A developer built a new apartment block that’s only 200 metres from a dilapidated old house built back in the 1880s, and you know what? The plumbing issues in each of them are as different as night and day. Our heritage suburb’s got old homes still rocking lead pipes, old cast iron stacks & clay sewer that’s shifted and cracked over the century. Meanwhile, the shiny new apartment block comes with all the modcons PVC drainage and a fancy pressure system designed to handle loads of people. And yet they’re both in Brunswick, and they’ll both need a plumber sooner or later. But the problems they bring are, in fact, totally different.
When Old Buildings Meet New Expectations?
The old single-fronted terrace homes that went up between the 1880s and 1920s just weren’t built with the massive water consumption of a 21st-century household in mind. Those old galvanised steel pipes corrode from the inside out they narrow down because the rust builds up inside them and it’s like a tap on the flow. And no wonder people think it’s the mains pressure that’s the problem, when really it’s the pipes that are the real culprit and they’ve been eating away for years.
And then there are lead pipes in some of the old houses that haven’t been fixed yet that’s a major issue. We all know about the health risks of lead in the water, and any house with old supply lines needs to be checked out by a pro before anyone assumes it’s safe.
Terrace homes in Brunswick were built with virtually no room to get in and do any work so when you need to get into the pipes you need to be a plumber who knows how to handle those tight spaces without mucking up the original brickwork or timber.
Gas Fitting in Brunswick: Higher Stakes Than Most Suburbs
You’ll find loads of old gas appliances still chugging along in Brunswick floor furnaces, wall heaters, and old ducted systems that go back decades. And most of them haven’t been checked in ages because when they were installed the standards weren’t the same, so now they’re ageing rapidly. But in a place like Brunswick, where one house shared walls with the next, the risks are even higher every tiny leak goes roaring through the shared cavities.
Any gas work in Victoria needs to be done by a licensed gasfitter, and that includes connecting, adjusting or commissioning any appliance. So when someone tries to sort out your old gas heater, you really want to make sure they know what they’re doing or it’s just not worth the risk. Because a licensed gasfitter doesn’t just check the appliance they look at the whole installation: the pipe, the connection, the ventilation. Only then do they give it the thumbs up as safe to go.
Hot Water in a Dense Suburb
Brunswick’s apartment blocks and subdivided terrace houses create all sorts of water pressure problems. One minute you’re getting a good strong flow of hot water, the next it’s more like a dribble from a tap. The problem is that when all the units in a building are competing for the same water main, it can lead to some pretty lumpy performance.
And to make matters worse a lot of Brunswick’s older unit blocks are still using those old electric storage systems that are starting to get a bit dodgy. Replacing them with a heat pump or gas continuous flow system can be a big improvement but it’s not as simple as just swapping one out for the other. You need to consider things like how you’re going to get the heat pump unit out the back or on the roof, and whether the power supply is going to be enough to handle it. And if you’re going with a gas system you need to make sure the pressure is right and that you’ve got the right-sized pipes to match.
Bathroom Renovations in Tight Spaces
You’d think that with a bit of juggling and reorganisation you could just about squeeze a second shower and a new toilet into a Brunswick terrace bathroom. But no under Victorian regulations you need a licensed plumber to sort out the plumbing, and that means making sure everything is up to the National Plumbing Code. And all too often the original drain gradient just isn’t good enough. So you find yourself having to upgrade the plumbing with plumbing services Brunswick just to meet the current standards and that can be a real nasty surprise if you’re not expecting it.
When you’re planning a bathroom renovation in Brunswick it pays to talk to a plumber who knows the area. They’ll know the kinds of problems that are likely to crop up, and can help you work out a budget that takes account of the likely costs. And that way you avoid the disaster of discovering you need to rip up the tiles and re-plumb the whole bathroom.
Emergency Plumbing in a City That Never Sleeps
Brunswick is a bit of a hub for the hospitality and creative industries, which means that properties never really shut down. That means that burst pipes and sewer overflows can happen at any time – and when they do, you need a plumber who can get there in a hurry. The last thing you want is to be stuck waiting around all night for someone to turn up from the city – you need a plumber who knows the local infrastructure and can get to you quickly. That’s especially true if you’re a property manager or landlord with multiple properties to keep an eye on.
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