Have you arrived home to your beloved abode only to discover that it absolutely stinks? If it’s coming from the drain, the offensive odour invading your nostrils is hydrogen sulphide, produced when bacteria feasts on the gunk that is bunging up your plumbing pipes. And apart from just stinking up a storm, those smelly drains can actually give you a headache, make you feel weak, irritate your eyes and upset your stomach.
Your smelly drains may also be caused by:
Rotting food
The growth of mould
Sewer/pipe venting problems
Leaks, corrosion and other plumbing problems
Drain flies
Tree roots & more.
How to stop a smelly drain
If your drains stink, it’s important to restore tranquillity and health to your home as soon as possible – and you might even get away with not having to call your friendly local Sydney plumber! Why not try one, some or all of the following:
1. Baking soda
You may already know that baking soda mixed with vinegar is great for fizzing up a storm and unblocking your sink or bath drain. The even better news is that the chemical reactions also neutralise those foul odours, so:
Pour your mix down the drain
Seal the drain with the plug for 15 minutes
Flush with almost-boiling water.
2. P-trap re-fill
It’s possible the problem is an empty P-trap, whose job is to contain a pocket of water that acts as a barrier between your nose and those foul and toxic pipe gases. Re-filling it is as easy as running the tap for a while, but an empty P-trap alone only really explains smelly drains that have been inactive for some time.
3. Try bleach
Another effective smelly drain deodoriser is bleach – and concocting the remedial brew is really easy. Just fill the sink, drop in a full cup of bleach, and carefully let the brew drain at the speed of gravity. Another potential drain deodoriser is mineral oil, but unlike bleach, this won’t actually also help to loosen up the clog or the stinking debris.
Stop smelly drains by preventing them
The best way to cure stinking drains, of course, is to ensure that they never even stink in the first place – and that will require some easy and regular maintenance before you even encounter this foul-smelling problem. So every month or so, try:
Pouring an almost-boiling kettle of water down the drain
Pouring a preventative baking soda plus white vinegar mix down there
Keep any garbage disposal units clean & clear
Using a strong commercial drain cleaner
Turning on any and all unused taps at your place.
Also avoid pouring any oils, fats and chunky food scraps down your drain, and consider at least an annual drain inspection and professional drain cleaning by your friendly local plumber.
We know how to stop drains from smelling
It’s also possible that your drain is already too clogged and potentially even damaged by your stinky problem – or that the issue was caused by a pre-existing plumbing problem that now needs some urgent attention. If that sounds like it may be the case at your place, or you just want a professional to deal with and deodorise your foul-smelling drains, the friendly and fully-licensed team at Rapid Service Plumbing will be delighted to assist.
We are the 24 hour emergency plumber service Sydney really trusts, so to remove that peg from your nose and deal with your smelly drains and much, much more, give Rapid Service Plumbing a call right now.
When it comes to those millions of litres of stormwater that are collected by your roof, channelled into your gutters and stormwater drains and into the community system, you might think it’s all very straightforward. But when considering who is responsible for storm water drains, the importance actually has two distinct and critical parts:
Protecting your home and family from damage & health issues
Protecting your entire community.
And that’s precisely why the question of who is responsible for stormwater drains NSW wide all gets a little murky – because who, precisely, is responsible for what in our great state?
But before we answer that explicitly, it’s crucial to understand that while the weather in Sydney is awesome from a global perspective, our climate and topography actually make stormwater flooding issues a really big deal for everyone. Because whatever water doesn’t effectively make its way from the tip of your roof into the community system will end up somewhere else – like the street or your neighbour’s place.
So if you’re seeking a quick answer to ‘who is responsible for the storm water drain on my property’, here’s the quick answer: YOU!
Your stormwater responsibility NSW-wide
Actually, while there are common themes from a state and even country-wide perspective, it is the individual local councils that actually outline your particular stormwater responsibilities. But if you’re looking for a general Sydney and NSW perspective regarding your responsibilities as a property owner, here they are:
1. It’s your responsibility
If the water falls on your roof, or elsewhere on your property, you – and only you – own the problem in the vast majority of cases.
2. It’s your property’s stormwater system
Remember, you own your property – and that includes your roof, gutters, downpipes, drains, inlet pits, and every other part of the stormwater infrastructure within the boundaries of your land.
3. You must maintain it
And with that ownership of everything outlined in #2 means you acknowledge that your system has not only been council approved but is also:
However, as well as dealing with your own stormwater, you might also be required to accept natural overland flow from either nearby or adjoining public land or your neighbours’ properties. So if you’re one of these downstream properties, you cannot put up any walls, fences or other barriers that interfere with that stormwater.
And if there’s an easement on your property, you’ll also need to make sure this is maintained and debris-free, as well.
