Carmina, a resident in Bentleigh, noticed one day that the hot water coming out of her kitchen tap wasn’t very hot. Turning the mixer tap fully to ‘Hot’ only produced lukewarm water. Worried that there may be something wrong with her hot water unit, she called O’Shea Plumbing in Mount Waverley to come around and take a look.  O’Shea Plumber Jeremy arrived the next day and started by checking the hot water unit itself. First, he ensured that the pilot light was still lit and the burner that heated the water would still ignite. Next, he checked the temperature of the water in the unit and found that it was over 65 degrees so there didn’t appear to be anything wrong with the unit itself.  This made Jeremy suspect that the problem was with the tempering valve, which mixes the hot water from the unit with cold water to output hot water at 50 degrees Celcius from the taps inside the house. A tempering valve helps to prevent burns and scalding by blending the heated water with cold water to reduce the temperature to a far safer degree. When tempering valves fail they tend to let through too much cold water, which would result in the lukewarm temperature that Carmina was experiencing.  Jeremy also recommended to Carmina to replace the pressure and temperature relief valve (PTR), which should be replaced every five years. The current PTR valve was discharging onto pavement which is not recommended as the warm water from the unit can cause moss or algae to grow and create a slipping hazard. To fix this Jeremy would have to install a soakage pit by breaking through a small section of the pavement to allow the PTR drain to discharge into, so the water could drain into the ground and not pool on the pavement.  Carmina thought these were all great recommendations, she approved the works and Jeremy was able to get to work straight away. Jeremy replaced the PTR valve and installed the soakage pit, as well as rerunning the drain to the pit. He then replaced the tempering valve and checked the temperature of the water inside the house to ensure it was outputting at 50 degrees again.  Carmina was very pleased to have hot water again and glad to know that a potential slipping hazard had been eliminated in her back yard. Another job well done by O’Shea Plumbing! O’Shea Plumbing is fast, reliable and trusted across Melbourne to provide professional, high-quality plumbing services for residential and commercial properties. You can reach us on (03) 9888 2887 – Call on us for all of your plumbing needs!   

Michael has rung O’Shea Plumbing on multiple occasions, trusting us to complete maintenance on his beautiful residential property. On this occasion, Michael rang up the Mt Waverley office complaining of his two toilets filling and slowly draining with each flush.  Chelsea (O’Shea Plumbing admin staff) received the call and told Michael that Andrew would be arriving the very next morning at 8am to have a look at the situation. Once Andrew was on site he introduced himself and checked on how the drains were working. He also asked a lot of questions in an attempt to get an idea of where the blockage could be located. Once he located the drain blockage, Andrew provided Michael with options to clear it as well as using a drain camera to investigate where and what the blockage is as this was the second time Michael had a plumber come out for the same issue. Michael approved Andrew to complete the works, as well as investigating why his underground water tank floods the backyard instead of draining into the stormwater drain. Andrew managed to use the spearheaded cutter – 75mm and 100mm cutter – to get through the blockage. Sewer drains are typically run in 100mm on domestic properties, so using a 100mm cutter completely clears the drain not just unblocks it. Once Andrew managed to get the water to drain, the drain camera was inserted into the sewer to see what the issue was. It was found that there were small clumps of tree roots littered throughout the drain. This was shown to Michael, and also gave them an approximate location on where the tree roots were situated. Andrew then gave options for a permanent solution of a drain renewal, he also spoke to Michael about re-lining the pipe and putting Rootx chemical down the drain to inhibit tree root growth (this does not damage the tree). Michael decided to proceed with putting the 100mm cutter put through the drain (which was going to happen anyway) and see how this would further clear the drain  The last plumber had only put a 50mm cutter through the drain which would have only poked a hole in the roots, meaning there was only a matter of time until the blockage reoccurred. Andrew also gave Michael advice on how the plumbing should be set up on his property as he noticed there were a few things incorrect with his plumbing when he did a general plumbing system check (i.e. the boundary trap was covered by pavers and a tree, meaning that if there happened to be an issue with the Yarra Valley Waters drain they would not fix their issue until such time as this is exposed). The next day Lawrie (O’Shea Plumbing owner) arrived to investigate Michael’s complex underground water tank issue. It was found that the overflow of the tank was not falling the way it was supposed to, meaning that the water could not escape until the water reached ground level causing the property to flood on heavy rains. Andrew and Lawrie provided Michael with options on rectifying this issue and have left it in Michael’s hands if he would like any works completed to fix the issue. O’Shea Plumbing specialises in locating and rectifying all kinds of drain blockages. For dependable and affordable blocked drain plumbers, call O’Shea Plumbing on (03) 9888 2887.

Walter from Brighton is another of our loyal customers who choose to use no other plumbing company than O’Shea. Walter was experiencing issues with roof leaks around his skylights for a long time and also problems with roof leaks around his pergola out behind his garage. O’Shea Plumbing came out to quote on re-flashing the skylights, re-spouting Walter’s pergola and re-laying the roof. Once accepting the quote, O’Shea sent Adam – an O’Shea plumber who has experience in roof plumbing – to replace the flashings around the leaking skylight along with Jeremy (another O’Shea plumber).   Adam and Jeremy started by pulling off the skylight glass to get access to the flashings underneath, exposing the points where it appeared the leaks had been occurring. The plumbers started to reseal and re-flash the existing skylight using rivets and silicon so that there would be no chance of water getting under and leaking through the skylight again. Once they complete this, the O’Shea plumbers cleaned up their mess and all was completed in a day. Months passed by, storms had hit and there no signs of any more roof leaks from the skylights. Adam later returned to take care of the spouting around the veranda area. The existing laser light sheets were removed to gain access to the gutter underneath. The spouting was removed and Adam then set up to start again. Stringing new lines to gain the correct fall for the new spouting, Adam started to set up the new clips to support the spouting once hung. Clean, tidy angles were made for the external and internal corners in the spouting and then was hung in the newly graded clips. As an overflow was necessary, a Colorbond rainhead was installed and connected to the existing downpipe. The existing roof sheets were removed as they had not been secured correctly by the original installer and were basically screwed to the old spouting for support. Dedicated to providing the best quality workmanship possible, Adam and Lawrie (O’Shea owner) discussed ideas to reframe the roof to support the sheets independently. They came up with an idea and got in a Carpenter to reframe the section of the roof that needed to fully support the sheets. The roof sheets were later fixed down and the job was complete! Walter has remained a loyal O’Shea customer to this day whenever he has needed plumbing services in Brighton. From fixing pressure control to new tap sets, to running new gas pipes and a new gas hot water unit, he knows he can rely on O’Shea for any of his plumbing needs. Call us today on (03) 9888 2887 for Plumbing service in Brighton, Mount Waverley, Wantirna, Bentleigh, Bundoora and surrounding suburbs.

