Five tips to consider when it comes to plumbing

1. Get help: Attempting to carry out your own plumbing can often turn into a disaster, leave it to an expert who has the knowledge and the tools. 

2. Find someone local and recommended: Be prepared, source out and have the contact details of a local plumber. Try and find someone who has been recommended by family, friends or neighbours. 

3. Have a ‘job lot’ ready for the plumber: When calling a plumber to carry out repairs, try and give the plumber as much information as possible before they come. This could include brands and age of taps or toilets, or even forwarding a photo. Also try and bundle work into a ‘job lot’. Utilise the plumber’s time, if one tap in the bathroom is leaking, chances are the rest will soon also. It’s more cost effective to have everything fixed at once than paying for multiple callouts. 

4. Find out how to turn off your water: Find out where the tap that shuts off the water supply to your house or unit is located. In a house, this will normally be at the water meter, located at the front boundary. In a unit it may be in a kitchen or laundry cupboard, often a member of the body corporate will be able to tell you where it is located. 

5. Think about water pressure: Water hammer is often a result of high water pressure. A pressure reduction valve can be installed at the water meter, or in line.