Got a leaking toilet? Here’s what you need to know

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One of the most common calls we get here at Plumb is:
“My toilet is leaking.”

If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. A leaking toilet is one of those everyday plumbing issues that’s easy to ignore — until you realise just how much water it’s wasting.

In fact, even a moderate leak can waste up to 1,000 litres of water a day. That’s a huge amount — especially if you’re on a water meter, or if you’ve been affected by low water levels like we sometimes experience here during Wellington Summers. Whether you’re environmentally conscious or just want to avoid a higher water bill, a running toilet is something worth fixing quickly.

How to Spot a Leaking Toilet Early

The good news is that you can often catch the issue before it worsens. Keep an eye out for:

  • Water slowly trickling into the bowl between flushes

  • A faint, constant ripple on the water’s surface

  • Older toilets with an overflow pipe on the cistern may show visible drips

These are all signs your toilet may be running — or “leaking” — even when it hasn’t been flushed.

What’s Really Going On?

Here’s the thing: while we call it a leaking toilet, it’s usually not the toilet bowl itself that’s leaking. The problem almost always lies in the cistern — the tank at the back that holds the flush water.

Over time, the rubber and plastic components inside the cistern wear out. Cleaning chemicals and water additives can also contribute to corrosion. As a result, the internal parts that control water flow stop doing their job properly, and water continues to run into the bowl.

Fixing a running toilet typically means replacing or repairing these parts — and the good news is, it’s usually a quick and straightforward job for a plumber.

Need Help with a Leaking Toilet?

If you’ve noticed the signs or just want peace of mind, give us a call. Craig, our experienced plumber, has helped hundreds of Wellington homes sort out their running toilets quickly and affordably.

Don’t let a small leak turn into a big water bill. Get in touch today — we’re here to help.

Why You Should Clean Your Blocked Gutters – Before It’s Too Late

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As beautiful as Autumn leaves are, they often bring hidden problems for homeowners—especially when they end up in your gutters. Blocked gutters can quickly become a headache.

If you’re not a plumber, you may not realise how much damage a build-up of leaves and debris can cause to your guttering and drainage system. Ignoring your gutters could lead to problems such as:

  • Overflowing gutters during rainfall

  • Rust and deterioration of metal guttering caused by damp, trapped debris

  • Blocked downpipes and stormwater drains when leaves wash into the system

Signs Your Gutters Might Be Blocked

Not sure if your gutters need cleaning? Go and inspect your gutters and look out for these common signs:

  • Water spilling over the sides when it rains

  • Grass or small plants growing in the guttering

  • Damp spots or water pooling near the foundation of your home

Why Gutter Cleaning Matters

Regular gutter cleaning helps prevent expensive repairs and extends the life of your guttering. By removing leaves and debris, you’ll:

  • Reduce the risk of water damage to your home

  • Avoid costly drain unblocking services

  • Keep your downpipes flowing freely

  • Protect your roof, fascia boards, and foundation

If your home is surrounded by trees that frequently drop leaves into your gutters, you might also consider a gutter guard installation. Gutter guards prevent build-up and minimise the need for frequent cleaning.

Get Your Gutters Ready for Winter

With Winter fast approaching, now’s the perfect time to book a professional gutter cleaning service. Craig is your local expert—tall, great with heights, and thorough. He can:

  • Clean out your gutters and downpipes

  • Check for leaks and blockages

  • Wipe your spouting clean

  • Install a gutter guard so you don’t have to think about leaves again

Contact Craig now, he’ll be very happy to come round and get your gutters ready.

Everyone Needs to Know How To Turn Their Water Off!

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In the event of a burst pipe or leaking water tank, you will want to turn your water off immediately to minimise water damage to your home.

If a plumber needs to work on your water pipes, hot water cylinder or taps, they’ll likely need to turn it off.

You do this by turning it off at the toby. But do you know where your toby is?