Henry rang up the O’Shea Plumbing Glen Waverley office at 8:00pm. He was happily surprised that somebody actually answered the phone that late on a Thursday night as he had tried calling two other companies who didn’t answer their phones. Jarett (O’Shea Plumbing service manager) answered the call from Henry who stated that he went to use hot water and it came out cold and would not heat up. Jarett advised Henry that he could send a plumber out to have a look at the Hot Water Unit (HWU) and provide him with some options to get Henry’s hot water back on. Once again Henry was amazed and pleased that O’Shea Plumbing would be able to help him with such short notice. Andrew (O’Shea Plumbing plumber) arrived at Henry’s home the next morning at 8:00am, donned on his rain jacket as it was raining cats and dogs, and introduced himself and O’Shea Plumbing. Andrew provided Henry with a thorough evaluation of his home’s entire plumbing system and then provided multiple options for Henry to get his hot water back. This ranged from installing a new HWU which was a like-for-like to installing a new more modern and efficient continuous flow hot water. Andrew also looked elsewhere on how he could improve Henry’s plumbing and found that the water pressure was far too high and could cause damage to the new HWU as well as damage other fixtures and the water pipes themselves. Henry read and understood every option given to him and decided that he would like to install a new storage HWU in place of the old one (30 years old!), as well as installing hot and cold pressure control to protect his hot and cold fixtures and piping. Once Henry approved the quote, Andrew proceeded with the job, starting with organising the new HWU and fittings to be delivered ASAP from the Plumbers Co-op in Mitcham  By the time the new HWU arrived, Andrew had completed the required pressure test for gas leaks, drained and removed the old HWU as well as installed the cold water pressure control at Henry’s water meter. Andrew continued to work through the rain to get Henry’s new HWU installed and tested. Once all the works were complete, a break in the weather came which gave Andrew the chance to get Henry and familiarise him with his new HWU, how to turn it on, when particular things need to be replaced, including maintenance and things Henry could do to get longevity out of his new investment. Henry was so happy with the knowledge and work Andrew did, as well as how prompt O’Shea Plumbing was in addressing his situation that he left a nice 5-star review on the internet which you can find on Google, Facebook or Product Review. Contact us today for all of your Hot Water and plumbing needs – Call (03) 9888 2887 today!

Annie and Jamie from Cheltenham have been long time clients of O’Shea Plumbing. They called O’Shea plumbing again when they realised they had no water from their storage Hot Water Unit (HWU). Adam (an O’Shea plumber) was sent out to investigate.    Adam soon realised that the pilot light had gone out. As the HWU was quite old and the system didn’t comply with regulations on how it was installed, servicing was not an option. Also, a ramp had been installed directly in front of the HWU making it extremely hard to get the burners out of the unit for servicing. Adam spent a bit of time with Annie discussing different scenarios to replace the HWU with another hot water service around the house and the pros and cons of each. As there were limited places to install a new hot water storage tank, a like-for-like replacement was soon becoming not a great option. Annie picked another option Adam had given which was an attempt to relight the unit. There were no guarantees that this would work or for how long the unit pilot would stay lit, which Adam ensured was explained before the quote for works was accepted. Once confirmed, Adam proceeded with works to relight the unit and with a bit of skill and luck, managed to fire up the Hot Water Unit. Adam then investigated another option of replacing the existing storage tank with a Rinnai Infinity continuous flow unit which could easily be mounted on the wall where the existing storage tank was, this would comply with plumbing codes and regulations. Adam spent a bit of time explaining the long term benefits of the Rinnai Infinity units and how the works could be completed. Once finished the quote, Adam presented it to Annie and Jamie for them to consider if their existing HWU failed and couldn’t be relit. In the meantime, Adam checked the existing hot water unit was still up and running and it was. Annie and Jamie were very grateful and happy to have hot water again at their Cheltenham home. Giving clients options and an honest opinion about works that will always comply with plumbing codes and regulations is what O’Shea Plumbing has always strived to be the best at.  Whether it’s a big job, such as replacing an entire hot water system, or just a small job, such as relighting a hot water service, O’Shea will give the clients a range of options to pick from, so that they can choose the option that suits them best. Contact us today on (03) 9888 2887

Xuan, a Doncaster resident, had bought a house that he was currently renovating before he and his family moved in. Since no one had been living there for several months, he found it concerning that his gas bill showed some usage on it. An unusually high gas bill can often be a sign of a gas leak. Xuan rang O’Shea Plumbing to send out a plumber to check for any potential gas leaks.  O’Shea Plumber Jeremy arrived later the same day and began by having an initial look around the property. Jeremy found that most of the gas pipework under the house was made of galvanized steel, which can develop small leaks over time. Upon inspection of the gas meter, Jeremy found that the gas piping to the meter had been improperly run, and that the outlet bend was cut too short. This caused the meter to sit at an odd angle, which could be the cause of the gas leak.  Jeremy proposed to Xuan to alter the pipework at the meter, replace the outlet bend, and perform a gas pressure test to make sure the rest of the pipework in the house was sound. Xuan agreed that this was the best approach to finding and eliminating any gas leaks. As he was renovating for his family to move in, he wanted the home to be as safe as possible. Jeremy wrote up a quote for the client. With Xuan’s approval, Jeremy altered the pipework at the meter to allow the meter to connect to the house’s gas line properly. Jeremy then tested the gas line at 1.2kpa finding no drop in pressure, indicating that the rest of the gas line was sound. Jeremy reconnected the gas meter and recommended to Xuan to leave the meter turned off while no one was living at the property just as a precaution. Xuan was very pleased with the prompt service and expertise of Jeremy and O’Shea Plumbing.  Whether you’re at home or work, if you smell a gas leak in Melbourne it’s urgent that you take action immediately. Gas leaks are highly flammable and pose a serious risk, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Call the Doncaster Gas Leak plumbing professionals at O’Shea Plumbing immediately. Curious how we solve gas leaks? Read our blog about it! There are no better professional gas leak plumbers in Melbourne than the O’Shea team. Got a gas leak in Doncaster? Call us today – (03) 9888 2887

