Frequently asked questions

Questions and answers

Are you licensed and insured?

Yes. We hold a Victorian Building Authority plumbing licence, number 000000, with a gasfitting and gas servicing endorsement, and $20 million public liability cover. The number is on the van, on every invoice and on every compliance certificate we lodge, and you are welcome to check it on the VBA's public register before we start work.

Is it cheaper to wait until the morning?

After hours you pay the $99 callout plus a higher hourly rate between 6pm and 7am and across the weekend, so non-urgent work genuinely costs less booked into a weekday, and we will say on the phone which yours is. Where the building is getting wet or the family has no washing facilities, one night of damage outruns the surcharge comfortably.

Do you give an arrival window, or do I lose the whole day?

Booked jobs get a two-hour window, and the plumber texts when he is on his way, so nobody sits at home from eight in the morning. If the job before yours turns into something larger, we ring you with a revised time rather than letting your window quietly pass.

How do I turn the water off while I wait for a plumber?

Find the water meter, usually in a small box near the front boundary, and turn the tap on the house side of it clockwise until it stops. That isolates the whole property. If it is only hot water leaking, there is also a shut-off on the cold inlet at the top of the hot water unit — close that, and switch the unit's power or gas off as well so it is not heating an empty cylinder.

What payment methods do you take?

Card including tap and pay in the van, bank transfer, or PayID, paid on completion. Emergency callouts need no deposit. Larger jobs such as a bathroom rough-in are staged instead — a materials deposit, then progress payments at rough-in and at fit-off — and we never ask for the full amount before the work is done.

What warranty do I get on the work?

Six years on our own workmanship, plus whatever the manufacturer offers on any appliance or part we supply. Cleared drains are guaranteed for twelve months where the camera shows no structural defect, because nobody can warrant a pipe that is already broken. Warranty callbacks come first in the day's run, not after the new work.

Do you charge to quote?

Not for planned work. A hot water replacement, a new gas line or a bathroom rough-in gets a free site visit and a fixed written price. Diagnostic work is different, because finding a concealed leak or camera-inspecting a drain is skilled labour with equipment attached — that has a fee, and we tell you what it is before we come out.

Which suburbs do you actually cover?

Northcote, Thornbury, Brunswick, Preston and Fairfield are the core area, and the response times quoted on this site apply there. We also take work in Alphington, Clifton Hill, Coburg and Reservoir. If you are a little further out, ring and ask — the honest answer depends on where the on-call van happens to be that night.