Where can I find my toby?

If you live in a stand-alone house, there are some common places you can look for your toby.  It is usually near the front boundary of your house, often in line with a front hose tap.  Look in the garden, grass or footpath area by the boundary of your house.

In townhouses, the toby for each house is more likely indoors, such as in the garage or hot water cylinder cupboard.

Apartment buildings have a single toby that controls the water to all apartments, usually outside on the boundary.  Each apartment will also have its own toby, located somewhere inside the building, but not necessarily in the apartment.  They can be hard to find!  Try looking in your hot water cupboard and under the kitchen sink.  Your body corporate may have a plan of the building’s plumbing that could be helpful.

What am I looking for?

Most tobies are located in the ground, under a lid.  Older tobies often have a square metal lid.  Newer ones usually have black or blue oblong plastic lids.  They’ll often have “WCC” (Wellington City Council) on them.

In a townhouse or apartment building, they may be in the wall, within an access panel.

What if I Can’t Find my Toby?!

The Wellington City Council will both locate and repair tobies at no charge as it is their responsibility to provide water to each home. Essentially, the toby is where the Council plumbing ends and your private plumbing begins.

How do I Know If My Toby is Working?

Check that the handle turns easily enough both clockwise (water off) and anticlockwise (water on).  To check that it’s working, turn it clockwise then turn on one of your taps and make sure it is indeed off (you would expect some water to come out initially as it drains water that was already sitting in the pipes).

 

If you don’t know where your toby is, go and look for it now! If you can’t locate it, contact our plumber, Craig, or the Council to help you out.

Earthquake-Ready Plumbing Checklist: How to Protect Your Home from Damage

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Although we don’t like to think too much about it, we live on a faultline so our city is seismically active and earthquakes are frequent. Even seemingly small rumbles can compromise your home’s plumbing. With this in mind, it’s worth performing a few checks that could reduce the chance of water damage and increase the chance of having a usable plumbing system after an earthquake.

We recommend doing the following checks at least annually as well as after any significant shake.

Earthquake Plumbing Checklist
  • Pipework – check all visible pipes (including under the house and in the ceiling if accessible) for leaks/cracks.
  • Hot water cylinder – are there any leaks?  Is it securely strapped?  Does it have an overflow tray?
  • Water toby – do you know where it is and how to turn it off? Is it working properly? (See our post about water tobies here for more helpful information)
Emergency Water Supply

We have installed an emergency rainwater tank outside our own house. We wrote a post about it, which you can read here to learn more about how they work.   It’s reassuring to know we have 200 litres of water stored if we need it.

When using water from a tank to drink or brush your teeth, the usual precautions are recommended – either boil the water or add a few drops of household bleach. Rainwater tanks can be strapped to protect your extra water supply in earthquakes.

You won’t regret taking a little time to go through the checklist above. Attending to each point will reduce the plumbing issues you experience after an earthquake. There’s peace of mind knowing that you’ve done what you can to be prepared. If you spot something that you would like to have checked/fixed or you would like a rainwater tank installed at your place, please get in touch.  Craig would be very happy to help.

Clear My Blocked Drain

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When your drain is blocked, you need help straight away!  Although the problem may have been brewing for a while, there’s no way of knowing until you start experiencing issues.

 Signs of a Blocked Drain

The main tell-tale signs of a blocked drain are –

  • water takes a long time to drain down a plughole
  • the water level in your toilet bowl is rising
  • the water level in your outdoor gully trap is rising or overflowing (gully traps are designed as an overflow point for when the drain blocks)
What Happens if a Blocked Drain is Left Too Long

It’s important to get a blocked drain cleared early. If a blockage is left for too long, issues begin to appear.

They can be inconvenient, such as reduced water pressure and foul smells. But they can also create health risks such as bacteria growing in the drain and sewage backing up.

Leaks and flooding can cause damage to the house and property.