5. What about other buildings?
Does your place have sheds and other buildings separate from the main house? Well, these types of buildings and structures will have to feature their own stormwater drainage systems too – and they’ll also need to be properly connected to the kerb or another community discharge point.
What if you breach neighbours water runoff law NSW?
If you let any of these responsibilities slip, council officers could soon be on your case to investigate further. These investigations are normally triggered by a complaint from a neighbour, who will typically have been asked to provide evidence of the problem like photos. However, the council may also tell the complainant to try talking it out with you face-to-face before escalating the investigation and potentially taking action.
As for the council’s responsibilities, they are basically charged with maintaining every aspect of the community system EXCEPT what’s going on at your property – although they may intervene to help out with any easements.
Masters in stormwater responsibility Sydney wide
Need to know more? You’re in luck because our team of plumbers Sydney wide at Rapid Service Plumbing are renowned masters of Sydney stormwater drainage solutions. For advice, repairs, full stormwater system installations and much, much more, get in touch with Rapid Service Plumbing today and we’d be delighted to help with an obligation-free quote.
It’s not hard to spot a blocked bathtub drain. After a bath, you pull the plug – and not a lot happens at all! But maybe a blocked bath is simply looming. Perhaps you can hear weird gurgling, or something smells off. Discovering a bath drain blocked can really ruin your day, but before calling a Sydney plumber, there are a few things you might like to try first:
6 ways to unblock a bath drain
So let’s give this a go! Make sure you’re at least a little bit handy with some do-it-yourself plumbing – and now let’s get stuck in.
1. Use your hand
If your first reaction is ‘ew’, move further down the list. But all too often, it’s just a giant lump of gross scum, hair and soap – so pull it out!
2. Use a coat hanger
Your local blocked drain plumber has all the right tools and equipment – but occasionally, all you need to do is straighten out a wire coat hanger. Make sure the hook is at the bottom, poke it down the plughole, give it a twist and see how much gunk you can fish out.
3. Use a plunger
You might actually like to try this at #2, but we assume that maybe you’d done it before you tried anything else. Ensure it’s a ‘cup’ plunger that is appropriate for any standard bathroom drain blocked by gunk, and:
Make sure the cup is submerged in water
Block any other nearby drain openings if possible
Keep the plunger handle vertical for a perfect seal
Don’t give up at least for a few minutes of hard work!
4. Use a drain snake
Again, your trusty plumber will have much better gear than this. But you can grab a hand-held, non-motorised plumber’s snake (or auger) from the hardware store very cheaply, and – unlike the coat hanger – it’s actually designed precisely for this purpose.
5. Use baking soda
Actually, mix it up with white vinegar and the fizzy result can loosen the gross bathroom drainage blockage just enough for it to work its way down the pipes. Follow up with an almost-boiling full kettle of very hot water.
6. Use harsh chemicals
We mention this one with hesitation because chemical drain cleaners not necessarily very good for your drains or for you, but they can certainly be more powerful than baking soda. Just remember to be super-careful and sparing with the harsh chemicals.
Bathroom drain blocked? We can help!
Have you saved yourself a few bucks by not having to call the plumber? No? Well, there’s still no reason to worry – because the friendly, fully-licensed and highly experienced team at Rapid Service Plumbing is only ever just around the corner. We service the entire Sydney metropolitan region and beyond including Canterbury-Bankstown, City of Sydney, Inner West, Eastern Suburbs, Hills District and Sutherland Shire. We provide upfront pricing, and we guarantee the quality of our workmanship.
So don’t throw that plunger across the room when a blocked bath is giving you grief – and instead call the talented team of fully-licensed Sydney plumbers right here at Rapid Service Plumbing. Give us a shout today!
When you turn off a tap, does it sound like someone is literally whacking your pipes with a hammer? It’s no surprise where the term ‘water hammer’ comes from – but understanding how to fix water hammer is a lot more difficult.
What causes water hammer?
Most common in areas of above-average water pressure or where the property’s water pipes are ageing, it’s an alarming sound for a very good reason – think of it like an actual alarm, alerting you to a problem. It’s actually not hard to understand the phenomenon, which is more technically referred to as ‘hydraulic shock, at all. Your water pipes also consist of valves, whose job is to suddenly stop the flow of water when you or an appliance requests it. Also common with today’s mixer taps, which can stop the flow in an instant flick of the lever, water hammer is simply the physics-based result of creating a sudden surge in water pressure that triggers a pressure wave – which we detect as a highly-concerning ‘hammering’ of your pipes.
And if you cringe when you hear that water hammering, your instincts are 100% correct – because it gradually chips away at your pipes and eventually leads to leaks and damage to the pipes, valves and fittings. In severe cases, water hammer that is bad enough can even trigger an instant pipe burst.