Lisa in Blackburn had been dealing with a reoccurring blocked sewer drain that a plumber had cleared previously with a water jet twice in two days. She decided to ring O’Shea Plumbing in Mount Waverley to send someone out to clear it properly and perform a camera inspection to find out what was causing her sewer drain to be so troublesome.  O’Shea Plumber Jeremy arrived later that day and started by assessing where the drain ran. Lisa explained that her drain connected into her neighbour’s drain before connecting into the main sewer drain. This is quite common for multiple units that were built on a single block of land such as Lisa’s. Jeremy checked the inspection shaft in Lisa’s neighbour’s back yard to see if the blockage was located beyond Lisa’s drain, but found that the shaft was not blocked, which meant the blockage was only affecting Lisa’s drain.  Using the Ridgid Drain Cleaning Machine, Jeremy was able to clear the blockage using a 65mm spearhead cutter. Jeremy then used a 100mm cutting head to ensure that the drain was completely cleared of any remaining debris.  With the drain cleared, Jeremy was able to put a camera down the drain to investigate what caused the blocked drain. Jeremy found two 45 degree bends close together where the blockage was, so it was most likely that some toilet paper had gotten stuck going through the bends, and had eventually built up into a blockage. Jeremy also found that the drain was holding some water near the connection point into the neighbour’s inspection shaft, which meant the drain was possibly falling backwards slightly in that area.  Jeremy informed Lisa of what he found through the camera inspection and recommended that the poorly laid sections of drain be replaced, or she would most likely have similar problems in the future. Lisa thanked Jeremy for his help and said that she would try to contact the builder since the house was only 4 years old and could still be covered by the plumber’s certificate of compliance.  Lisa was very happy with the service provided by Jeremy and O’Shea Plumbing and said that she would contact them for any future plumbing issues she may have. Well done Jeremy! O’Shea offers a 12-month warranty on sewer drain blockages that reoccur in the same spot*. Contact O’Shea plumbing today on 03 9888 2887 for all your blocked drain and plumbing needs.

Raelene has been a long term client of O’Shea Plumbing and has trusted us to provide her with good advice and even better workmanship. Over the years, O’Shea Plumbing has sorted her issue with flooding and tap issues. On this occasion, Raelene went downstairs to find her 20-year-old electric Hot Water Unit (HWU) was leaking on the floor. She instantly shut it off and called O’Shea Plumbing. Jarett (O’Shea Plumbing Manager) arrived that afternoon to discuss options with Raelene. It was found that the water leak had damaged the electrical components of the HWU. Both Jarett and Raelene decided that it would not be worthwhile attempting to fix the old unit, as this money could be put to better use purchasing a brand new HWU. Jarett and Raelene discussed the different options from getting a new electric unit to installing a new gas HWU. Raelene liked the idea of a new gas continuous flow hot water unit, which would be located closer to the bathroom meaning that there would be a shorter lag time in the delivery of hot water. This would also mean that Raelene would need a new gas supply pipe to feed the new hot water unit. Jarett put together a quote, including the gas fitting, which was accepted immediately by Raelene. The next day Andrew (O’Shea Plumbing team member), Jarett and a licensed electrician arrived to discuss the job and what needed to be done. Andrew completed the required tests on the existing gas supply pipe, to test for gas leaks before any works had started. Andrew worked on fixing the new HWU to the wall and running the gas pipe in a trench from the gas meter to the HWU. He then had to crawl under the house and connect the hot and cold water pipes to the appropriate pipe penetrating this through the double brick wall and connect the water points to the new HWU. While the electrician decommissioned the old electric HWU, Andrew went about disconnecting the plumbing side of things. With the old unit removed they had additionally created a perfect storage alcove downstairs. Once the HWU was up and running Andrew completed a series of test beginning with checking inlet gas pressures, a 7KPA gas test on the new copper gas supply pipe as well another 1.5KPA gas test on the entire gas system. This ensured that Andrew had done his work properly and that Raelene had the confidence in knowing that there were no gas leaks in her house. Andrew also measured the temperature of the hot water at the closest fixture to make sure that there were no faults with the HWU itself. Raelene trusted O’Shea Plumbing to help her make a good choice in fixing her hot water problem and was very happy with the end result. Another job well done! O’Shea Plumbing specialises in Hot Water service, repair and installation in Melbourne. We offer repair and replacement systems across leading brands including Rheem, Aquamax, Rinnai, Stiebel Eltron and Vulcan. Call us today for a quote – (03) 9888 2887  

