Emergency plumber, Helensburgh to Nowra

Plumbing emergencies have a way of happening at 9pm on a Sunday. When one does, you want someone who will pick up the phone, tell you what to do in the next five minutes, and then turn up.

That is Brad. Ring 0426 963 260. You get Brad, not a call centre.

What counts as an emergency

• A burst pipe or a leak you cannot stop. Water through a ceiling, a flooded laundry, a flexi hose under the sink that has let go.
• No water at all. Could be a burst pipe on your side of the meter, a failed stop tap, or something the water authority has done up the road. Brad can tell you which fairly quickly.
• A blocked sewer with sewage coming up in the shower, the toilet or the overflow gully outside. This is the most common emergency job Brad gets. See blocked drains.
• A smell of gas. If it is strong, get everyone out and ring your gas supplier's emergency line before you ring anyone else. Then ring Brad. See gas fitting.
• A hot water system leaking badly, especially if it is inside or on an upper floor.

A dripping tap at midnight is annoying but it can wait until morning and the standard rate. Brad will be honest with you about that on the phone.

What to do while you wait

1. Turn the water off at the mains. The main stop tap is usually near the front boundary in a small pit, or on the wall where the pipe enters the house. Turn it clockwise. If it is stiff or you cannot find it, tell Brad on the phone and he will talk you through it.
2. For a burst flexi hose under a sink or toilet, there is usually a small isolation tap right there. Turn that off first.
3. Turn off the hot water system at the switchboard if it is electric and leaking, or at the gas isolation valve if it is gas.
4. Stop using water if the sewer is backing up. Every flush makes it worse.
5. Move what you can away from the water. Towels along the bottom of doors buy you time.
6. Take a photo. Insurance will ask, and Brad likes to see what he is walking into.

What Brad does

He gets there, stops the immediate problem, then fixes it properly if that can be done on the spot. Sometimes the proper fix has to wait for daylight or a part. In that case he makes it safe, gets your water or gas back on where he can, and comes back to finish. You will know which it is before he leaves your driveway.

After-hours call-outs

Yes, Brad does them, across the whole area from Helensburgh to Nowra. There is an extra charge for after-hours work. It depends on the job, so rather than a number on a website that turns out to be wrong, Brad tells you the call-out cost on the phone before he leaves. No surprises when he gets there.