Plumber in Ocean Shores, NSW
Plumbing and gas work in Ocean Shores
Ocean Shores was planned in the late 1960s as one estate, and it shows. The streets curve and loop instead of running in a grid, and the power lines are underground. The south is hilly, with sea views from the high streets. The north is low and flat, running down to the Capricornia Canal and the edge of the Billinudgel Nature Reserve, with the north arm of the Brunswick River close by. The golf course and the shopping centre sit in the middle, so a job at one end can be a different job from one at the other.
The estate's original rules asked for deep front setbacks and no front fences, so the water meter can be a long way from the front door, and the pipe between them can leak anywhere along its run. Some blocks in the hilly south have steep driveways and a climb down to the house, so tell us about the slope. A fair share of the houses are rented. If you are a tenant, give us the agent or owner who has to approve the work, and we will talk to them before we start.
Most of the housing went up between the 1970s and the 1990s, much of it brick and tile or fibro. A house that age is at the point where rubber seals, flexible hoses, cistern valves and original taps wear out within the same few years. The developers built the estate's water reservoirs and sewerage plant, so most homes run on town water and sewer rather than tank and septic. Gas is usually bottled LPG, in cylinders beside the house.
What we do here most
What a 1970s to 1990s estate keeps needing
Houses of the same age wear out in the same ways, and whether the street is steep or flat decides how it shows up.
Toilet repair
A cistern that refills itself overnight
In a house from the 1980s or 1990s, the inlet valve and the cistern's rubber seal are often the originals. When the seal perishes, water trickles into the pan and the cistern tops itself up, which you can hear in a quiet house. We close the stop tap, lift the lid and look at the seal and the valve. Often those two parts are all that need replacing, and we tell you if the cistern itself is cracked.
Burst pipe repairs
A flexible hose bursts on a hill street
Water pressure rises as you go down a slope, because the supply is stored on higher ground. A house low on a hilly street can sit at much higher pressure than one near the top. Braided flexible hoses under basins and behind toilets are the weak point, and a burst one runs hard. We shut the supply, replace the hose and check the pressure at a tap, and if it is high we suggest a pressure limiting valve.
Drain cleaning
Slow drains on the flat canal side
The northern streets are flat and low, so the drains have little fall to carry water away. In heavy rain, water can back up around the golf course and the low streets near it. Soap, grease and leaf litter settle in the pipe and the sink drains slowly long before it blocks. We run the high-pressure water jetter through the line, then put the CCTV drain camera down and show you what it saw.
Commercial plumbing
A shop with a backed-up shared drain
Shops in a centre like the one in the middle of Ocean Shores can drain into lines shared with their neighbours. When a floor waste backs up, the first question is whether the fault is inside your tenancy or in the shared pipe outside. We trace the line and check your own fixtures, then talk to whoever manages the building about the shared section. Food outlets add grease, so the grease trap gets looked at too.
If it is urgent
If you smell gas at an Ocean Shores house
- 1Put out any flame, do not touch light switches or appliances, and open the doors and windows. If you can reach the cylinder valve safely, close it.
- 2Leave the house and keep everyone out, and do not hunt for the leak yourself with a lighter or a match. If the smell is strong or anyone feels unwell, call 000 from outside.
- 3When you call us, give the street, tell us which side of the house the cylinders stand on, and say whether the house is down a long driveway or on a slope, so we know how to reach them.
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 Ocean Shores, NSW
In an estate where so many homes went up between the 1970s and the 1990s, the services below are mostly about parts wearing out together.
Also nearby
We work in these towns too
Local, and on the phone
Send us a photo from your Ocean Shores home
Send a photo of the fitting giving you trouble, whether that is the cistern, the hose under the basin or the drain outlet, along with your street name. If you rent, add the name of the agent or owner. We will tell you what we need next.
0482 085 03124 hours a day, 7 days a week
Not urgent? Send us the job instead