Nadia, her husband and three daughters, live in a beautiful old home in Surrey Hills. One Sunday morning, they noticed a wet patch on the carpet in one of their rooms. At first, they thought it was a roof leak but there were no obvious signs of a roof leak. Nadia’s husband peeked his head under the house and saw that a water pipe had split and was spraying water directly up through the floorboards which eventually was soaked up by the carpet creating the puddle. Nadia immediately rang a plumber who suggested they turn the water off at the water meter until the leak could be fixed. Although this stopped the water leak it also meant that there was no water being supplied to their house, meaning that Nadia and her family did not have water to flush toilets, drink, cook or clean. This, of course, meant no hot showers which was difficult due to it being a particularly cold and wet weekend in Melbourne. Nadia made contact with Lawrie O’Shea on Sunday evening requesting the service of a plumber ASAP. Lawrie organised for Andrew to arrive early the next morning. As Nadia had never used O’Shea Plumbing before, when Andrew arrived he explained his agenda and provided good information on not just the immediate issue but also flagged potential future issues that could occur and ways they can go about things to protect their plumbing. O’Shea Plumbing regularly tests the water pressures of the cold water and the water temperature of the hot water of houses, and where applicable, recommend pressure reduction valves and tempering valves. The benefit of water pressure reduction is that it makes all plumbing fixtures, appliances, pipes, etc. last longer. It also helps to reduce water hammer in the pipes.  Andrew assessed what was involved in fixing the water leak and provided Nadia with options to complete works to fix the water leak. Once this was approved Andrew got under the house and removed the section of the copper water pipe and replaced it. Andrew finished work, turned the water back on and went under the house to check that his works were watertight. Once he confirmed his work was done, Andrew showed Nadia the finished work to which she replied, “Wow, that looks so much neater than before and you have stopped the leak. We are very grateful that you could come and fix our problem today. Thank you!” Why Choose O’Shea Plumbing To Solve Your Water Leaks? For over 40 years, O’Shea Plumbing has been a member of The Master Plumbers and Mechanical Services Association of Australia, so you can rest assured that we’re trusted professionals when it comes water leak detection in Melbourne. Our quick, reliable service means that your water leak issues can be solved in no time. We’ll find your leaks using our innovative plumbing leak detection practices and remedy them for a fair price. You can contact us on (03) 9888 2887.

David, a resident in Ashwood, woke up one morning to find that he had no hot water coming from his system. David immediately called O’Shea Plumbing in Mount Waverley to come to investigate after he had found them online by searching “gas plumber Melbourne”.  Lawrie arrived later that day and after checking over the hot water unit, told David that it would have to be replaced. After some discussion on what type of unit would be best for David and his family, David decided to have a continuous flow hot water unit installed due to its efficiency for gas usage, and never running out of hot water again. To install this particular system, a new gas line would need to be run to the new unit to allow for its greater gas needs. David happily agreed and Lawrie book a plumber to come by the next day. The new Rinnai 26 Infinity hot water unit was ordered along with the required materials which were quickly delivered from the Plumbers Supplies Coop in Mitcham. Jeremy (O’Shea plumber) arrived the next day and started off with a gas pressure test to ensure there were no gas leaks on David’s existing gas line. As soon as he started the test, Jeremy saw a quick drop in the pressure indicating that there was a gas leak somewhere along the line. After some investigation, Jeremy found that the gas leak was on the valve to their heating unit due to some bricks that had been stacked against the pipe. After redoing the connections on the valve, Jeremy performed another pressure test and found that it held quite well.  With that small hiccup out of the way, Jeremy got right to work draining and removing the old hot water unit. Once the old unit was out of the way, Jeremy hung the new continuous flow unit and connected the hot and cold water pipes. After that, he ran the new gas line from the gas meter down the side of the house to the new unit.  With the new unit fully connected, Jeremy performed one last gas pressure test to ensure that the new gas line had no leaks. Jeremy then checked and relit all of the other gas appliances in the house to make sure any air left in the gas line had been pushed through. When commissioning the new Rinnai, Jeremy noticed that he was not getting sufficient gas supply from the gas meter. The gas supply company was contacted to rectify this.  At O’Shea Plumbing, we take pride in providing high-quality plumbing services and thoroughly check your entire plumbing system to see if any related issues may be contributing to faults. When Jeremy measured the water pressure at the front garden tap, he found it to be very high. So after David accepted the quote to fit a pressure reduction valve after the water meter, Jeremy went about fitting the valve. The benefit of pressure reduction is that it makes all appliances, taps, pipes, etc. last a lot longer and alleviates the potential for future plumbing issues. It also helps to reduce water hammer in the pipes.  David was very pleased by the service provided by O’Shea Plumbing and was glad to have hot water back in his house again. Nice work team! No matter what job you need to be done, from basic repairs to supply and installation of major appliances or hot water systems, we’ll get it done to meet top standards. Our professional plumbers and gas plumbers are here for all your emergency or non-emergency plumbing services. We’re only a phone call away on (03) 9888 2887.

Al’s tenants at his rental property in Caulfield South thought they could smell a gas leak and called their gas company to come have a look. The gas company did a pressure test on the gas line and found that there was indeed a leak somewhere along the line. The gas company shut off their gas supply and told them they would have to get a plumber out to fix the gas leak and reconnect their gas supply. Al immediately rang O’Shea Plumbing who sent out their plumber – Jeremy – later the same day. Upon arrival, Jeremy looked around the property and found that most of the gas line had been run in galvanized steel. Rather than attempting to find and repair the gas leak(s), Jeremy suggested to Al that it might be a better idea in the long run to renew the gas line in copper to eliminate the potential for any future gas leaks. Al thought this was a fantastic idea, so Jeremy started to plan how he would run the new gas line. Al only wanted to keep the stovetop and the hot water storage unit connected to the gas line, so Jeremy checked under the house to see if there was enough space to run the new gas line. There was plenty of space to get to the stovetop underneath the house, but there was not enough space for someone to crawl under the house to get to where the hot water unit was. Jeremy had another look around the house and decided the best option was to run the new gas line up the wall from the gas meter and across the roof, where it would drop down to where the hot water unit was. Jeremy came back the next morning with the materials he needed for the job and got right to work. The first thing he had to do was cut out some of the old pipework to make room for the new pipework. Once that was done Jeremy began running the new gas line to the stovetop first. Jeremy connected the new pipework onto the copper coming through the floor from the stovetop. Jeremy then ran the gas line up the wall, across the roof, and down to the hot water unit. Once the new pipework was completed, Jeremy performed a gas pressure test from the gas meter at 7 Kpa with the appliances disconnected. When that test passed, he performed another gas pressure test at 1.2 Kpa with the appliances connected. When that test passed as well, Jeremy reconnected the tenant’s gas supply, relit their appliances, and ensured there was sufficient gas flow to them. The tenants were very happy to finally have hot water and a working stovetop again. Another job well done! O’Shea’s gas plumbers in Melbourne will thoroughly assess and solve your gas fitting and installation needs. Contact us today on (03) 9888 2887 for a fast quote on gas fitting and installation in Melbourne.

