If you have been in Sydney this week you would have known about the weather, we’re talking about lightning, wind, hail, and – of course – storm water damage. This storm has brought 216 mm of water in the week and according to Water NSW, over the past week water levels have risen 31%, which is a great result for our state. 

As your emergency plumber we are standing by to help, as a homeowner there are ways you can reduce the impact of water damage from storms before wild weather hits. So with bad weather already coming and predicted to hit again our team has come up with ways you can safeguard your Sydney property. 

Water damage Sydney – ways to minimise impact : 

1. Keep your gutters clean

Simple yet so many homeowners forget that gutters are up there so they can do their job when the rain comes down, but if they are full of leaves and other gunk you’re asking for trouble. 

2. Fix your Leaks 

A small leak in your gutters, roof or downpipes can quickly turn into a much bigger problem and become very noticeable during a huge downpour. At the earliest sign of a water leak make sure you get it repaired as quickly as possible.  

3. Test Your Downpipes with a hose

It is important to check for partial or complete blockages in those pipes or drains. Once the storm hits the water will start to flow quickly and the blockage can turn into a plumbing nightmare. 

4. Check your rainwater tank 

Often homeowners forget as part of their storm preparations is to look at the tank, if the pipes are blocked or not flowing fast it can become backed up and overwhelm your gutters. 

5. Understand your property’s stormwater flow 

Since we have already had the storm have you noticed where the stormwater pools, are ‘rivers’ that form. This information can help you make a decision to changing the yards drainage or clearing some areas of debris. 

6. Check your backflow

When storms and floods are common it is important to check your backflow as your drinking water can be under threat from water flowing down your pipes in the wrong direction. You may want to consider installing a backflow prevention device and if you have one installed you may need to get it tested. 

For Sydney residents and homeowners it’s our responsibility to protect our homes from storm damage and prevention is key to minimising impact.  Speak with our friendly team to enquire if your home is protected.. Simply give us a call on 0403 549 598 or make a booking online. 

Sydney Level 2 Water Restrictions Now in place

From the 10th  December 2019 , level 2 water restrictions have been enforced by the NSW Government in Sydney, Illawarra region and the Blue Mountains. Did you know Sydney dams are currently sitting at 52.6%, compared to 72.2% time last year. 

Restrictions have been put in place to protect our water supply by NSW Government. The following conditions have been 

• Operating sprinklers and watering systems have at any time. Residents are allowed to use hand held hoses with a trigger before 10am or after 4pm 
• Washing vehicles, building and hard surfaces 
• Fitting new or renovated pools or spaces over 10,000 litres

What happens if you don’t obey the restrictions ? Residents of Sydney region will have penalties of $220 for individuals and $550 for businesses who don’t adhere. 

Our team has designed simple measures you can implement in the home to start saving water.

How much water do you use? 

Two main ways to find out how much water your family uses. 

1. Read the water meter
2. Read your Sydney water bill

Monitoring your water usage over time will allow you to understand and track your water.

Change Your Water Usage

Every household can conserve water and change their daily habits to make a difference to minimise water usage. Simple ways you can help include:

• Time your showers to be less than 3 minutes, every minute you save 1 bucket of water 
• Turn the water off when brushing your teeth 
• Don’t do half loads of turning on the dishwasher or washing machine 
• Install water efficient tapware in your shower to minimise water.

Using the Half Flush Button 

Having control over which button you press on the toilet will reduce your water consumption but also assist to reduce your bills. Installing a modern, water efficient toilet can save you 50L, and $148 per year on water bills. Check your toilet too see how much water you are consuming per flush. Every litre less in a flush will save a family of 4 nearly 6kL and $17.50 each year in water supply charges (based on 4 flushes per person per day and water at $2.99/kL).

Use the WELS lavatory product search to compare the efficiency and flush volume of different toilets before buying.

Repairing Leaks

Often something that is overlooked in the home as you don’t seem to think that a small drip or leak can cause you to lose thousands of litres per day from a constantly running toilet or tap. If you expect your toilet to have a leak try placing a few drops of food colouring into the cistern and without flushing you will notice the coloured water appearing in areas it shouldn’t!

If you discover a leak in your property or your rental property, call a licensed plumber immediately. Even if they can’t pinpoint the location they will have leak detection equipment to locate secret locations such in walls and beneath the ground. 

