How to solve strata plumbing. Sydney guide

Strata plumbing comes into play when your property is part of a strata scheme. The strata title is given to properties that share common things with other properties like when both properties with different owners share a parcel of land.

Each property, in this case, is called a lot, when homeowners share a common property the plumbing of the property will run through the bout units and this becomes common property. This common property is managed by the owner’s cooperation.

The owner’s cooperation consists of all the owners of lots on the same land which was subdivided into specific units, townhouses, or apartments.
There are sometimes issues when plumbing issues occur on the properties, for instance, let’s say there is a leaking pipe causing damage to the common property some units on the land.

Usually, it’s the job of the insurance company and the owner’s corporation and the private owner suspected to be the cause of the leak would take the strata titles to determine who owned the portion of the pipe that got compromised.
Doing this analysis or assessment can be complex as it would require the engagement of specialized consultants, loss adjusters, and legal counsels.

So what exactly is strata plumbing?

Strata plumbing is the term used in referring to the plumbing work like pipes fitting and fixtures that enable water to flow in and out of a property that is bound by strata title.

Strata titles, as we have explained in the introduction, refers to apartments, units, or houses that are interconnected, that means they share the same pipework into the different lots.

Most ties lots townhouse or apartment in a strata setting have the same plumbing lines except if it was factored into consideration during the construction to create different lines for the different lots on the building.

The reason most buildings don’t use a separate plumbing line is because it is very expensive to install and would result in the interconnection of too many pipes and fittings into the buildings.

Some of the common plumbing issues that arise for strata plumbing are:

1. Leaking shower in private property: for this the liability is on the owner of the private property if the cause of the leak is discovered to come from an internal fitting. But if the problems were found on a plumbing appliance that was caused by common property infrastructure then the liability falls on the owners cooperation.
2. Leak from one property to another: this depends on how the leaks get to each apartment. If it is caused by the private lot internal fixtures then the responsibility is on him but if it is caused by plumbing installed between the walls serving both properties then it’s the owners corporation responsibility.
3. Burst pipe under private property floor: A burst pipe is normally the responsibility of the owner’s cooperation but if it’s caused by the toilet of a private unit then it becomes their responsibility.

There are endless scenarios that can be pointed out like leaks from the balcony and so on. There are many plumbing issues that arise from a state scheme. You should Waterloo plumbing specialize in plumbing works for properties under strata schemes.

Prolific plumbing services Connells point area, also provides emergency plumbing services in Oatley and other areas of Sydney. We are always available be it for inquiry, or repairs or maintenance of your strata plumbing appliances.

We are always available as we offer 24/7 plumbing services.

If you are in Australia and you need a fix on your blocked drain. You should call prolific plumbing services to help you fix them. They are one of the most reliable and efficient plumbing repair service company in Australia today.

How hot water systems work?

The hot water system is a home plumbing system that involves the use of the central boiler, which would help heat up the water to about 60 to 83 degrees Celsius. This hot water will then be circulated through a pipe to coil units known as radiators. These radiators are located in various rooms in the house.

What makes how water flow?

Gravity and pressure are used to drive the hot water through pipes. More commonly, pumps are used to drive the hot water as it is more efficient and easier to control. Pumps are also more flexible.

Hot water systems supply hot water to the rooms, giving out heat via the emitters from the hot heater’s surface through radiation and convection.

After a while, the hot water becomes a little cooler and is returned to the boiler.

This is how most hot water systems in homes work, heating homes, releasing hot water for baths, etc. Hot water system would need installation for it to be available in your home. It would need maintenance and service after some time. It would also need repairing anytime it goes bad and doesn’t work properly.

What do we do?

Prolific Plumbing can help you to install a hot water system and provide maintenance, service and repairs.

If you are not sure which brand to buy, call Prolific plumbing today to get an idea of some of the best gas boiler and pump brands. In addition to installing hot water systems, we also dispose of and recycle old tanks. We also help with heat system maintenance. If there is an issue with your hot water system – our plumber in Arncliffe or in any of these Sydney’s suburbs is your best bet.

So what hot water plumbing services do we provide?

Our hot water system, installation services include:

• Hot water plumbing installation
• Hot water plumbing maintenance
• Emergency hot water plumbing
• Hot water plumbing replacement
• Hot more ware plumbing repairs

If you need hot water system plumbing be sure contact Prolific plumbing. We are always here to help you.

How to fix a blocked drain

Some of the early signs of blocked drains include:

1. Foul smell: This is the first sign you would definitely notice if you got blocked drains. There will be this unusual smell like a sewage-like scent. Especially when you can’t decipher where it is coming from.

2. Gurgling sounds: You would hear gurgling sounds. When the water drains, it shows the water is pooling and pushing against the pipe due to the blockage.

3. Slow draining: When you drain water away from your sink or shower, you will notice the water takes a lot more time to drain than normal. And this usually gets worse as the problem continues to go unchecked till it doesn’t drain again.

4. Overflowing: This is one of the extreme early signs; there will be liquids spilling back instead of going into the drain.

So what causes this blocked drainage in the first places?

