I’ve got water going everywhere. What do I do before you get here?
Turn the water off at the main tap, usually at the water meter near your front boundary. Then open the lowest tap in the house to drain what’s left in the pipes. If water is anywhere near a powerpoint, light fitting or the switchboard, kill the power at the switchboard too. Then call and tell us what you’ve turned off.
I can smell gas. What should I do?
Don’t touch any light switches, appliances or anything with a flame, and don’t use your phone inside. Open the doors and windows, turn the gas off at the meter, and get everyone outside. From outside, ring the gas emergency number printed on your gas bill, then call us to find and fix the fault.
My bill has jumped but I can’t see a leak. How do I check?
Turn off every tap and appliance in the house, then go and look at the water meter and write down the numbers. Leave it an hour with nothing running and check again. If it has moved, water is going somewhere it shouldn’t — usually an underground service line, a toilet cistern weeping into the pan, or a hot water relief valve. Give us a ring and we’ll track it down.
Why does the same drain keep blocking?
A drain that clears and then blocks again every few months usually isn’t a blockage problem, it’s a pipe problem. Tree roots finding a cracked joint, a section of pipe that has dropped and lost its fall, or old pipework breaking down all do this. Plungers and supermarket drain cleaner shift the symptom for a while. The fix is getting eyes on the actual pipe.
Can a handyman do plumbing or gas work?
No. In Queensland, plumbing, drainage and gas fitting are licensed trades — the work has to be done by a licensed plumber or gasfitter, and gas work needs a gas licence on top. It matters most when you go to sell, insure or rent the place out and someone asks who did the work. Brendan is licensed for both plumbing and gas.
Are those braided hoses under the sink worth replacing?
They’re the flexible hoses feeding your taps, toilet and dishwasher, and the braiding on them corrodes and frays with age. When one lets go it doesn’t drip, it runs at full mains pressure until someone turns the water off — which is how a kitchen ends up flooded while nobody’s home. Worth having them looked at while we’re there for something else.
Where are you based and how do I get hold of you?
The workshop is at 15/19 Wylie St, Toowoomba City, and Brendan has been plumbing in Toowoomba since 1997. Quickest way is the mobile on 0418 793 898, or the office on 07 4636 5641.
