Burst pipe, blocked drain or no hot water?

Anything causing ongoing water damage, sewage coming up through a drain or toilet, no water to the house at all, or a smell of gas. A dripping tap or a drain that is slow but still running can wait for a normal weekday visit, and it costs less that way.

In most Brisbane houses the water meter sits near the front boundary of the property, with the main stop tap right beside it on the pipe heading to the house. Turn it clockwise until it stops. In units and townhouses the meters are often grouped together, so check the body corporate notes or ask your building manager.

Turn off every tap and anything that uses water, read the meter, then read it again after half an hour without using any water. If the numbers have moved, or the small leak indicator on the dial is turning, water is escaping somewhere. The usual culprits are a running toilet cistern, a dripping hot water relief valve, or a pipe leaking under the slab.

A drain that blocks again and again in the same place usually has a cause further down the line: a cracked or sagging section that holds water, or tree roots getting in through the joints of older clay pipes. Clearing it only buys time. A camera inspection shows the actual cause, and then you can decide between clearing the roots, relining the pipe, or replacing that section.

Turn the gas off at the meter or the bottle if you can do it safely, open doors and windows, and do not use light switches, power points or anything with a flame or spark. Then ring from outside. If the smell is strong or you cannot turn it off, leave the building and call 000.

A system showing rust-coloured water, leaking from the tank itself, or needing repeat repairs is usually cheaper to replace than to keep patching, and a failing tank can flood a laundry when it lets go. A younger system with one faulty part, like an element, thermostat or relief valve, is normally worth repairing.

New and replacement hot water systems in Queensland have to deliver water to bathroom outlets at no more than 50°C, usually through a tempering valve, so a newer install feels cooler at the shower than an old one did. If the water has gone from hot to lukewarm on its own, a failed element, thermostat or tempering valve is the more likely cause, and each one can be tested on site.

Phone quotes for straightforward jobs are free and given before anything is booked. Jobs that need an on-site look before a firm price, like a suspected slab leak, still start with a free phone conversation so you know roughly what you are dealing with.

The callout fee covers the trip to your property and finding the cause of the problem, and it is quoted before anyone leaves. The repair itself is quoted separately once the cause is confirmed, and nothing goes ahead until you have said yes to that price.

Yes. In Queensland, replacing a hot water system is notifiable work, which means the licensed plumber who did it has to lodge it with the QBCC once the job is finished. We lodge it and give you a copy for your records and your insurer.

Clearline Plumbing holds a current QBCC licence, the number is in the footer of this page, and carries public liability insurance. You are welcome to ask for licence and insurance details before any work starts.

Saturday mornings are normal bookings. Outside business hours, ring anyway. If someone can get to you, the after-hours rate is given on the phone before anyone leaves, so there is no surprise on the invoice.