They include:

1. Toiletries: Baby wipes, nappies, sanitary products, etc. Although they are essential, they can go on to accumulate in the pipe and cause drain blockage.
2. Tree roots: This could cause a drain blockage where the roots keep growing until it breaches the pipe.
3. Cooking oil: It is always advisable not to throw cooking oil into the sink due to its viscosity. It doesn’t flow as fast as water and would solidify and clump together with other food debris to build a blockage on the drain.
4. Food scraps: Same as with the cooking oil, don’t throw food scraps into the drain. They belong in your waste bin. They also could clump together and block your drain.
5. Foreign objects: This is very common in homes with children. They could flush all kinds of objects down the toilet. These things would probably lodge somewhere in the u-bend and cause blockage to your drains.
6. Hair: yes, your long pretty hair can cause blocked drainage as some of them would down the sink as you wash them in the shower.
7. Soaps, mineral buildup, natural debris, and cat litter can also cause blocked drainage.

How to fix a blocked drain

So Here are the DIYs processes we can use to solve our blocked drainage issue:

1. Boiling water: When the blockage is caused by toiletries or conditioners or grease, even cooking oils; You can make use of their low melting point to break them by pouring enough hot water into the drain.
2. Using plungers: This is the use of a vacuum effect of the plungers to remove the blockage. Once you place the plunger on the plughole, it would form a seal affecting the vacuum effect to pull the blockage.
3. Using natural cleaners: This is just like using the boiling ester method. In this case, you are adding natural cleaners to break the blockage apart. A combination of water with natural cleaners like a cup of vinegar, a cup of bicarbonate of soda would do the trick.
   You could also make use of caustic cleaners, which are ideal for tougher blockages. But due to its strong acidic properties, you should ventilate the room before starting.
4. DIY drain snake: The DIY drain snake tries to function like the plumber drain snake. This is made of a thin metal wire like a cat hanger with a gook at the snake’s end. You insert the head into the plughole to fish out the blockage. This is mostly down for blockage caused by hair.

Drain is still blocked?

Suppose you have exhausted the options, and the drain is still blocked. In that case, you need to rethink your decision not to call a professional plumber.
The DIY will not work if the blockage is extremely severe. Let the professionals come to have a check and use other advanced methods like:

1. Plumbers drain snakes
2. CCTV
3. Hydro jets
4. Excavation
5. Pipe relining etc.

If you are in Australia and you need a fix on your blocked drain. You should call prolific plumbing services to help you fix them. They are one of the most reliable and efficient plumbing repair service company in Australia today.

How to fix leaking taps

So let’s check out some DIY steps you should take to fix your leaking taps

Before going into the steps for fixing your tap, you should know some of the reasons your taps leak. Three are a few things that can cause tap leaking. Which are:

1. An incorrect size tap washer
2. A worn-out jumper valve
3. A worn-out O-ring
4. You installed the tap washer in an incorrect way
5. The valve seating is damaged or corroded
6. The washer on the tap is broken or worn out.

These are some of the main cause of tap leaking, so how do you fix a leaking tap:

There are series of steps for you to follow to fix your leaking tap, whether in your home or your offices.

There are two major types of leaking taps, and they are: the O-ring caused leakage, and the washer caused leakage.

1. The ring caused tap leakage: if the O-ring caused the leakage, the water would be leaking from the tap’s body and spindle once you turn it on. Sometimes the water might be coming from the cover plate.
2. The washer caused leakage: This is the most common cause of tap leakage, and it’s characterized by the dripping of water from the tap even when you turn it off.

Below we are going to analyze some simple steps to fix the washer caused leakage

To start, you would need some supplies:

These supplies include:

• Jumper valves
• O-ring
• Washer of the correct size
• A set of spanner if there is no spanner you van make use of a shifting wrench
• A cloth
• Tweezers
• Pliers
• Screwdrivers
• Some gaffer tapes
• Silicone or resealing kit (you would need this depending on ye type of tap you have)

How to fix your leaking tap in 12 steps (guideline):

1. You have to turn off your main water supply to prevent the water from wasting when you are fixing it. It is normally located in the front yard, but most apartments have the main water supply in the bathroom.
2. The second thing you do is turn on the leaking tap and let all the residual water in the pipe drain out. If you think there is still some residue water after doing this, you can turn on a tap on a lower level to drain the remaining water.
3. The third step is to plug your sink or basin to prevent any equipment from going down the drain. This step is quite important, and a lot of people do forget to do this.
4. Now, you need to remove your tap button. In most taps, this is the part of the tap that has hot or cold written on it.
5. After removing the tap button, you would have to remove the tap handle to see the tap insides. To remove the tap handle, you need to insecure it, and you might need to make use of a wrench or spanner.
6. The next thing to do is remove the tap shroud or skirt with pliers.
7. The next step is to remove the tap body by rescuing the tap bonnet using a spanner.
8. Once you have completed all the taps, the next thing to do is remove your tap jumper valve and washer. You might need a pair of tweezers or some needle nose pliers to get them.
9. Once you have your tap washer and jumper valve, you should take them to your local hardware store and buy some replacement for any broken part. You could also get some skirt sealer while you are there.
10. Then, you replace the tap washer and jumper valve with the new one and put them into the tap.
11. Now, this is the part where you put back everything together. Now take the reverse direction by putting the tap bonnet followed by the others and making sure you tighten them.
12. Turn on the water supply mains and then test your tap to see any changes.

Once the problem has been solved, then you can use some more of your silicone sealant on the skirt base to seal the tap. If you still have issues after this or you can’t go through this guideline properly, you should call prolific plumbing for help.

Our plumbers are 24/7 available to fix your plumbing issues.