Plumber in Brunswick Heads, NSW
Plumbing and gas work in Brunswick Heads
The work in Brunswick Heads sits close to water on almost every side. The Brunswick River meets the sea here, Simpsons Creek runs in from the south, and the town fits in between them with a nature reserve behind it. Much of the ground is low and flat, laid out around the shops, the harbour and the foreshore. A footbridge and a road bridge cross Simpsons Creek toward Torakina and the beach. Holiday parks line the river and the creek, so some of the work is amenity blocks and cabins rather than houses.
A lot of the cottages here are holiday lets. The owner often lives somewhere else, and the person standing in the kitchen is a guest who does not know where the water shuts off. Tell us who holds the key and whether guests are in, and we will work around them. Streets near the shops and the foreshore fill with parked cars when the town is busy, so we ask where we can stand the ute. Many cottages are raised on stumps, so we often work from underneath through a gate or a lattice panel.
Holiday cottages from the 1920s onward are still scattered through the town, and the hotel, the flats and the highset houses date from the 1940s and 1950s. A lot of that stock is timber with an iron roof. A house that old can still carry galvanised steel water pipes that rust from the inside, and earthenware sewer drains where tree roots find the joints. Salt air eats exposed taps and the casings of outdoor hot water units. Water and sewer come from the town mains.
What we do here most
What old timber cottages by the water keep needing
Salt air, old pipe and houses left empty between guests explain most of the jobs below.
Leak detection
A holiday cottage with a turning meter
The owner lives elsewhere and the cottage has sat empty since the last guests left. The water bill arrives higher than it should be. We shut off every tap and appliance, then watch the meter at the front boundary. If it still turns, the leak is somewhere between the meter and the house, and we work along that line until we find the wet ground or the damp floor.
Pipe repair
Rusted galvanised pipe under a raised floor
In a cottage on stumps, the water pipes run through the open space underneath. Galvanised steel corrodes from the inside, so the first sign is often weak pressure at the taps, then a pinhole weep. We crawl under, find the section that has gone and cut it out. The new piece joins onto sound pipe on each side, and we show you what we removed.
Blocked drains
Roots and creek silt in an old drain
Earthenware drains have a joint every metre or so, and roots from street and garden trees push into them. Brunswick Heads was one of the suburbs the state listed as severely affected by the February and March 2022 floods, and silt from flood water can settle in lines as well. We run the high-pressure water jetter through, then put the CCTV drain camera down to see whether the pipe only needed clearing or a joint has shifted.
Hot water systems
Salt air has rotted the outdoor hot water unit
A hot water unit on the outside wall of a cottage near the river sits in salt air all year. The casing rusts, the connections weep and the pressure relief valve can seize. We find where the water is coming from before we say repair or replace. If the tank itself has gone, we tell you, and you decide before anything is ordered.
If it is urgent
If a pipe lets go in a Brunswick Heads cottage
- 1Turn the water off at the meter box near the front boundary, then open one tap to let the pipes drain down. If water has reached a power point, switch the power off at the switchboard only if you can stand on dry ground to do it.
- 2Leave the damaged pipe alone. Do not cut it, wrap it or force a fitting, because pipe that has rusted through usually has more weak sections beside the break.
- 3When you call, tell us if the place is a holiday let, who has the key, and whether the broken pipe is under a raised floor, so we know what access to arrange.
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 Brunswick Heads, NSW
Salt air, old pipe and low ground beside the water decide which of these services get used most in the village.
Also nearby
We work in these towns too
Local, and on the phone
Send us a photo from your Brunswick Heads cottage
Send a photo of the water meter box, along with the street name. If the place is a holiday let, tell us who holds the key. We will work out what is needed from there.
0482 085 03124 hours a day, 7 days a week
Not urgent? Send us the job instead