Phoebe, a resident in Hawthorn East, was getting her brick fence at the front of her property repainted when her painter mentioned that her gas meter was located too close to the fence. Phoebe called her gas company, and they sent out a technician to check it for her. The technician found that her gas meter was too close to the fence, they said to Phoebe that in order to move it away she would have to remove some bamboo in her front garden. She would also have to get her own plumber to adjust the gas line to suit the new location of the meter, so she called O’Shea Plumbing to come and take a look at the situation. Jeremy (O’Shea Plumber) arrived the next morning to discuss the work that needed to be done.  As the work was to be conducted on Phoebe’s gas meter, Jeremy told her that he would need to do a gas pressure test to check for any gas leaks before and after the relocation work was completed. Phoebe explained that the gas meter wouldn’t need to be moved very far, and the bamboo would be removed prior to the work being done. They organised for Jeremy to come out soon after the gas company completed their part of the work to reduce the time that Phoebe was without gas. When the gas company came out to move Phoebe’s gas meter, they found that they did not need to move the meter very far, and were able to reconnect Phoebe’s gas line without any adjustments needing to be made by O’Shea. Phoebe rang O’Shea Plumbing to let them know that further work was not needed.  Several days later when Phoebe was having more bamboo removed from her yard, her water meter was bumped a few times by the machine they were using and began to leak. Phoebe rang O’Shea Plumbing immediately to come and fix it. Jeremy arrived later that day and had a look at where the water meter was leaking. He determined that it was only leaking from the two couplings on either side of the meter, and the problem would most likely be fixed by replacing the rubber O-rings inside the connections. When Jeremy removed the old O-rings he could see that they were cracked and falling apart. After replacing them with new O-rings, the water leaks were stopped. Phoebe was very pleased with the result and O’Shea timeliness. Although we offer emergency plumbing services, we understand that not every plumbing problem requires an emergency plumber. We provide general services on top of our emergency services. Whether you require general plumbing repairs, maintenance or installation, we can wait until the morning or schedule you in for the next available appointment. Call us today for a fast quote on (03) 9888 2887

Martin had just purchased his new family home in Fitzroy. Upon moving in he noticed, much to his frustration, that the gas meter had been capped off and a note left by the gas company that said there was a major gas leak on his gas line. Martin immediately rang O’Shea plumbing as he had been recommended to them by a friend.   Adam (O’Shea plumber) quickly attended the job site to investigate the leak. The first option which included testing the gas line and making an attempt to fix the leak was quickly abandoned when Adam noticed the gas line, which was run in gal piping, was laying in the dirt under the house. This piping is supposed to be secured under the house, off the ground to avoid damage.  Adam told Martin the gas line would need to be renewed. To give Martin the best option and guarantee for the works, Adam gave the client the option to run the new gas line through the house. The O’Shea plumber wrote Martin a quote which included core holing holes through a couple of rooms in the house to run the new gas line. The quote was accepted and O’Shea was able to fit Martin’s gas line renewal in 2 days later. On the first day of works, Adam approached Martin and his wife and explained exactly how he was going to run the new gas line. Adam started by moving furniture and the client’s belongings out of the way of the work area and put tarps down to protect the flooring as core holing can be a messy job. By lunchtime, the core holes had been drilled through the walls. Adam spent the next couple of hours cleaning the walls and removing the tarps so he had a nice clean and refreshed work area to achieve a high standard of work quality. Adam started his 32mm copper gas line from the meter and ran it exposed up the front of the house. The line continued through the core hole in the lounge room, to the bedroom behind and out into the courtyard where the line ran across the wall beside the existing plumbing to connect to the existing hot water unit and stove. Then all the core holes were sealed and patched up. The gas line was then tested without appliances connected, and then again with appliances connected and both tests passed proving a sound gas system free from leaks. Adam then proceeded to relight the hot water unit to the excitement of Martin’s wife, who could finally shower and cook in their new home. Martin and his wife at first were about sceptical of seeing a 32mm copper line running through their living room but they liked it once was finished. It gave their room a slightly industrial look and feel as there were existing lines already running internally throughout the house. During the works, Adam was available to answer any questions from Martin or his wife about any concerns that they may have had. This goes for any of O’Shea’s jobs. It’s important to us that our customers’ are comfortable with having O’Shea staff on their property, delivering a 5-star all-round service with customer interaction and quality of work is our priority. For quality plumbing work and professional plumbers, contact the team at O’Shea Plumbing. Honest, Fixed, Upfront Pricing. Call us on (03) 9888 2887 for a fast quote.

Michael had an older Aquamax storage hot water unit which at the time didn’t have any issues but was getting to an age where parts of the hot water unit may begin failing. Michael requested a plumber come to his house in Rosanna to discuss upgrading his Hot Water Unit (HWU). Andrew arrived onsite and introduced himself and O’Shea Plumbing, and explained to Michael his agenda of how he proposed this service call to go.  Michael and Andrew were discussing the pros and cons of both replacing the existing storage HWU and a Continuous Flow HWU. Michael decided that he wanted to install a new Rinnai B26 Continuous flow HWU. Andrew ordered the materials from the Plumbers Coop in Mitcham, including a larger, copper gas pipe to allow for a greater flow of gas ensuring that the new HWU would work to its fullest capacity. Andrew arrived a couple of days later and proceeded to drain the old storage HWU and completed a gas pressure test to make sure that there were no existing gas leaks. Once these small jobs were done all necessary materials had arrived on site. Andrew climbed under the house to run a new copper gas branch from the gas meter all the way to the new Rinnai B26 continuous flow HWU. He clipped the new branch gas pipe to the underside of the floor joists to support the new gas pipes off the ground, away from potentially damaging elements. A licensed electrician was also organised to come onsite to install a new external power point outlet to supply power to the new HWU. Once the new gas pipe was run, the power supplied and the Rinnai B26 installed into position, Andrew connected all water pipes and commissioned Michael’s new Hot Water Unit. All gas pressure tests were completed including a 7KPA gas pressure test of the new capped off gas pipes, which were tested for a period of 45 minutes. This had no pressure drop which says that there will be no gas leak in the main run and branches of the gas pipe. A 1.5KPA pressure test was also completed before and after work was completed, with all appliances connected, which told Andrew that the gas appliances also had no gas leaks. Andrew also mentioned to Michael that his water pressure was too high and provided Michael with some options to supply and install a pressure control device at the water meter to limit the water pressure to 500KPA. If Michael chose to go ahead with the quote it would provide longevity to all water fixtures, as well as reduce the chance of hearing water hammer throughout the house when taps are used, especially at night time when the water pressure spikes. All in all, Michael was very happy that he did not have to go days without hot water and that the job was completed to a high standard. Nice work, Andrew! Whether it’s a repair or an entire hot water unit replacement, O’Shea Plumbing is committed to providing all hot water maintenance Melbourne wide. Contact us today for a fast quote on (03) 9888 2887.

