Plumber in Byron Bay, NSW
Plumbing work around Byron Bay town and the cape
Most of our Byron Bay work sits in a few tight pockets. The town centre runs along Jonson Street and Lawson Street, with cafes, restaurants, shops and flats packed close together. Belongil spreads out to the north-west towards Belongil Creek, mostly cottages and guesthouses with gardens. Wategos sits below Cape Byron on the sheltered side, off Lighthouse Road. Behind the centre is the Arts and Industrial Estate, where bakeries, breweries and workshops share the same few streets. The town itself is low ground, only a few metres above the sea.
Access is the part that catches people out. Parking on Jonson Street is hard to find, so we work out where the van can stand before we arrive. Holiday lets add another layer. The owner may live in another city, a manager holds the key, and the next guests are due. Tell us who opens the door and whether the place is empty. Flats usually share a meter cupboard or a drain, and the building manager may need to know before we shut anything off.
The housing mix is wider than the postcards suggest. There are old timber cottages and a few heritage-listed buildings near Jonson Street, cottages from the middle of last century on small blocks, and newer apartments built since. Old cottages bring old pipework, often under the floor and patched by several owners over the years. Newer flats bring long pipe runs inside walls and ceilings, where a leak can wet the unit below before anyone sees it. Everything within reach of the sea breeze takes salt, so taps, outdoor shower valves and fittings corrode sooner than they would inland.
What we do here most
What Byron Bay keeps calling us out for
Nearly every job here comes back to one cause, which is more people using the same pipes than the building was planned around.
Blocked drains
Kitchen fat choking a cafe drain line
A cafe kitchen sends hot water, fat and food scraps down the same drain all day, and the fat sets hard further along the pipe where it cools. We run the high-pressure water jetter to cut it back. Then the CCTV drain camera goes down the line to show what is still stuck to the pipe walls. If the pipe has dropped or cracked, the camera shows that as well, and you see the footage before repairs are discussed.
Hot water systems
Hot water running out in a full house
A rental sleeping eight can empty a small hot water unit before the last guest gets a shower. The fix is not always a bigger unit. Sometimes a thermostat has failed or an element has scaled up, and we can only tell once the unit is opened. We read the label for size and fuel first, because any replacement has to suit the space it sits in and the supply it runs on.
Commercial plumbing
Basins and floor wastes for a new shopfront
A new cafe or shop in an old building often finds the existing drains are not where the new layout needs them. We trace what is there, check the fall on the waste lines, and mark where sinks, basins and floor wastes can connect. Shopfronts on and around Jonson Street may have pipework behind linings that has not been opened in years. You hear what we find before any wall is cut.
Toilet repair
A running cistern in an empty holiday let
A toilet that keeps trickling in a house nobody is staying in can run for days before anyone notices. It is usually a worn washer or a float that no longer shuts the inlet. We replace the part, then shut every tap and watch the water meter to see whether it has stopped turning. If you live elsewhere, tell us who holds the key so we can work around the next booking.
If it is urgent
If a pipe lets go in a Byron Bay house or holiday let
- 1Close the isolating valve under the nearest basin or sink, or the mains tap at the meter box if that does not stop it. Switch the power off at the switchboard if water has reached the lights or power points.
- 2Leave a bulging ceiling lining where it is. Do not flush toilets or run showers if dirty water is rising in a floor drain, and keep guests out of the wet room.
- 3When you ring, tell us if guests are staying, who holds the key, and whether it is a house or a flat in a shared block. Give us the street, where the meter cupboard is, and where a van can park.
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 Byron Bay, NSW
These are the services we are called for in a town where salt air, holiday guests and busy kitchens wear fittings out early.
Also nearby
We work in these towns too
Local, and on the phone
Send us the problem in Byron Bay
Send a photo of the wet patch, the blocked drain or the label on the hot water unit, with the street and whether it is a house or a flat. If it is a holiday let, tell us who holds the key. We will read it before we ring you back.
0482 085 03124 hours a day, 7 days a week
Not urgent? Send us the job instead