The longer a blockage is left, the higher the risks and the more expensive the repair is likely to be.

Causes of Blocked Drains

The most common causes of a blocked drain are –

  • a buildup of debris, such as toilet paper, soap and cooking oils
  • tree roots growing through joins and/or cracks in the drain pipes, preventing water and debris from flowing past them
How Will My Blocked Drain be Cleared?

Our plumber would initially try to clear the block with manual tools. Using manual tools is sufficient to clear a less serious blockage and is also the most cost-effective method.  If the blockage is stubborn, specialist equipment is required.

Plumb has access to equipment for both diagnosing and clearing blocked drains.  We use cameras to see what’s going on inside the pipe and what’s causing the problems. High-pressure water sprays are used to clear roots and other debris away.  There’s also a locating tool that accurately measures the position and depth of the drain so that it’s quick to find the right place if we need to dig down to the pipe.

We can then carry out any necessary work, based on what the camera and locating tools show us.  Once your blockage has been cleared and your drain repaired, we spray the drain and surrounding area with disinfectant to keep everything hygienic.

 

It’s best to get your drains cleared when you first notice the early signs of a blockage to prevent them from becoming a larger problem. If you have a blockage or a drain you are suspicious of, contact us now. We’d be glad to help.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Protect Your Family from Hot Water Burns

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Hot water burns are serious. When we have young children in the house, who might play with a tap, or elderly family members who may have slower reactions, we must know that the water at the taps and showerheads in our house is at a safe temperature. A tempering valve is used to control the temperature and prevent scalding.

What’s a tempering valve?

A tempering valve mixes hot water from your cylinder with cold water from the mains or supply tank to deliver water to taps at a safe temperature.  In a home, that temperature must, by law, be below 55 degrees.  In some other places, such as retirement homes and childcare centres, it must be below 45 and 40 degrees, respectively.

Can’t I just turn down my hot water cylinder?

No.  Hot water cylinders are set at a minimum of 60 degrees in order to kill bacteria and ensure the water is healthy. When water drops below this temperature, the likelihood of a person becoming sick from using the water increases.  A tempering valve is fitted to the hot water outlet pipe coming from the hot water cylinder. After the water has been heated enough to kill bacteria, the valve mixes it with cold water to bring it down to a safe temperature.

How do I know if I already have a tempering valve?

Tempering valves are mandatory in new builds and Council-consented jobs involving plumbing.  It is considered good plumbing practice to inform customers if they don’t already have one installed in their home.  You can look for a tempering valve on the pipework of your hot water cylinder.  Most have a black, blue or clear circular plastic cap on them. If you have a valve but your water temperature feels as if it could be too hot, it may no longer work and need to be replaced.

Tempering valve

Look for a tempering valve in your hot water cupboard. They are essential to prevent hot water burns

What if I don’t have a tempering valve?

Contact Plumb!  We can talk to you about your needs and book an installation so you and your loved ones are protected from hot water burns. Contact us now

 

 

Fix Weak Water Pressure & Enjoy Your Morning Shower!

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The most common complaint people who have a low pressure hot water system make is that they have weak water pressure at the tap. They want to luxuriate under a decent spray for their morning shower, not shiver under a dribble. Another problem some experience is difficulty controlling water temperature with mixers.

Read more

Dripping Taps – Money Down the Drain

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“Drip…drip…drip”.

It was the middle of the night and I lay awake listening to one of the taps in our ensuite drip.    I resorted to putting a towel in the basin for the drips to land on silently. It made me think about the wasted water and the impact on our water heating bill – a tap dripping every minute, every hour, every day…

Fortunately I’m married to Craig, and he was able to fix the tap straight away and minimise the wastage. Being married to a plumber has ceertainly made me more water conscious.  Did you know that even a slow drip can waste approximately 5 litres of water a day?  And a fast dripping tap upto 70 litres?!  It’s hard to believe.

