Frequently asked questions

In New Zealand a lot of plumbing is restricted work and has to be done by a licensed plumber for safety and legal reasons. You can do some minor maintenance yourself, like replacing a tap washer or clearing a blocked trap, but anything involving the hot water system, drainage, or the mains usually needs a licensed person. If you're unsure, ask us, because getting restricted work signed off properly protects you when you sell.

The usual culprits are a failing element or thermostat in an electric cylinder, a build up of sediment in the bottom of the tank, or a cylinder that's simply too small for the household. Sometimes it's a tempering valve that's failed and is mixing in too much cold. We can test the cylinder and tell you whether it's a cheap fix or whether the tank is near the end of its life.

First, turn off the water at the mains, which is usually a tap near the boundary or where the supply enters the house. If it's a hot water pipe, switch off the cylinder too. Then mop up what you can and ring a plumber straight away. Knowing where your mains shutoff is before an emergency happens can save you a lot of water damage, so it pays to find it now.

Lag any exposed pipes, especially those running outside, under the house, or through an unheated garage, using foam pipe insulation from the hardware store. Disconnect and drain garden hoses before a hard frost so the outdoor tap doesn't freeze and split. If you're heading away during a cold snap, leaving the heating on low helps. Frozen pipes can burst when they thaw, so prevention is far cheaper than the repair.

A constantly running toilet is usually a worn flush valve or a fill valve that isn't shutting off, and it's an easy fix. It's worth sorting quickly because a running toilet can quietly waste a huge amount of water and push your bill up. If you're on a water meter, you'll notice it. Most jobs come down to replacing the cistern internals, which we carry on the van.

It could be a partly closed mains valve, a build up of scale or grit in the pipes or fittings, a leak somewhere on the line, or a pressure-reducing valve that's failed. If it's only the hot water that's weak, the cylinder or its valves are the likely cause. We can test the pressure at different points to track down where it's dropping and put it right.

It's worth having the valves on a mains-pressure cylinder checked every year or two, as the pressure and temperature relief valve is a safety component that can seize or leak. Most electric cylinders last around 10 to 15 years, so if yours is getting on, keep an eye out for rust stains or damp around the base. Catching a tired cylinder early means you can replace it on your terms rather than in an emergency.

We do both. For blocked drains we can clear the line and, where needed, run a camera down to find out what's causing it, whether that's tree roots, a collapsed pipe, or a build up of fat and wipes. Recurring blockages usually point to a deeper problem, so it's better to find the cause than just plunge it and hope. We'll tell you straight whether it's a quick clear or a bigger repair.