For Sydney residents and homeowners its our responsibility to conserve water and we all need to play our part. Speak with your friendly team to enquire installing energy efficient devices or locate leaks that have been troubling you. Simply give us a call on 0403 549 598 or make a booking online. 

The most common insurance claims in Australian homes come from under your sink, also known as a flexi hose or flexible braided house. They are located underneath bathroom or kitchen sinks or basins in every home throughout Australia. If not installed correctly or maintained these hoses can cause huge impact and damage to your bathroom or kitchen and have been revealed as the leading cause of household water issues and damage.

How do they cause damage ?

Flexi hose can cause serious water damage to kitchens and bathrooms if not found in time. The stainless steel protecting the rubber pipe can be corroded by rust and begin to unravel or come loose at the connection points. If a flexi hose bursts it will result in water damage, ceiling damage,  flooding, damaged walls and potentially a home that is no longer habitable. Other effects of damage from a burst flexi include:

• Mould growth 
• Structural damage to the surrounding space 
• Contents damage

Research conducted by Australia’s largest insurer, IAG (Insurance Australia Group) found that flexi hoses resulted in 22% of water damage claims in Australian homes in 2018, in the kitchen or bathroom area. 

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How can you prevent flexi hose from bursting ?

Most likely you have flexi hose installed underneath your basin or sink, we recommend you follow the below instructions to minimize water leaks.

Installation By a Licensed Plumber

We recommend you have a flexi hose installed by a licensed and qualified plumber, it may seem like a simple job but you can rest assured that the correct installation will be followed and you will not have any water leak or damages in the future. Our team will ensure the right length of hose is being installed and not too loose or tight.

View our license details here.

Maintenance

Having a qualified plumber conduct regular maintenance on your plumbing will ensure you will not face any unexpected water leaks or damages.

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Regular Inspections

Cost effective solution to ensure you won’t have any burst flexi pipes. Our licensed plumbers recommend you check underneath your sink or basin every 3 months to ensure you will not be confronted with any damage. Our team can also meet with you every year for a free home plumbing inspection.

Do you remember when your flexi hoses were inspected by a licensed plumber? Now is the time to get in touch with Quintessential Plumbing. We can arrange one of our plumbers to examine and determine if your flexi hose needs replacement.

Don’t leave it too late, give our friendly team a call on 0403 549 598 or make an online booking today!

Our expert plumber Kelvin works with clients daily to ensure their family’s have constant and safe hot water heater to ensure they can carry on with their daily duties in the home. 

Kelvin lets us in on the key signs you will come across when you require a new hot water system for your family and home. Here’s what he has to say…

Age of the Hot Water System 

Did you know hot water systems are expected to last around 8 – 12 years ? If you check the manufacturer’s information they will tell you timeframes. If your in an older property and the life of the system is over 15 years we recommend replacing the system as problems may begin to occur. 

Water Isn’t Hot Enough

Are your showers turning cold halfway through or failing to heat up ? Potentially this could be an issue with the thermostat so ensure you have a licensed plumber assess the issue. 

Sizzling or Hissing Noises from the Tank

When your hot water system begins to make noise it is often a sign that the heater needs to be replaced or serviced. Its best to speak with an expert to check the cause and identify the problem.

Sludge or Rust Around the Tank 

Corrosion around your hot water system fittings means you usually have a leak. Try tighting the fittings. If this doesn’t seem to fix the problem it’s best to call a professional plumber to take a look and assess what can be done.

Our plumbing team can ensure your hot water system is repaired or replaced with success. Book in your FREE in-home consultation with a member of the team today.

Consult a licensed plumber

A skillful bathroom renovation can yield as a perfect sanctuary and relaxing environment space, while a poorly done renovation will serve as a daily reminder of low quality materials or shoddy workmanship. We have created some simple do’s and don’ts to create your beautiful oasis.

Do – Search for Design / Style Inspiration First

Every bathroom renovation starts with a plan, you need to establish the layout of the bathroom and feel free to play with the design. Once the foundation is set we now can search for the physical objects. 

Do – Set A Realistic Budget 

It is wise to set a realistic budget and too ensure you are aware of unexpected expenses such as mould issues. 

Do – Consider Going Green

To make the most out of your renovation project, use and install fixtures that are efficient and environmentally-friendly.Toilets, taps, and showerheads are just some of the standard fixtures that now come with eco-friendly seals.

Do – Install Appropriate Ventilation & Lighting 

A typical bathroom has limited space and probably does not have large windows to provide ventilation or a lot of natural light in it. As such, consider how to ventilate the moisture and steam that results from showers and hot baths and let in enough light inside.