What else do you need to know about water hammer? We’ve got all the answers:
1. What are the dangers of water hammer?
Your pipes, joints, valves and other water pipe-related plumbing infrastructure are all at risk – but did you know it can even damage the appliances, fittings, seals and other equipment supplied by or connected to those pipes? Worse still, a devastating pipe explosion can even cause physical injury, or cause hazardous fluids to spill out.
2. What are the signs of water hammer?
The hammering is the obvious one! You’ll hear it either as a repetitive series of hammers in the worst cases, but the most damaging instances can actually be a single loud BANG, perhaps followed by less severe rattling. But in really serious cases, you could even notice connections that have rattled loose, or evidence of a water pipe leak.
3. How can water hammer be prevented?
Quite often, simply turning taps on and off more carefully, or opening all of the water valves in your plumbing system in a single session, can be enough to get rid of some of the air pockets that can cause simple water hammering. You can also consider simply turning off taps half-way, installing more or better wall insulation around the pipes, installing limiting valves to reduce your system’s overall water pressure, or replacing your taps for ones with more progressive valves.
4. How to solve water hammer?
You may need to call a plumber! They may be able to do a variety of things that you cannot do yourself – especially considering that most plumbing work at home needs to be done by a fully-licensed plumber anyway. But it can take experience, skill and specialised equipment to:
Reduce water pressure below 500kPa (the Australian maximum) with limiting valves
Believe it or not, there are plenty of other ways in which Rapid Service Plumbing can diagnose, minimise or eradicate your water hammer problem, too – we’ll just need to check out the problem and then get straight to work! We can quickly dispatch an emergency plumber 24/7 for serious plumbing problems, all of our workmanship is fully guaranteed and we’ll always let you know the price before getting stuck in! Give the friendly and fully-licensed local Sydney plumbers at Rapid Service Plumbing a call today!
Gas – the cleanest burning of the hydrocarbons – is abundant, affordable and makes our lives better, easier and more comfortable. Whether you’re connected to mains natural gas or you use LPG bottles, it’s how we heat and cool our homes, power our ovens and cooktops, fire up the BBQ and much, much more.
At the same time, it’s important to recognise that working with gas is dangerous – very, very dangerous! Gas can explode or trigger a fire, cylinders can overheat, pipes can leak, and carbon monoxide poisoning can be fatal. To regulate gas fitting and gas service safety in New South Wales and other Australian jurisdictions, the gas compliance certificate system plays a vital and mandatory role.
But what are the ins and outs of the gas compliance certificate NSW? Let’s take a deep dive:
FAQ: Gas certificate of compliance NSW
In a nutshell, the gas certificate of compliance is an official record that whatever work a fully-licensed gas fitter has carried out at your place has been done and tested properly. Often in the form of a physical plate attached to a gas installation, licensed gasfitters also need to lodge a paper copy of that certificate with NSW Fair Trading within 5 days.
Apart from gas installations, the following types of gas fitting work will also require a certificate of compliance:
Work on gas pipework
Installing flue pipes
Natural gas to LPG conversions (and vice versa).
Q: What gas fitting work requires a NSW certificate of compliance?
A: The system applies to all work on gas installations that are connected to a gas network.
Q: Are there any gas-related works that do not require a certificate?
A: If your gasfitter is repairing or carrying out maintenance on a gas appliance, a new certificate may not be required if the appliance is not being modified – like if a new part is simply being installed.
Q: What does the gasfitter need to do to approve & ratify the certificate?
A: Within 5 days of finishing the gas works at your place, your licensed gasfitter needs to:
Carry out full safety testing on the installation/work
Give a copy of the certificate to you
Lodge a copy of the certificate to the gas network operator
Keep a copy of the gas compliance certificate for 5 years
Lodge a copy of the certificate on the MyInspections gateway.
Q: What information is on the gas certificate of compliance NSW?
Q: Are there penalties for gas compliance certificate breaches?
A: Yes! They range from warnings to expiration notices, disciplinary interviews – all the way up to legal action under the relevant legislation.
Need help understanding gas compliance certificates?
Here at Rapid Service Plumbing, we know every ‘dotted i’ and ‘crossed t’ of the entire gas fitting world – because our local Sydney plumbers are also fully-licensed gasfitters! Rest assured, if you give our highly experienced service technicians a call for any plumbing or gas-related work, they’ll handle every single aspect of your gas compliance responsibilities.
Whether you’re in Seaforth, West Pymble, Summer Hill, North Kellyville or any other suburb of Sydney, our services ensure your gas systems meet NSW compliance standards. So sit back, stop worrying, and give the friendly Rapid Service Plumbing team a call today.
