General plumbing

A drain that blocks once is usually debris. A drain that blocks in the same place repeatedly is telling you the pipe itself is the problem, and clearing it again is renting a solution rather than buying one.

The usual causes are tree roots that have found a cracked joint and grown into it, a section that has dropped and now holds water, or old earthenware pipe that has degraded. A camera inspection settles which, and it also locates the fault so any excavation is targeted rather than exploratory.

Root cutting restores flow but does not fix the crack the roots came through, so they return, typically on a predictable cycle. The permanent options are relining the pipe or replacing the section, and the choice between them comes down to access, depth and how much of the run is affected.

Storage units, gas or electric, generally run ten to fifteen years. The signs of the end are rusty water, a unit weeping from the base, hot water running out faster than it used to, or a relief valve that has started discharging constantly. A leak from the tank body is terminal; a failed element, thermostat or valve usually is not.

Replacement is also the moment to reconsider the type, because it is the only time the cost of changing is marginal rather than significant. Continuous flow suits households that run out of hot water. Heat pumps are far cheaper to run than electric storage and attract rebates, but need outdoor space and make some noise. Solar suits the right roof and the right household. The wrong answer is replacing like for like by default because it is quickest.

Sizing matters more than people expect. An undersized unit produces a household argument every evening, and an oversized one heats water nobody uses.

In Victoria, plumbing work is licensed and regulated, and most work requires a compliance certificate issued by the licensed plumber who did it. That certificate is what proves the work was done by someone entitled to do it and to the standard required, and it carries warranty obligations behind it.

It matters at three moments in particular: when you sell, when you claim on insurance, and when something goes wrong later. Unlicensed or uncertified work is exactly the thing an insurer looks for when a water damage claim lands. Getting a cheap price from someone who cannot issue a certificate is a saving that gets repaid with interest.

It also matters for gas. Gas fitting is licensed work with its own certification, and there is no informal version of it that is acceptable.