different job. Expect a gate, a long driveway and a red-soil track that turns slick after rain, so tell us if the way in is steep. On a place with no town supply there may be no water meter at all, only a tank, a pump and a long run of poly pipe.
The oldest houses are timber cottages from around 1900, weatherboard under metal roofs, often raised on stumps so the pipes run beneath the floor where we can reach them. Larger blocks were cut from the late 1960s to the early 1990s, and the pipework in those houses is now more than thirty years old. Small brick and tile villas sit in groups near the centre. The village is on town water and the council sewer, which runs to a treatment plant on Johnston Road. Out on acreage, septic or aerated systems and tank water are common.
What we do here most
What old village lots and farm blocks keep needing
Most of what goes wrong in Alstonville goes wrong out of sight: under a timber floor, under red soil, or in a line nobody has looked at since the house was built.
Sewer repairs
A cottage built across two old lots
Many of the oldest village lots were small, and owners often bought two and built the house across both. That can leave the sewer line running a long, odd way from the toilet to the main, sometimes under the floor. We put the drain camera down to see where the line really goes and whether it has cracked, dropped or filled with roots. Then we show you the picture before anyone talks about digging.
Leak detection
A soft patch in a weatherboard cottage floor
A timber floor tells you about a leak before the bill does: a soft board, a musty smell, a cupboard door that sticks. First we shut every tap and watch the water meter to see whether it is still turning. If it is, we get under the floor where the house allows and trace the pipes joint by joint until we find the wet one. Old timber rots quickly, so we say plainly how far the damp has spread.
Tap and fixtures
New taps on pipework from another era
A renovated bathroom in an older house often means new taps going onto pipe fitted when the house was built. That pipe may be a different metal or thread from the new fitting, so we check what is in the wall first. If the old stop tap will not close, you hear about it before we touch anything. Then we fit, test each tap for drips and hand back the old parts.
Pipe repair
A tank pump that never quite stops
On a farm block the water comes from a tank, a pump and a long run of black poly pipe across the paddock. A pump that starts and stops with no tap open, or a patch of red soil that stays wet, points to a leak. We switch the pump off, close the tank outlet and walk the line. Once found, the damaged length is cut out and replaced.
If it is urgent
If a pipe lets go in an Alstonville cottage or on a farm block
- 1Turn the water off at the source: the tap in the meter box on town water, or the pump switch and the tank outlet valve on a farm block. If water has reached the switchboard, leave the power off and keep away from it.
- 2Give a stiff old brass valve one gentle try and no more, because forcing it can snap it and leave you with no way to stop the water. Do not dig along a buried pipe yourself, as a spade through a second line makes two leaks.
- 3When you ring, say whether you are on town water or tank water, where the meter or tank stands, whether there is a gate or a steep driveway, and whether it is a village cottage or a farm block.
Common questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Which towns do you cover?
We work across Ballina and the Northern Rivers. The service areas page lists twelve places, from Ballina, Lennox Head and Skennars Head on the coast to Alstonville and Wollongbar on the plateau, Byron Bay and Bangalow to the north, and Lismore, Mullumbimby, Brunswick Heads and Ocean Shores. If your town is not on the list, ask anyway, because the list is where the work lands most often rather than a boundary.
Do you work on homes and businesses?
Both. Most calls are houses and units, and the commercial work runs from cafes and shops to offices and holiday accommodation. The pipes and drains behave the same way, but a business usually needs the work planned around trading, so tell us when the doors open.
What plumbing and gas work do you do?
Pipe repairs, burst pipes, leak detection, blocked drains and drain cleaning, toilet repairs, tap and fixture installation, hot water systems, sewer repairs and replacement, gas fitting and commercial plumbing. Each one has its own page with what is included and how the job runs.
How do I get a quote?
Call, or send the enquiry form on the contact page. Say what is leaking, blocked or not working, where it is, and attach a photo of the fitting or the meter box if you can. We tell you what we found and what it will take before any work starts.
Do you work on bathroom and kitchen renovations?
Yes. We can handle the plumbing and gas rough-in and the fit-out for a renovation, and we work around the builder, the tiler and the other trades so the pipes are in before the walls are closed up and the fittings go on after the finishes.
What should I do first if a pipe bursts?
Turn the water off at the isolating valve or the meter. Switch off the hot water unit, and if water has reached a power point or the switchboard, leave the power alone and stay clear. Open a tap to drain the line and call us with what you can see.
How do you find a leak you cannot see?
We start with the water meter. With every tap off and nothing running, a meter that is still turning means water is going somewhere. From there we work along the line, isolating sections and pressure testing, until the leak is narrowed to one spot before anything is opened up.
How do you clear a stubborn blocked drain?
When a plunger will not shift it, we use a high-pressure water jetter to scour the line and a CCTV drain camera to see what is causing the blockage. Roots, grease, wipes and a collapsed section all look different on camera, and seeing it first means we fix the real cause.
Will you have to dig up my garden or driveway?
Not always. A blockage is often cleared without any digging, and the camera shows where a damaged line actually is. When digging is the only way to reach a failed pipe, we tell you where and how much before we start.
Why does my toilet keep running?
Usually the inlet valve or the float in the cistern is not shutting off, or the flush seal is letting water seep into the pan. It wastes water all day and often cures itself for a week and then returns. A repair is usually a matter of replacing the worn part.
What should I do if I smell gas?
Do not touch light switches or use a flame. Open doors and windows, shut the gas off at the cylinder valve or meter if you can reach it safely, and get everyone outside. If the smell is strong or anyone feels unwell, call 000 from outside. Once it is safe, call us to find the source.
Which gas appliances can you connect?
Cooktops, ovens, heaters and gas hot water units. We connect the appliance, check the gas line and the connections for leaks, and make sure it has the clearance and ventilation it needs before we hand it back.
Can you replace my hot water system?
Yes. We handle electric, gas and solar hot water systems, repairs as well as replacements. We look at your household's water use and the space you have, and tell you whether the system needs repairing or has reached the end of its life.
How do I know if my hot water system needs replacing?
Rusty water from the hot tap, a tank that leaks from the body rather than a fitting, a relief valve that never stops dripping, or a unit that keeps running out of hot water are the usual signs. A leaking fitting or a failed part can often be repaired, so it is worth having it looked at before you decide.
Can you work in a commercial kitchen or cafe?
Yes. Drains, grease build-up and fixture faults are the usual problems in food businesses, and we can plan the work around your trading. Tell us when the kitchen is quiet and what the problem is when you call.
Everything we do here
Services in Alstonville, NSW
Every service below is done in Alstonville, and the ones that come up most are shaped by old drains under red soil, timber floors over stumps and tank-fed farm blocks.
Local, and on the phone
Send us a photo from your Alstonville place
Send a photo of the meter box, or of the tank outlet and pump if you are on tank water, along with the nearest cross street. It shows us how the water comes into the place, which tells us what to load into the van. We will read it and write back.
0482 085 03124 hours a day, 7 days a week
Not urgent? Send us the job instead