Plumber in Lennox Head, NSW
Plumbing and gas work from the Lennox Head headland to the hills
Lennox Head runs from the headland, with Pat Morton Lookout on top, north to the end of Lake Ainsworth, and from Seven Mile Beach back to the Coast Road. The oldest streets are the sandy flats beside the lake and the beach, around the Ballina Street shops and the lanes behind them. Around the Coast Road the land rises. The slopes there face north-east, and further west the newer estates, such as The Meadows and Elevation, sit on ridges looking back over the wetlands toward the escarpment.
Access is the first thing to sort out on many jobs here. The slopes have many battle-axe blocks, where the house sits behind another house at the end of a shared driveway, so a van stops on the street and the tools get carried up. On those slopes two-storey houses are common, which means stairs and a second bathroom to reach. For a shop on Ballina Street, tell us where deliveries and bins go and where a van can pull up. Holiday letting is part of the village, so say who holds the key.
The village was first subdivided in 1922, and the blocks beside the lake sold as weekend and holiday sites. Where one of those timber cottages still stands, expect pipe of several ages under the same floor. On the hills the houses are newer and larger, with bathrooms upstairs and units built into the slope. The newest estates have the smallest blocks, and a fault there is more likely to be a failed fitting than worn-out pipe. Houses in the village and the estates connect to council sewer and town water, and the salt wind off the headland reaches every outdoor tap.
What we do here most
What the hills and the headland keep needing
Stairs, long driveways and salt wind shape much of the work in Lennox Head. The four jobs below come straight out of that ground.
Leak detection
A ceiling stain under an upstairs bathroom
On the slopes, two-storey houses are common, and the bathroom upstairs sits right over the lounge or a bedroom. A brown ring spreads on the ceiling and nobody can say which fitting is the cause. We look at the shower recess and the waste first, then run the basin, bath and toilet one at a time while someone watches the ceiling below. The stain shows where the water came through, which is not always where it started.
Pipe repair
A long water line up a shared driveway
On a battle-axe block the meter usually sits at the street, and one pipe runs the length of the driveway to the house. When it leaks, the water shows as a soft strip of lawn or a crack in the concrete, far from the break. We shut the main tap, read the meter to see whether it is still turning, and trace the line before anything is dug. Then we tell you what the repair will take, and you decide.
Tap and fixtures
An outdoor surf shower that has seized
In a surf village an outdoor shower on the side wall is normal, and it takes salt and sand all year. The handle goes stiff, then will not shut off, then drips into the garden bed. We replace the mixer or the cartridge, check the connections behind the wall plate, and look at where the waste goes, because sand packs into it. We also point out which of the other outdoor taps are starting to corrode.
Commercial plumbing
A new basin and floor waste for a cafe
Ballina Street is a strip of shops, cafes and restaurants, and a new tenant often needs plumbing the last one did not. That can be a hand basin, a floor waste in the back room, or a dishwasher connection. We find where the existing drain runs before we agree where a fitting can go, because moving a basin is easy and moving a drain is not. You get that plan before any work begins.
If it is urgent
If water comes through a ceiling in a Lennox Head house
- 1Turn the main tap off at the water meter, which on a battle-axe block is usually at the street end of the shared driveway. If water has reached a light fitting or a power point, switch the power off at the switchboard, but only if the floor around it is dry.
- 2Stay out from under a ceiling that is bulging, and keep the lights and fans in that room off. Do not cut or poke the plasterboard yourself, because water that has pooled above it can come down all at once.
- 3When you ring us, say whether the house has two storeys, which room sits above the stain, and where the meter is. Tell us if a van can park at the door or has to stop on the street, and if the house is a holiday let, who holds the key.
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 Lennox Head, NSW
Upstairs bathrooms, long driveways and salt wind off the headland all show up in the services listed below.
Also nearby
We work in these towns too
Local, and on the phone
Start with a photo of your Lennox Head water meter
Take one photo of the meter box with the lid up and send it with your street name. On a battle-axe block or a sloping drive, it tells us where the main tap is and where the van will stop. Then tell us in your own words what the water is doing.
0482 085 03124 hours a day, 7 days a week
Not urgent? Send us the job instead