Find a trusted plumber in Brisbane

Raised homes, old pipes and summer storms

Plumbing a house on stumps plays out differently from plumbing one on a slab, and Brisbane’s older suburbs are full of them. In a highset Queenslander the pipes often run in the open under the floor, so a plumber can usually see and reach a leak without cutting into a wall. The catch is age. Many of these homes were plumbed in galvanised steel, which rusts from the inside until pinhole leaks and brown water start showing up. Replacing a run of old galvanised pipe with copper or modern plastic is a common fix.

Underground, the sewer line in an older yard is often vitrified clay, and big established trees find every joint. A gurgling toilet or a gully trap bubbling over after rain are the usual early signs.

Then the wet season arrives. From about November to March, afternoon storms dump more water than tired gutters, downpipes and stormwater lines can carry. If water pools against the house or the downpipes spill at the joints, get them looked at before the next big one.

Your pipes, the water authority’s pipes

Who owns the problem depends on where it sits. Across Brisbane and Ipswich the water and sewerage authority is Urban Utilities. North of the city in Moreton Bay it’s Unitywater, while Logan and Redland supply water through their councils. In all of them, the water pipes on your side of the meter and the private sewer pipes on your block are yours to look after.

That matters when you renovate too. Building over or close to a sewer main needs the water authority’s approval, so a plumber who knows the local rules will check where the main runs before anyone digs. Lots of South East Queensland homes built between about 2007 and 2013 also have a rainwater tank plumbed to the toilet and laundry, a leftover of the drought-era water-saving rules. A dead tank pump or a stuck mains switching valve is a plumber’s job, not a handyman’s.

Checking a Queensland plumbing licence

Unlike most Queensland trades, plumbing and drainage have no dollar threshold. Apart from a handful of small jobs a householder can do, the work needs a QBCC-licensed plumber whatever it costs, and you can confirm the licence on the QBCC plumber and drainer register. Gas is separate: a plumber connecting your cooktop or instantaneous hot water also needs a gas work licence from Resources Safety and Health Queensland.

For notifiable work, such as replacing a hot water system, the plumber lodges a Form 4 with the QBCC once the job’s done. Ask about it when you get the quote. Our Queensland licence check guide shows how to read the register.

What Brisbane plumbers charge

Brisbane sits around the middle of the national range. Expect roughly $90 to $150 an hour in business hours, a call-out fee of about $80 to $200, and higher rates at night and on weekends. Clearing a root-blocked sewer with a jetter usually runs $250 to $700, with a camera inspection on top, while a new hot water system is commonly $1,800 to $4,500 installed.

Storm season stretches diaries, so non-urgent work is easier to book in winter. The plumber price guide lists more typical jobs if you want to sense-check a quote.

Get matched with one Brisbane plumber

Tell us what’s going on and which part of Brisbane you’re in. We’ll line up one licensed local plumber whose licence, insurance and reviews we’ve checked, and you decide whether to go ahead. Want to compare cities first? See plumbers across Australia or other tradies in Brisbane. Water coming through a shower wall is often a waterproofing job for a Brisbane tiler instead. Ready now? Get a free quote.