Plumber in Lismore, NSW
Plumbing and gas across Lismore
Lismore sits low on the Wilsons River, close to where Leycester Creek joins it, and that shape decides most of the work. The centre around Molesworth Street has a levee and flood gates, and its shopfronts and arcades date from the late 1800s to the middle of last century. Out on the flat the ground is nearly level, so house drains run with very little fall. The hill streets above the floodplain are a different job, with steeper blocks and driveways cut into the slope. We work across all of it, and the first thing we ask is which part of town you are in.
Getting in is easy on the hill and harder on the flat, for different reasons. On the hill it is the steep drives and the narrow places to park. On the flat it is the streets themselves, because some now have empty blocks, and houses waiting to be moved, between the homes people live in, so check your number when you ring. When the river is rising we will not drive through water over a road, and parts of town are cut off first. In the centre, shops often share walls and pipework, so we start by finding which valve belongs to which tenancy.
Most of the older houses on the flat are timber and high-set, with the living floor upstairs, a verandah around it and an open space underneath. Over the years many of those undercrofts were closed in as laundries, bathrooms and spare rooms. A fixture at ground level is the lowest on the sewer line, so it is where a backup shows first. After the 2022 flood, houses were raised, rebuilt or moved onto higher blocks, and each of those leaves pipes in new places. Houses beyond the sewer run on-site septic systems.
What we do here most
What a river city keeps needing
Almost every job here traces back to where the river has been and how high the house now stands above it.
Sewer repairs
Silt and cracks in a flat-ground sewer line
A flood leaves silt in the house drain and can shift the pipe underneath it. Much of the flat part of town relies on pump stations to move sewage, and those stop when the power does, so the lowest fixtures in a house are where it comes back up. We run the jetter to clear the silt, then put the drain camera down. What it shows tells us whether the job is a clean-out or a repair.
Hot water systems
A hot water unit moved above the old waterline
In a high-set house the hot water unit often sits at ground level, in the undercroft or on a slab against the wall. That is where floodwater reaches first. A replacement can go up onto a stand or onto the raised floor, and the cold supply, the hot outlet and the relief valve line all have to be extended to suit. We check the old pipework as we go, because silt and damp leave fittings worse than they look.
Pipe repair
Pipework rejoined after a house is raised
When a house is lifted onto new stumps or moved to a new block, the water pipe, the sewer drain and any gas line all have to be disconnected and joined again. Pipes under a lifted house can end up stretched, kinked or hanging with nothing holding them. After it settles we pressure test the water side and flow test the drain, because a joint that looks right on the day can weep once the house takes its weight.
Commercial plumbing
Shared pipework in an older arcade shopfront
Tenancies in an arcade often share a wall, a water line or a drain. A fit-out for a cafe or a salon means new basins, a floor waste and sometimes a cut through an old slab. Before any of that, we trace which valves and which drain belong to your shop. The answer is not always where you would expect.
If it is urgent
If water or sewage comes up inside a Lismore house
- 1Close the mains tap at the meter box, and switch off the power at the switchboard only if you can reach it dry.
- 2Leave any hot water unit or gas appliance that has been under water switched off, and do not run taps or flush toilets while a drain is backing up.
- 3Tell us whether the house is high-set or on a slab, whether it sits on the flat or the hill, and send a photo of the gully trap and the meter box.
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 Lismore, NSW
Lismore's work leans on drains, sewers, hot water and pipework that has been moved, but the full list of services below is available across the city.
Local, and on the phone
Send us a photo from your Lismore job
Send a photo of the label on your hot water unit, or of the gully trap in the yard if a drain is slow. Tell us if the house has been raised or moved, because that changes where the pipes run.
0482 085 03124 hours a day, 7 days a week
Not urgent? Send us the job instead