Raymond from Mont Albert North called the O’Shea Plumbing office in Mount Waverley as his Hot Water Unit (HWU) was leaking profusely. The team booked him in and Lawrie and Kevin called around to site shortly after.  Upon arrival, Lawrie (O’Shea owner) and Kevin (O’Shea plumber) introduced themselves and discussed with Raymond how the O’Shea Plumbing service works. Raymond then let the plumbers inside and they got right to work inspecting the water leak on the HWU.  It was immediately clear to the plumbers that the leak was occurring as the existing HWU was very old and likely needed to be replaced with a new one. After receiving a number of quotes and options from the two O’Shea Plumbers, Raymond decided on a replacement Vulcan Freeloader unit. The Vulcan Freeloader unit is equipped with a special thermostat that keeps water at a temperature of 73°C, meaning that Raymond would use less hot water for the same length hot shower compared to his old HWU. The unit was ordered from the Plumbers Supplies Coop in Mitcham and promptly delivered to the site. Firstly, Kevin pressure tested the entire gas installation for any gas leaks. Once the gas system proved sound, he completed the HWU change over from the old unit to the new unit. Once the new unit was installed, Kevin guaranteed his work by testing the gas system again to ensure there were no gas leaks and that the unit was working efficiently.  Raymond was so happy with Kevin’s work that he sent the following email to say that he was “most impressed with Kevin’s work, overall approach, and attention to detail”. This isn’t the first time our clients have been impressed with Kevin’s work. He has also received commendations from our long term valued clients Jamie & Annie from Cheltenham who said, “many thanks for the job yesterday. Kevin did a great job and was very kind and efficient” and on a separate occasion also said, “many thanks again. You always help us and we are lucky to have you!”. Nice work Kevin! If you are having issues with your hot water unit call on the professionals at O’Shea Plumbing. We provide maintenance, repairs and installation of hot water systems. Contact us today for a fast quote or call (03) 9888 2887. We’ll come running!

Accountants of Wheelers Hill noticed one of the toilets in their office suite was draining slowly when flushed and called O’Shea Plumbing to come and have a look at a potential blocked drain. Jeremy (O’Shea Plumber) arrived and started his investigation into what could be causing the issue.  Jeremy checked the urinal and basin next to the affected toilet as well as the other restrooms in the office. Finding no issues with any other fixtures, Jeremy decided the best course of action was to attempt to use a plunger to clear the blocked drain. After several unsuccessful attempts with the plunger, he decided to remove the toilet and use a drain camera to investigate further what may be causing the toilet to be draining slowly. Jeremy removed the toilet and Lawrie brought the drain camera from the O’Shea office in Mount Waverley. Using the camera monitor, Jeremy and Lawrie could not see any immediate signs of a blocked drain. They pushed the camera twelve metres down and still could not see anything wrong with the drain.  Lawrie then thought that the toilet draining slowly could have something to do with how the drain was constructed. While pulling the camera back out, Jeremy and Lawrie could see that immediately after entering the wall the drain went into a 90 degree swept junction instead of a 45 degree junction. This could potentially be the cause of the slow draining toilet because the shape and angle of the drain did not allow the water to flow quickly and efficiently. Before reinstalling the toilet, Jeremy checked the outlet of the toilet to ensure that there was nothing in the toilet itself that could also be causing the issue.  After reinstalling the toilet, Jeremy and Lawrie tried flushing it again and found that it was still draining slowly. They determined the cause was simply the design and construction of the drain, and the only way to truly rectify the problem would be to redo sections of the drain. As the situation did not prove to be urgent or potentially harmful, the plumbers assured the Accountants that they could leave the toilet as is, however, they also gave them options for re-doing the sections of the drain if they wished to pursue a fix. If you want a fast quote on your plumbing problems, call the team at O’Shea Plumbing. Contact our team any day of the week on (03) 9888 2887. We’ll come running!

Mr D moved into a beautiful home in Chadstone but unfortunately found a lot of water was making its way under the house and spilling into the bottom room of their home causing extensive damage. Mr D was fed up and decided he required the service of O’Shea Plumbing. Andrew (O’Shea Plumber) arrived shortly after the initial phone call and went about investigating the issue and how he could fix it. Andrew found that there was a pit and pump set up under the house but when the float lifted up to initiate the pump to drain the pit, the float would get stuck in the off position and not engage meaning that the pit would fill and overflow into the next room causing the damage. Andrew gave Mr D options to replace the pump and set it up so that it works 100% of the time. Andrew also wanted to try and stop the water coming under the house in the first place and have the pump set up work as a backup. Andrew gave options to inspect and clear the blocked drain that was causing water to overflow and run under the house. Upon investigation, Andrew noticed that there was a small section of drain that did not look right. Andrew showed Mr D this and asked if he would like further options to dig this up and inspect. Once this was fixed, Andrew looked at the trench he was standing in and noticed the trench was starting to fill with water coming from higher up in the property. Andrew quickly figured out that this water filling the trench was not to do with Mr D’s water pipe or stormwater drain and went about investigating by digging a series of holes at the high points of Mr D’s property. Low and behold, all the holes Andrew dug had started to fill with water which was coming under the ground from outside the property. Andrew provided more options to Mr D to come back and install an agricultural drain in an attempt to pick up this water and get it going down a drain instead of finding its way underground until it reached and flooded the house. Mr D wanted Andrew to do this, so Andrew went about organising material and an excavator to dig a deep trench to and install a slotted PVC  drain at the bottom. He then filled the trench with scoria. This allows the water to come in at any height (higher than the slotted drain) hit the scoria and work its way down the stormwater drain and off the property. All of this was completed in one day and cleaned up as if there hadn’t been a massive trench and excavator in the front yard.  One week later Mr D called up the O’Shea Plumbing office and said that not one drop of water has entered under the house since Andrew had done the work and there was a lot of rain in that week. Mr D was so happy that he left a 5 star review on Google which read, “We have used O’Shea Plumbing over several years across two properties. The quality of their work has always been outstanding. A recent highlight was their drainage solution at my property which tackled a very difficult issue but delivered spectacular results. I was really impressed with Andrew’s work on this. We really appreciate all the work they have done for us over the years”. Thank you Mr D and nice work Andrew! For a fast quote and professional plumbing service contact the team at O’Shea Plumbing on (03) 9888 2887. We’ll Come Running!

