Plumbing & Gasfitting in Glen Iris

Alister Williams runs Prime Plumbing & Gasfitting, operating since 2014. Glen Iris is a regular Stonnington service suburb; mixed-era plumbing layouts and slab-on-ground leak work are routine bookings for us across the Stonnington / Boroondara boundary area.

Credentials:

• BPC Plumbing Licence #103414
• Type A Gasfitter Endorsement: Energy Safe Victoria
• Backflow Prevention Endorsement
• Master Plumbers Australia member

Multi-generation plumbing rewards inspection over assumption. We carry the diagnostic equipment that Glen Iris properties need, acoustic, thermal, CCTV, and we use it before we quote.

Q: Do you service Glen Iris (3146)?
Yes, Glen Iris is a core Stonnington service suburb. Mon-Fri 7-6, Sat 8-1.

Q: My water bill jumped and nothing visible is leaking, what's that?
Three possibilities, in order of likelihood: a running toilet (most common), a leaking irrigation valve, or a slab leak. We can diagnose all three in a single visit using acoustic detection equipment.

Q: I have a warm spot on the floor, slab leak?
Often yes, especially on a 1960s-70s slab-on-ground home. The slab-embedded hot water line is leaking and heating the concrete around the leak point. Acoustic detection confirms; bypass repair is the usual fix.

Q: Do you have to chip the slab to fix a slab leak?
Almost never. The standard repair is to bypass the leaking slab section with a new run above or around the slab (usually in the ceiling void or external wall) and isolate the failed section. Saves the slab and the flooring.

Q: My 1995 hot water unit is still working, replace now or wait?
A 30-year-old gas or electric storage unit could go any time. Scheduled replacement lets you pick the unit and the install date; reactive replacement is whatever's in stock and three days without hot water.

Q: How quickly can you attend a Glen Iris emergency?
Glen Iris is close in for us, typical confirmed after-hours emergency ETA is 30-45 minutes.

Representative jobs from Glen Iris over the last six months:

• Slab leak detection and bypass, Tooronga Road area: 1968 slab-on-ground, warm spot on the kitchen floor, water bill up 40%. Acoustic detection located the leak at the hot supply tee to the kitchen sink. Bypassed via the ceiling void, original slab section isolated. Repair under 6 hours total.
• Mixed-era supply repair, Burke Road area: Federation home with a leak at the 1995 kitchen-renovation tee. Original galvanised-to-copper junction had finally failed. Replaced the failed tee in full copper with proper transition fittings.
• CCTV-led sewer repair, High Street area: recurring annual blockage at the rear of the property. CCTV showed root intrusion at one earthenware joint 4m before the IS. Sectional replacement in PVC; permanent fix.
• 1995 hot water unit replacement, Malvern Road area: gas storage unit at 28 years, owner replacing ahead of failure. Like-for-like replacement, Compliance Certificate issued.

Quick steps before we arrive:

Suspected slab leak (warm spot, high bill, ticking meter)

1. Don't try to confirm it by drilling or chipping, that's our job with the right equipment.
2. Take a meter photo at a known no-use time (overnight, ideally). Take another photo eight hours later. If the dial has moved, you have a leak somewhere.
3. If the slab is getting visibly hot or damp, isolate the hot water unit at its isolation valve to slow the leak.

Active leak from a wall or ceiling

1. Shut water at the meter, usually at the front fence or in a footpath pit.
2. Try to identify whether it's the hot or cold side, if you've recently been using hot water and the leak's getting worse, isolate the hot water unit too.
3. Photograph everything for insurance.

Sewer back-up

1. Stop using internal drainage.
2. Check the IS at the boundary, if overflowing, the blockage is on your side.
3. If clear at the IS, the blockage is downstream and is initially the water authority's responsibility.

Three things on every Glen Iris job:

1. Diagnostic before repair. Slab leaks get acoustic detection, recurring blockages get CCTV, mixed-era supply gets careful inspection, before any quote.
2. Compliance Certificate where required. Slab leak bypass, hot water, gas, lodged with BPC, copy to you.
3. Bypass over destructive repair. Where a bypass is possible (slab leaks, mixed-era junction failures), it's cheaper, less disruptive and the standard answer.

Small business. BPC #103414. Operating since 2014.

The services that come up most often:

• Burst and leaking pipes
• Blocked drain repair
• Hot water system installation and repair
• Tap and mixer repair
• Gas fitting