Frequently Asked Questions

If you can smell gas please turn off the gas bottles at the valve on the top of the bottles. NO SMOKING or naked flames whilst you do this.

Gas leaks can be a serious issue so please give us a call, as any gas work must be done by a qualified licenced gas fitter. You can go to the Plumbers Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board website to check if any plumber or gas fitter has a current licence, see www.pgdb.co.nz

If you have water coming out of the hot taps but it is cold, this indicates that you have either:

ELECTRIC: a blown element, a faulty thermostat or your cylinder could be wired on an old “ripple” switch so that the power company can control to turn off the electricity supply to the Hot water cylinder without you knowing.

LPG: indicates either run out of LPG or no power to the unit. If this is after a power cut, you may need to reset an instantaneous hot water system by switching the power off and on again. The instantaneous gas hot water system should then go through a reset programme and be ready to use again in a few minutes.

There could be plumbing problems within the pipes and walls of your new home that could eventually result in costly repairs. There are some things you should be aware of when it comes to new home plumbing.

You should look for plumbing issues in the obvious places. Check to make sure all the faucets and drains work properly, and that the shower has adequate water pressure. Also, make sure that the toilets flush properly. In addition, the toilet bowls and sinks should be securely installed and should not move if you put a little pressure on them.

The average water heater lasts up to 10 years, depending on use. Turn on the hot water taps in your kitchen and bathrooms to confirm that the water heater works. But also check the location of the unit. It should be in the basement or in a place that offers easy cleanup if there are plumbing leaks.

You could have potential plumbing problems if there is warping, discoloration or soggy floors near the toilets or sinks. Even a small leak can cause severe structural damage over time. Another issue is clogged or slow drains, which can indicate problems with the pipes or main sewer lines.

When moving to a new home, it is also important to ask how old the plumbing system is and what type of material was used for the system.

With the various types of piping systems and conditions, you should get a whole house plumbing inspection, and possibly consider water heater maintenance service and sewer camera inspection. We can inspect your new home to check for unforeseen plumbing issues.

Firstly it pays to check that there is power supply to the pump and also your tank water level.  There might also be a leak in the water suction pump which can cause air cavitation.

If the pump keeps turning on regularly and you are not using any water check the following:

Check that you do not have any appliance using water, washing machine, dish washer, icemaker in fridge etc. and check toilets not continually running (see below)

If the pump keeps running that may indicate a leak somewhere in your pipework. Any leaks can cause more damage with blown kitchen cabinets or rotten floors, so call us to come and investigate the cause and we can recommend a plan to fix the leak.

Leaving the toilet running would mean waste of time, water and money. This could lead to hundreds of litres of water and hundreds of dollars worth of waste in a year. Sometimes this can be really easy to see and sometimes it is only a little trickle.  To check if the water continues to run into the bowl after the toilet is flushed, put a piece of toilet paper around a dry bowl and watch if it gets wet.  If it does get wet, it indicates that some part of the mechanism has malfunctioned and needs to be adjusted or, as a sure fix, replaced.

Turn off the power supply to the pump AND if you have a hot water cylinder that is higher than the leak, you will need to turn off the hot water cylinder OUTLET.

If the leak is only on the hot water – you can isolate at the hot water cylinder by turning off the INLET valve to the bottom of the hot water cylinder tank.

Low water pressure can indicate a couple of things. Your pump may be starting to lose pressure or it may be that your filters need a change.  Call us to investigate and resolve your low water pressure problems.

If a shower unit is not being used, the water seal dries out and this can then let septic smells enter the room.  If you do use the shower and have a smell, may be the plumbing has not originally included a trap. That would also allow septic smells to enter the room.

The problem could be a loose pipe that is vibrating when water flows through it, and thus the pipes make noise inside your walls. You can try to find the noisy water pipes by inspecting your plumbing in open areas of the home to see if there is significant movement of those pipes when someone turns on the faucets. If so, you could secure them to the wood framing with pipe clips or clamps, which should keep them from moving and banging against the structure.

A calcium build-up in copper pipes is a rarity, though it is possible with extremely high levels of calcium. If this happens, you’ll need to install a water softener to treat the water. This will not only save your pipes but also your washing machine, dishwasher and toilets. As far as removing the calcium from the inside of the copper pipes, there is nothing you can put into the pipes that you would want to drink later. No governmental agency will allow plumbers to treat the inside of copper pipes because of the hazards involved.

You could use vinegar in the pipes, but it would take a lot of vinegar and you would have to leave it in the pipes at least 24 hours. You would have to remove all of the water in the pipes and replace it with vinegar. Vinegar dissolves calcium and minerals. Then you would have to flush your pipes. The vinegar taste may be in the pipes for some time afterwards, but it is completely harmless.

A better solution is to simply replace the pipes with PEX plastic pipes. Plastic is completely resistant to any mineral build-up and provides higher pressures and water flow rates than copper pipe. Contact Us to evaluate your pipes and get more options.

There are two most common causes of smelly tank water:

It could be from your water level being very low and perhaps has not been cleaned so that the sludge that builds up at the bottom of the tank can be affecting the water supply. This can be worse if the tank is low and then a sudden downpour can stir up the sludge.

Otherwise, if your have trees overhanging or near your roof, the leaves and flowers could be going into the water supply. We can find a solution that best suits your property to reduce the leaves and flowers that go into your tank. If you have a Pohutukawa tree over or near your roof, we recommend disconnecting the roof water runoff whilst the tree is flowering as the flowers can taint the water to cause a poisonous tea that you should not drink.

Jetting equipment cleans sewer lines better than snakes. Jetters use varying degrees of water pressure to cut through grease and other debris that build up in drain pipes, especially in restaurants, and draw it back where it can be vacuumed out, providing a more thorough cleaning. Enzyme-type sewer and drain cleaning and maintenance products can be automatically injected into the line to help keep grease and food waste from building up in the line. The enzyme eats the grease and turns it into a liquid, which washes away with water, preventing most backups.

If your pump is humming and not turning the pump could be either:
– seized and a replacement pump will be required, or
– the capacitor has gone and a replacement capacitor may be required.

Those black flecks and impurities could be the result of a number of issues:

• Dirt may have worked its way into your plumbing system.
• If you have hard water, it could be calcium, iron or magnesium deposits.
• There may be small particles of rubber from your plumbing or rust particles from corroded pipes getting into your water.
• If you’re already using a water filtration system to purify water, these imperfections could be carbon from the water purifier filter.

While small amounts of these substances are not typically hazardous to your health, it is best to determine the origin. You can first try to filter your tap water. Our Plumber also can inspect your plumbing system to find out where the impurities are coming from.