When Sarah noticed smoke coming from her front yard, she immediately hit the panic button. The Melbourne Fire Brigade (MFB) was called out to a small fire on Sarah’s property, they were very timely and quickly stopped the fire from spreading. Unfortunately, the MFB had to disconnect and take away the property’s gas meter leaving Sarah and her family without gas.  To remedy this, Sarah made contact with the O’Shea Plumbing Mt Waverley base and asked if a plumber could be sent out to pressure test, carry out checks and provide a certificate of compliance so that they could get a new gas meter organised. Lawrie (O’Shea Plumbing owner) and Kevin (O’Shea Plumber) arrived the next morning and completed a gas pressure test on the gas supply pipes. This test is completed by using a manometer and watching to see if there are any gas leaks in the gas line. In this case, the test proved that there was a major gas leak. When a gas leak is found, it is a legal requirement that any plumber has to shut the gas off until the gas leak is found and fixed. Lawrie and Kevin offered Sarah options to resolve the issue, ranging from a gas renewal to making an attempt to find and fix the aforementioned gas leak. Sarah decided that she would like to make an attempt to find and fix the leak as their house was being demolished in one months time. Kevin and Lawrie went about finding the leak. Lawrie and Kevin went around to check the gas services on the property to see if these had any leaks. All the others proved to be safe and sound until they got to the Hot Water Unit (HWU). When Kevin went to the HWU he cut and capped the supply pipe for HWU and then completed the test which showed a very small leak that fell under the permissible pressure drop. Lawrie and Kevin fixed the leak at the HWU and then Lawrie was able to complete a certificate of compliance on the spot to allow Sarah to get her gas company to supply and install a new gas meter. Sarah and her family could once again enjoy cooking, heating and hot water for their last month in their family home until the new home was rebuilt. If you suspect your property is experiencing a gas leak, contact the professional gas plumbers in Melbourne at O’Shea Plumbing. We will find and fix your gas leak issues fast so that you can get back to enjoying a safe and sound plumbing experience. Call us for a fast quote today on (03) 9888 2887

Helen from Malvern East suspected that she had a gas leak at her house. She immediately contacted her gas company who turned her gas off and advised her to call a plumber. Helen chose to work with O’Shea Plumbing and Adam (O’Shea Plumber) was sent over to investigate. After conducting a gas pressure test from the gas meter, Adam was able to confirm that there was, in fact, a gas leak on the property. He also discovered during his investigation that Helen’s hot water service was faulty. Adam explained his findings to Helen and presented her with some options to choose from that would solve the issue. In addition to solving the gas leak, Helen decided that she would like to renew her hot water service. The O’Shea Mount Waverley office organised for her new system to be installed on the same day that the gas leak was to be repaired. This would make the job as efficient as possible for the O’Shea team and would also make Helen’s life easier by being in her home for the shortest time possible. The following day, Andrew and Dani, his apprentice, arrived and completed the job so that Helen had hot water that very evening. Helen was delighted to have her new Rinnai hot water unit up and running, to be able to get hot water to her taps and be reassured that her gas installation as safe. Nice work team! The work for this particular job included: The supply and installing of new Rinnai hot water unit with a new valve kit Running of the new gas copper line from the gas meter, underground, across to a wall, and up the external wall to new the hot water unit The cold water pipe was cut into 15 mm cold water pipe just near the location of the new unit The hot water supply taken from the unit, along the external brick wall to the back of the kitchen sink. A series of holes were drilled to get the pipe into a cupboard, cutting a tee into the hot water line. If you need a new hot water unit or suspect a gas leak in your home don’t hesitate to call on the gas and plumbing professionals at O’Shea Plumbing. Our Gas Plumbers in Melbourne are fully licensed and experienced to handle any plumbing situation. To get a fast quote, call us today on (03) 9888 2887.

Don from Mulgrave called O’Shea Plumbing as they were concerned about a gas leak in their kitchen. Lawrie (director of O’Shea) and Dani (an O’Shea apprentice plumber) quickly arrived at the property to attend to the matter. Lawrie and Dani gave Don a few options to rectify the gas leak, but the option to renew the entire gas line was the best solution as Don was advised by the two plumbers. He gladly accepted the works to proceed with the renewal of his gas line service. Lawrie set the job up for Dani and Adam (an O’Shea plumber) to renew the gas line. Lawrie and Adam discussed with Don the options on how would be most suitable to run the gas line, as the pipework would be visibly exposed around the back of the house in the outdoor area. The installation would need to not just be done correctly but also look presentable as this was an area of the house that was frequently used. When works started, Dani and Adam first set down a blanket on the deck to protect the boards whilst placing all their tools on it. Before any gasfitting started, the first part of the job was to dig a small trench from the gas meter to the house. In doing this, Adam advised Dani to use a rake to pull back all the bark before they started to dig. The raked bark would allow for an easy backfill and the garden would go back to exactly how it looked before. Adam and Dani proceed to run the new 40mm gas line underground from the meter across to the back left of the house. They did this in a nice straight line weaving in and around surrounding downpipes, internal and external corners to finish at the main line at the existing gas heater. The next day the client was given notice that the gas would be off for a few hours whilst Adam and Dani had to cut the existing appliances into the new gas line. Not long after, the gas was on for testing. Testing was conducted by turning off and then opening the gas lines allowing all appliances to be tested, checking for efficiency and gas leaks. So far, all was going well for the client. Soon after, Jarrett (O’Shea’s service manager) arrived to diagnose and test the existing gas heater for CO emissions and to the customers delight it was all safe. During the works for Don – and to all our clients – we strive to ensure the customer feels very safe and relaxed whilst having team members on sites. Any questions or concerns are always welcomed by our staff at any time. Don was a pleasure to do business with and we look forward to helping with any future plumbing projects. If you are searching for reliable and experienced gas plumbers in Melbourne, look no further than O’Shea Plumbing. Get in touch today on (03) 9888 2887 for a fast quote.