Don’t – Hire the Cheapest Contractor 

With any renovation project, cost is always a big concern but it is important to think of the project as an investment. Skilled trades don’t come cheap, it is not recommended to cut costs here as you may end up with a botched bathroom renovation and unexpected costs down the track. 

Don’t- Rush your timeline 

A successful bathroom renovation comes down to simply good planning. Take your time and consult with experts to thoroughly discuss your budget, lifestyle requirements, and ideas. 

Don’t- Forget storage 

When designing the bathroom it is something you can easily forget about, you must think practical. Well designed storage elements make your daily duties easy. Features like soap dishes or built-in shower caddies are also easy ways to maximise the storage capacity of your bathroom. 

Don’t- Select the lowest quality PC items

You must remember that you use your bathroom everyday and it is prone to water, heat and general wear and tear. Installing quality materials and tiles will ensure longevity of your bathroom. 

Our design team can ensure your bathroom renovation project achieves success. If your ready to transform your bathroom space book in your FREE in-home consultation with a member of the team today.

Consult a licensed plumber

Consulting a plumber at the early stage of renovating your bathroom will allow you to determine what is achievable, and most cost effective. They will assist you to plan the design layout, communicate your space options and go into detailed discussions regarding the plumbing and what suits you. If you are unsure about certain requirements seek professional advice to avoid problems occurring later down the track.

Set a budget

Once you have an understanding of what is required for your renovation you must now decide a budget, and stick to it. Depending on your budget you may do a complete makeover on your bathroom and transform the space or alternatively you can do a partial renovation to freshen up your bathroom with new tapare, new toilet or accessories. Sit down and work out the costs involved for materials and labour, once this is decided the work can commence.

Choose the style

Get inspired from instagram, magazines, online renovation groups, real estate, the ideas are endless. What style do you want for your home?

Take Your Time

While it can be frustrating having your bathroom out of action for a couple of weeks or more, when you’re doing it yourself it’s important not to rush things. Measure everything twice and be certain you’re doing the right thing before you cut, lay or install anything.

Hire Licensed Professionals

It is very important to hire licensed professionals who are experienced in renovations and understand the compliance’s laws with Fair Trading. All bathrooms must be signed off by an accredited renovator, do not engage with trades without signing contracts and viewing licenses to ensure they are certified.

Are you planning to sell your home ? It is important to ensure all plumbing in your home is working at 100% standards, no taps are dripping, toilet seats aren’t loose or there isn’t any high water pressure or blocked drains before the pre-sale building inspection.

What will the inspector check?

What can you do prior to sale?

1. Fix the leaks prior to sale
2. Only use licensed trades.
3. Divert water away from the house.
4. Maintain your gutter systems.
5. Obtain compliance certificates from renovation works.

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Peace of Mind

To ensure your property will not be de-valued due to any faulty plumbing it is always recommended to complete a spot check prior to sale before the pre-sale building inspection date. All agents recommend an independent inspector to assess the home and you would not want the buyer turned away because of uncompliant plumbing works.

Many items get put down the kitchen sink daily and it is important to ensure we monitor this to avoid the mess for the plumber. A range of foreign objects such as food and waste scraps, soaps and coffee waste all pass by and build up over time if we do not clear our dishes or empty the waste into our bins.

What can’t go down the sink?

Coffee Waste

Who loves coffee? Every morning we wake up and enjoy or morning coffee and everyone tends to wash the coffee bean grinds down the sink. With the increase in popularity of home coffee machines the Quintessential Plumbing team have had to rescue and unclog with kitchen sink drains due to the bean waste build up. Coffee grounds can easily mix with other things that come down your pipes and form a very troublesome clog in your kitchen sink.

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Food Scraps

Our kitchen sink is the one location in the house whereby we rinse and clean our dirty dishes daily. Who remembers to clean their plate before it goes into the sink? I am sure someone in your family comes into mind right. Now, it may not look like it at first, but these little particles of food will wreak havoc on your kitchen sink. Everyone must get into the habit of putting the food scraps in the bin otherwise you may have a larger issue on your hands due to build up and might cause kitchen sink blockages.

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What can go down the sink ?

Water – It is important for everyone in the family home to ensure the only item we can put down the sink is water. Safe for our environment and safe for your kitchen sink, this will ensure you will not have any issues or blockages problems in the future.