Plumber in Brunswick Heads, NSW
Working around the Brunswick Heads river mouth, the old village grid and Bayside
Brunswick Heads sits where the Brunswick River reaches the sea. The river runs along the village and out between two rock breakwaters. Simpsons Creek, the river's south arm, runs through the village and Bayside, and timber footbridges lead to the surf beach. Most of our work here is in the old village, a grid of short streets laid out between about 1890 and 1930, and in the newer Bayside estate. Much of it is close to tidal water, and the village has very little land that stays dry in a big flood.
The old grid has rear laneways, so a house often has a back way in as well as the street frontage. In January and February the holiday houses fill up, and a guest in the house is rarely the person who can say yes to a repair. Tell us who holds the key and who decides. Tell us too whether the way in to the house is from the street, from the lane at the back, or through a shared gate.
The streets near the centre hold high-set timber houses with wide verandahs, louvred windows and corrugated iron roofs, plus Federation-era workers' cottages and holiday cottages from the 1920s. A house lifted off the ground like this has its pipes in the space underneath, so many leaks and drain faults can be reached from below. After a hundred years one cottage can carry pipe laid at several different times, and the bathroom may have been added to the back long after the house was built. The newer Bayside estate is built differently, so we check which you have first.
What we do here most
What a river-mouth village full of holiday houses keeps needing
Two things connect the jobs below: tidal water and salt close to every property, and houses that fill for the summer weeks and run lighter the rest of the year.
Leak Detection and Repairs
Wet boards under a 1920s holiday cottage
A guest notices a soft patch in the bathroom floor or a musty smell, and the water meter keeps moving with every tap closed. In a high-set timber cottage we go underneath with a torch and look along the pipes for a damp stain or a drip, then check the floor above from the top side. The wet point and the real source are rarely in the same spot. We find the one, then trace back to the other.
Blocked Drain Clearing
Backed-up drain after the busiest holiday week
A house that took a full week of showers, washing and guests can block at the first bend under the floor or at the join to the street. We start at the inspection opening nearest the toilet and work towards the street, because that tells us whether the blockage is in your line or further down. Sometimes it is a one-off. Sometimes it is roots or a broken section, and a camera shows which.
Hot Water System Repairs and Installation
Rusted hot water unit on a river-mouth wall
Salt in the air near the river mouth works on anything metal that lives outside, including a hot water unit bolted to a side wall and the pipework running to it. We look first at the base, the fittings and the relief valve for rust and weeping. A tank that has rusted through is not a repair job. If the tank is the problem, we say so before we touch anything else.
Sewer and Stormwater Drainage
Yard drain that runs slowly at high tide
Brunswick Heads has very little land that stays dry in a flood, and king tides and storms can push water back up the estuary. If a yard drain or stormwater pipe empties toward the river or a creek, a high tide can hold the water in the pipe and the yard stays wet. We check the fall of the pipe and where it ends. Whether the tide or a blockage is the cause, the outlet tells us.
If it is urgent
If a pipe lets go in a Brunswick Heads cottage near the river
- 1Close the stop tap. In an older high-set cottage it may be under the house or at the front boundary, so check both. If water is near a power point or the switchboard, leave the room and keep clear of it.
- 2Leave the space under the house alone while water is running or the ground is wet. It is low, dark and tight, and old timber can be slippery. Do not force a rusted fitting either, because it can make the leak worse.
- 3When you ring, tell us if the house is high-set timber or on a slab, whether there is a lane at the back, where the stop tap is, and whether it is a holiday let with someone else holding the key.
Common questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Which areas do you cover?
We work across Byron Bay and the Northern Rivers, from Ewingsdale and Bangalow through to Tweed Heads and Murwillumbah. There are sixteen places on the service areas page. If your town is not on the list, give us a call and ask.
How do I get in touch?
Use the call and email buttons on any page, or the contact form. There are two phone numbers and two email addresses, and you choose which one to use. For anything urgent, call rather than write.
What should I have ready when I call?
Your town, what is happening and when it started. If you can, take a photo or a short video of the problem, and note the age of the house and where the water main is. It helps us bring the right parts.
Do you do small jobs?
Yes. A dripping tap, a running toilet or a slow drain is a normal job for us. Describe what you can see when you call.
Can you clear a blocked drain without digging?
Often the first step is to clear it from the nearest access point, then run a camera through to see what caused it. If the pipe is cracked, roots have grown in or a section has dropped, clearing only buys time, and the footage shows you what is going on.
What should I do if a pipe bursts?
Close the main tap, open a tap at the lowest point to drain the line, and switch off a leaking hot water system at the wall. Move anything electrical out of the water's path, then call us.
Can you find a leak I cannot see?
Hidden leaks often show up as damp patches, a water meter that moves when everything is turned off, or a bill that suddenly jumps. We trace the pipework to find the source before anything is opened up.
Do you repair hot water systems as well as replace them?
Yes, we do both. Whether a repair or a replacement makes sense depends on what has failed, and we explain what we find so you can decide.
What should I do if I smell gas?
Leave the area straight away and do not switch anything on or off, including lights. Ring 000 from outside, then call us once you are safe.
Do you do gas fitting?
Yes. Gas fitting and gas plumbing is one of our services, from connecting appliances to running pipework. Describe the job when you call.
Do you install septic systems?
Yes, septic system installation is one of our services. The job depends on the block, so tell us about your property and what you have now when you call.
Do you do bathroom and kitchen plumbing for renovations?
Yes, the plumbing side: moving and connecting taps, basins, toilets, showers, sinks and waste. Tiling and building are for other trades.
Everything we do here
Services in Brunswick Heads, NSW
The services below cover what this river-mouth village asks for, from leaks under raised timber floors to drains that sit close to tidal water.
Also nearby
We work in these towns too
Local, and on the phone
Planning a visit to your Brunswick Heads house
Send us a photo of the front of the house, and a photo from under it if you can reach the space safely. It tells us whether the house is high-set timber or on a slab and how much room there is to work, which decides how we plan the visit.
Call a plumber now24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Not urgent? Send us the job instead