Plumber in Mullumbimby, NSW
Working in Mullumbimby, from Burringbar Street out to the river flats and rural blocks
Mullumbimby has no coast. It sits inland, about 9 kilometres by road from the sea, on flat ground only a few metres above sea level where two arms of the Brunswick River come together, with Mount Chincogan behind the town. Burringbar Street runs through the middle, and the houses spread out from it across the flats. At the edges the town gives way to rural blocks, and out there a house generally runs its own septic system instead of a Council sewer main.
Water decides the access here. The river is tidal through the town, and Mullumbimby can flood from the Brunswick River and Mullumbimby Creek, so after heavy rain a road in can be closed even when your street is dry. Tell us which way you would come in. Blocks near the river often have a gate and a lawn that has been wet for days, so we ask whether the ground will take a ute before we plan a trench.
The town still has a good number of timber houses from the early 1900s, and their drains are old too. Council has been cleaning and relining damaged sewer mains in the town centre to keep rainwater and groundwater out of the sewer during rain. On a low block beside a river in a high-rainfall district, a house drain can run slowly in a wet spell for reasons that are not in your pipes, and we say so if that is what we find.
What we do here most
What a flat river town keeps needing below the ground
Rain, a tidal river and old drains shape most of these jobs, so they begin with what is happening under the ground, not at the tap.
Blocked Drain Clearing
Gurgling toilet after days of heavy rain
After a long wet spell a toilet gurgles and the shower runs slowly. The cause can be in your own line, or it can be the Council main in the street running full of rainwater, and from inside the house the two look the same. We run the drain from the inspection opening and see whether the water drops away. If the street main is full, we tell you that and what it means for your drain.
Drain Camera Inspections
Camera down the drain of an early 1900s house
A timber house from the early 1900s can have a drain that has been patched or extended more than once, and nobody remembers where. We push a camera in from the inspection opening and watch the pipe walls, the joints and any sag as it goes. We stop where the picture shows a crack, a root or a low spot, and mark that spot on the ground above.
Septic System Installation
Septic system for a rural block outside town
Out beyond the Council sewer a house generally runs its own system, and across the shire many of them sit close to creeks. We walk the block with you, look at where water runs and stands after rain, and mark where a tank and a trench could go. A spot that is dry in October can be soaked by March, so we ask what the ground looks like after a big wet.
Bathroom and Kitchen Plumbing
Adding a bathroom to an old timber house
Adding or moving a bathroom in an early 1900s timber house starts under the floor. We find where the existing drain runs, how far it is to the nearest point a new one can join, and how much fall we have across a flat block. A drain needs a steady fall to carry waste away, and Mullumbimby gives little height to play with. The position of the new bathroom is often decided by that, not by the plan.
If it is urgent
If a pipe lets go in a Mullumbimby house on the river flats
- 1Close the stop tap, usually at the meter near the front boundary. If the yard is under water, do not wade out to it. Stay inside, keep clear of the water and any power cable, and ring us.
- 2Leave the lid or grate in the street alone. If the toilet or shower is backing up in heavy rain, stop using water in the house and do not pour chemical drain cleaner down it.
- 3When you ring, tell us whether the property is on the Council sewer or its own septic system, whether there has been a lot of rain in the last few days, and whether the road in is open or covered by water.
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 Mullumbimby, NSW
The services below cover what a flat river town asks for, from drains that slow down in heavy rain to septic systems on the rural blocks around it.
Also nearby
We work in these towns too
Local, and on the phone
Tell us about your Mullumbimby drain before we visit
Tell us whether your house is on the Council sewer or on its own septic system. That one answer decides what we bring and where we start.
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