Plumber in Ballina, NSW
Plumbing across Ballina, from the island to the hill
Ballina sits on an island, and that decides most of the work. The town centre and its Cherry Street shops are flat ground between the Richmond River and North Creek. Missingham Bridge carries the road over the creek to East Ballina, where Shaws Bay, the North Wall and Lighthouse Beach are. West Ballina runs along the river, with older streets and the canal frontage of Ballina Quays. Above the town, newer estates such as Ballina Heights stand on the hill. Tide, river and slope each change how we plan a drain.
Getting to the job is rarely the hard part, but the tide can change the route. Council has warned that king tides put salt water over Tamar Street in town, and over Riverside Drive and River Street in West Ballina, up to 30 centimetres deep. Parking on the older island blocks is mostly on the street, so we tell you where the van will sit. Many older houses stand on stumps with a crawl space below, and we ask whether yours is dry, because standing water under the floor decides what pipe we can reach.
Houses in Ballina cover a wide spread of years. Around the centre and in West Ballina there are timber cottages from the early 1900s and fibro houses from the middle of the century. In a house that old the water pipes may still be galvanised steel, the drain under the floor may be earthenware, and Norfolk pines along some streets send roots toward the joints. The hill estates are newer, and some homes there run recycled water through a second set of pipes. Near the beach, salt air eats outdoor fittings.
What we do here most
What the tide, the age and the hill keep needing
The jobs below share one cause, water sitting where the ground is low or the pipes are old.
Sewer repairs
Sewer drain failing under a flat island house
On the island the ground is flat and damp, so an old earthenware sewer drain has little fall. The first sign is usually a gully that gurgles or a toilet that drains slowly. We run the drain camera to see where the pipe has cracked or lifted, then tell you whether it needs a patch or a longer run replaced. Much of the town is below sea level, so we also look for water getting in from outside.
Blocked drains
Silt left in the drains after high water
Flood water carries silt, and after the Richmond River flooded the town in February 2022 it settled in gully traps and drain bends in the low streets. We run the camera before the water jetter, so we see what is in the pipe before we push it along. A yard drain that fills at high tide with no rain is the stormwater pipe filling from the tide side. We tell you what can be done at your end.
Pipe repair
Rusting steel pipe in an old timber cottage
Galvanised pipe rusts from the inside, so the flow drops long before it leaks. A cottage of this age can have one run patched with copper where the next length is still steel, and two metals joined together corrode at that joint. We trace the pipe back from the meter and cut back to pipe that is sound. Then we tell you plainly how much of the run looks as tired as the part that failed.
Hot water systems
Salt air on an East Ballina hot water unit
Close to the North Wall and Lighthouse Beach, salt air works on anything outdoors. The casing, the pipe fittings and the relief valve drain line on an outside hot water unit can rust faster than the same unit inland. We check the pipework under the unit first, since a weep there is the easiest fault to catch early. If the tank itself has rusted through, the unit has to be replaced, and we explain why a repair will not hold.
If it is urgent
If a pipe lets go in a Ballina house
- 1Turn off the mains tap at the water meter near the front boundary, or the isolating valve at the house if the meter box is under water or silt.
- 2Do not run taps or flush toilets while water is standing in a gully or the yard drain is full, and keep the power off at the switchboard if water has reached any power point.
- 3Tell us whether you are on the island, in West Ballina, in East Ballina or up on the hill, where the meter box sits, and whether tide water is over the street.
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 Ballina, NSW
Everything below is done here, and the order we work in follows the ground: low and tidal on the island, salty near the beach, sloped up on the hill.
Also nearby
We work in these towns too
Local, and on the phone
Send us a photo from your Ballina property
Send a photo of your water meter box with the lid open, and tell us which street you are on. Whether the box sits on the flat, near the creek or up the hill tells us what ground we will be working in. We use it to plan the job before we arrive.
0482 085 03124 hours a day, 7 days a week
Not urgent? Send us the job instead