Plumber in Skennars Head, NSW

Plumbing and gas at Skennars Head

Skennars Head is a small village on rising ground above the sea, beside the Coast Road between Ballina and Lennox Head. Its streets are named crescents, circuits and places, and they climb and loop with the land. When a water main broke near Castle Drive in 2023, Council said the higher streets, Killarney Crescent among them, would lose supply while the rest of the village dropped to low pressure. The headland that gives the village its name lies between Sharpes Beach to the south and Boulders Beach to the north.

Reaching the house is mostly easy here, but the slope shapes the job. On a sloping block the water meter sits at the street while the house sits above or below it, so we ask where the isolating valve is before we arrive. The holiday park on Skennars Head Road has cabins that people live in as well as holiday in, so tell us the site number. A few blocks along that road are acreage, and from the road we cannot tell whether one is on Council water and sewer or on tank and septic, so we ask.

Much of the housing is recent. The Aureus Estate was planned as several hundred lots, drains by gravity sewer to a single pump station beside a wetland, and has recycled water mains running alongside the drinking water. A newer house here can therefore have two sets of pipes, blue and purple, and the two must never be joined. Salt carried on the sea wind reaches the outdoor taps, gas fittings and hot water units. Older and acreage homes may be set up differently, so tell us what yours has.

What we do here most

What a newer headland village keeps needing

The jobs below follow from two things, newer homes with two sets of pipes and salt wind coming straight off the sea.

Toilet repair

A cistern fed by the purple recycled line

In the newer streets, Council's recycled water can run to the toilets, the laundry and the garden taps through a second set of pipes. The purple line is not drinking water, and it must never be joined to the blue one. So when a cistern will not stop filling, we first confirm which line feeds it. Then we check the inlet valve and the float.

Gas fitting

Cylinder and regulator on a windy hillside

Gas here usually comes from LPG cylinders beside the house, and a ridge takes the sea wind full on. We check the regulator and the hose for cracking, brush soapy water over each joint and watch for bubbles. The cylinder should stand upright and clear of any drain or low spot where gas could settle, since LPG is heavier than air. If you ever smell gas, get everyone outside before you phone anyone.

Leak detection

Water meter turning with every tap shut

Houses on a slab have pipes buried under the floor, so a leak can run for weeks with no wet patch showing. We shut every tap and watch the meter, because a dial still creeping round means water is escaping. Then we close the house isolating valve to learn whether the leak is before it or after it. Where a recycled line also runs to the house, we work out which set of pipes is losing water.

Tap and fixtures

An outdoor shower for sandy feet

With Sharpes Beach and Boulders Beach close by, outdoor showers and garden taps get hard use here. Salt and sand work into the moving parts, so a fitting outside wears faster than the same one indoors. We fix the tap solidly to the wall, run the waste to a proper drain, and tell you what to rinse off to make it last. On a recycled water property we confirm which line the tap is on before it is connected.

If it is urgent

If you smell gas at your Skennars Head house

  1. 1Do not touch light switches or any flame, open the doors and windows, and close the valve on the LPG cylinder if it is safe to reach.
  2. 2Leave the house, keep everyone clear, and do not go back inside to hunt for the leak. Call 000 if the smell is strong or anyone feels unwell.
  3. 3When you ring us, say whether the gas comes from a cylinder beside the house or from a pipe, which street you are on, and whether the house sits above or below the road.
Call 0482 085 031

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.

Local, and on the phone

Send us a photo from your Skennars Head home

Send a photo of the label on your gas cylinder or the cover on your water meter, whichever the job involves, and tell us which street you are on. If you can see any purple pipe near the meter, include it in the photo. That tells us what we are working with, and we will say what we expect to find when we call.

0482 085 031

24 hours a day, 7 days a week

Not urgent? Send us the job instead