Emergency Plumber Wollongong: 24/7

Is it a plumbing emergency?

If water, sewage or gas is somewhere it shouldn't be and you can't stop it, treat it as an emergency. Call us any time for:

• a burst pipe, a split flexi hose or a leak you can't isolate
• water coming through a ceiling, wall or light fitting
• sewage backing up into a toilet, shower or floor drain, or overflowing from the gully outside
• a smell of gas inside or around the house
• a hot water system leaking from the tank or its fittings
• stormwater coming into the house or garage during heavy rain
• your only toilet blocked or overflowing

What can usually wait

A dripping tap, a slow sink or a toilet that keeps running can usually wait for a booked visit in daylight hours. If you're not sure, call anyway. We pick up at night too, and we'll help you decide whether it needs someone now.

What should you do before we arrive?

Water: close the meter tap

If a leak won't stop at the nearest tap or isolation valve, turn the water off for the whole property. Sydney Water says meters are usually just inside the front boundary or fence, and the meter tap there controls the water supply to the property. It can look like an ordinary tap or a lever. If it's seized, don't force it; tell us when you call. For a step-by-step walk-through, read turning off your water main.

Keep away from any power points, light fittings or switchboard the water has reached. Endeavour Energy advises not to switch on anything that has been wet until a licensed electrician has checked it. Then move rugs, electronics and valuables clear, and put a bucket or towels under the drips.

Gas: get out first

If you smell gas inside, NSW Government advice is to leave the building and call 000. If it's safe to do so on the way, shut the gas off at the meter or cylinder and open the doors and windows. Don't smoke, and don't use lighters or matches.

Wollongong's natural gas network belongs to Jemena, and it takes leak reports on 131 909 at any time of day. Jemena also advises against using your phone near a suspected leak, so make every call from outside. Once the area is safe, we can find and repair the fault through our gas leak detection service.

Sewage: stay clear and check next door

Keep people and pets away from any wastewater overflow, and stop using toilets, sinks and the washing machine, because everything that drains adds to it.

Sydney Water says a blockage is probably in its own pipes if the overflow is outside your boundary, your neighbours have the same problem, there's widespread flooding, or it keeps overflowing when nobody is using water. In that case, call Sydney Water on 13 20 90, 24/7. If it's only your property and only when water is running, the blockage is likely in your private pipes, which is work for a licensed plumber; see our blocked drain clearing page.

What to tell us when you call

Having these details ready helps us bring the right equipment:

• your address and suburb, and anything about access, such as a locked gate, a dog or a strata car park
• what's happening, whether it's water, sewage, a gas smell or no hot water, and where in the building
• whether you've turned off the water or gas, and whether the meter tap closed properly
• whether it's getting worse, holding steady or has stopped
• anything that happened just before, such as heavy rain, building work or a new appliance

Emergency plumber Wollongong: response times by area

We respond within 2 hours for emergencies in Bellambi and the surrounding Wollongong area. That takes in Thirroul, Bulli, Woonona, Russell Vale, Corrimal, Towradgi and Wollongong city.

We also take emergency calls 24/7 from Austinmer up to Clifton, from the southern suburbs such as Berkeley, Port Kembla and Dapto, and from Shellharbour City, including Lake Illawarra and Albion Park. Travel times vary there, so call and we'll give you our nearest plumber's ETA. See the areas we cover across the Illawarra.

What happens after the emergency?

The first job on any emergency call is to make things safe and stop the damage. Sometimes the full repair can be done there and then. Other times it needs parts, a replacement hot water system, or a CCTV drain inspection to find out why a drain failed. We'll tell you which, and quote any follow-up work before we start.

The job also comes with fully qualified advice and a free plumbing safety report, and our 12+ month warranty stands behind the repair. If the trouble started with a burst pipe, our guide to what to do when a water pipe bursts is worth keeping handy.