Causes of Dripping Taps & Mixers
  • a worn-out washer needs to be replaced
  • the tap needs to be re-seated (smoothed). If a new washer goes against a old rough seat (inside the tap) the new washer will wear out very quickly.
  • the headworks of the tap or the cartridge of a mixer needs replacing.  These are the parts that make the tap work.
  • debri has got into the water pipe and damaged the tap – having a filter valve installed prevents this.
  • water pressure is too high and has damaged the mixer.

When Craig is asked to fix a dripping tap, he begins by replacing the washer. He carries a range of washers in his van so he will most likely have the right one on-hand for a job.  If this doesn’t solve the problem, he investigates the other possible causes.

All taps and mixers are checked for drips as part of our plumbing warrant of fitness.  The warrant is a great way to check that your plumbing is water, energy and cost efficient.

Don’t put up with that dripping tap any longer!  Give Plumb a call.
Julie

 

 

10mm Hot Water Pipe – Save Water & Money

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ten-mm-pipewater-kitchen-black-design

I hate it when I turn on a tap or the shower and I have to stand waiting ages for the hot water to come through.  Apart from being impatient, I don’t like the thought of wasting water or what it must be doing to the power bill.

Over the past couple of years, plumbers have started using 10mm water pipes instead of the usual 15 or 20mm for hot water.  (The measurements are the diameter of the pipes).  Water sitting in the hot pipe cools down when it’s not being used.  Because 10mm pipe holds less water than larger pipes, less “dead water” is wasted before you get hot water at the tap and the hot comes through more quickly.  10mm pipe uses approximately one-third the amount of water as 20mm pipe – so it reduces your hot water bill dramatically.

Ideally, each tap would have it’s own 10mm pipe running directly to it.  In the past, one hot water pipe would be installed with numerous tee-offs to serve multiple taps.  But this means draining many more metres of pipe before the hot water arrives.  By re-configuring hot water pipes so each tap has it’s own 10mm pipe running directly from the hot water cylinder, the savings in water and money are extended.

We have had customers request Craig to replace their existing hot water pipe with 10mm pipe so they can enjoy the benefits of less dead water.  Any accessible hot water pipe in your ceiling or under the house can be replaced with 10mm pipe.  If you are renovating, it may be an opportunity to replace hot water pipes in the wall.  If you are building a new house, we highly recommend installing 10mm hot water pipe.

To maximise your hot water savings, your new 10mm hot water pipes should be lagged (insulated) to retain the heat.

10mm pipes are only recommended for houses with mains pressure as the water needs the force/drive to maintain pressure.  If you have mains pressure, you won’t notice a reduction in pressure if you replace your hot water pipes with 10mm.

Food for thought,
Craig & Julie.

 

Get Your Water Pressure Checked!

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water pressure test photo

Craig performing a water pressure test

Most people wouldn’t know what the water pressure is in their home.  They’d also be unaware of the often expensive impact that high water pressure can have.  High water pressure can increase your chance of a burst pipe and damage to your mixers, showerheads and other plumbing fittings.

Burst pipes can cause a lot of damage very quickly.  The manufacturer’s warranty on most mixers and some other fittings is invalidated if your water pressure is too high – so you especially want to make sure your water pressure has been checked if you’ve recently updated your bathroom or kitchen.

Craig is available to do water pressure checks. Doing a check doesn’t require him to go inside your house, which can be useful for those working or with other commitments outside the home.  He can measure the pressure at an outdoor hose tap. If he finds that your pressure is too high, he will give you an obligation-free quote to install a pressure-limiting-and-filter valve, which would protect all of the plumbing on your house.  If he’s coming round to do some plumbing for you, why not ask him to check your pressure while he’s there?

And, if you’re concerned that reducing the pressure will weaken your nice strong morning shower, don’t worry – reducing it to normal working pressure should have minimal impact on your experience of water pressure at the tap.

Ready to help,
Craig & Julie