David has needed the service of O’Shea Plumbing a few times in the past 10 years. Over these years, O’Shea Plumbing has fixed washing machine taps, replaced a Hot Water Unit as well as installed a new toilet. On this particular occasion, David rang up the O’Shea Mt Waverley base stating that every time it rained water would overflow into his neighbour’s property. David asked if a team member of O’Shea Plumbing come and give some advice and potentially fix the issue. The next morning Andrew arrived and introduced himself. Andrew took the time to remind David of how the O’Shea Plumbing service works and then investigated the overflow situation. It was clear to Andrew that the stormwater drain was blocked, with only three reasonable options to attempt to fix this. 1) Renew stormwater drain entirely or sections of it , 2) Attempt to clear with a cable machine, or 3) attempt to clear with a water jet. Andrew and David discussed these options and David opted to proceed with attempting to clear the blocked drain with a cable machine. Andrew began works immediately clearing a couple of small blockages, however, he was unable to clear the main blockage which was causing the issue. Andrew used a large number of cables to attempt to clear the blockage, which approximately put him in line with the council’s stormwater barrel drain. Unfortunately, the blockage could not be cleared from here and would require digging up in the nature strip or getting the council to see if they could check their drain for any blockage. Andrew informed David of the situation and he said he appreciated Andrew’s honesty. David would now try and pester the council to check their drains – which if it worked, would mean no more money to be spent on the drain by David . David was so impressed with the service Andrew and the O’Shea Plumbing team provided that he sent an email through to the owner and operator of O’Shea Plumbing stating “I just wanted to advise that I found Andrew a highly competent and friendly plumber and valued his advice. Over recent times we have engaged the services of O’Shea Plumbing and have found your company to be a reliable, honest and professional firm”. Well done Andrew and team!   If you think your drain may be blocked, give the team at O’Shea Plumbing a call on (03) 9888 2887 for a fast quote. We’ll come running!

Andrew, a resident in Camberwell, rang the O’Shea Plumbing office in Mount Waverley and spoke to Jarett (O’Shea Service Manager) as he had a problem with his stormwater drains. Jarett arranged for Adam and Dani (O’Shea plumber and plumbing apprentice) to call out to the site as soon as they could. When Adam and Dani arrived they attempted to clear the blocked drain and then run a drain camera through the drain. The two plumbers quickly realised that the blocked stormwater drain could not be cleared as a section of the drain was badly broken. Unfortunately, this meant that part of the stormwater drain would need to be replaced.  In order to give Andrew an accurate quote, Adam and Dani used a Ridgid drain camera and Navitrack to locate the exact location and depth of the broken section. A quote was prepared, submitted and accepted by Andrew to replace the broken sections of stormwater drain. Once the quote was accepted Adam and Dani got straight to work replacing the broken drain and installing a new pit and grate.  After the Certificate of Compliance was sent, Andrew sent back the following message. “I just did a review on Google. Adam and Dani did a great job, and the timing was perfect. The rains we had immediately after they finished has ‘stress tested’ the new piping/pathway, and I am pleased to say it has passed with flying colours. I went out several times under the umbrella and enjoyed seeing the flows into the street, and through the new pit and the existing pit that used to bank up and cause water to flow under the house was clearing perfectly.” Another satisfied O’Shea Plumbing client!  If you are experiencing drain blockages or issues with your stormwater drain, get in contact with O’Shea Plumbing immediately. If left unchecked, a small plumbing issue can turn into a much larger (costlier) problem. Get in touch with the team of plumbing professionals at O’Shea Plumbing on (03) 9888 2887 or submit an enquiry form online.

Terri has called upon and relied on the expertise of the O’Shea Plumbing team for many years. Lawrie the owner and manager of O’Shea Plumbing has built trust up with Terri over these years through providing her with expert advice and premium workmanship. On this occasion, Terri asked if Lawrie could come over and have a look at an issue where water was entering garage when it rained but with no way for it to drain out of the garage. Andrew and Lawrie arrived and had a look at reasons as to why and where water could be entering the garage. They came up with some ideas to remove any water that entered the garage and also an idea to attempt to stop the flooding from occurring in the first place. Lawrie and Andrew worked on the quote and provided options to not only do the required works but options that would make Terri’s plumbing better in general.  The works that O’Shea Plumbing completed for Terri on this occasion were as follows: Cut a section of the concrete garage and installed a grate drain to catch any water that entered the garage. The grate drain would then run to a stormwater pit outside the garage door, which was newly installed by O’Shea Plumbing. A little more concrete was cut out so Andrew could connect the new pit up to the existing stormwater drain. And finally, pressure control was installed on a water meter as well as on the Hot Water Unit to control the water pressure and protect the pipes and fixtures from excessive pressure. As well as changing over the very old Pressure Temperature Relief Valve. The reason why Terri trust O’Shea Plumbing is that Lawrie and Andrew did a thorough investigation and multiple visits to make sure that the investment Terri was making was going to be the right solution. Andrew and Lawrie in their multiple visits checked the existing stormwater pit and made sure the pump was in good working order, cleared the very large existing stormwater pit of any dirt/silt which could potentially block the pump. They used the drain camera to inspect the quality of the drain they proposed to connect up to, and that there were no blocked drains that were the cause of the problem. The two plumbers looked at different types of grate drains to choose the most ideal one for this situation. Not only were they involved in the plumbing side, but they also spoke with our trusted concretor – Enzo – to make sure he could re-lay the new section of concrete with reinforced steel to make it stronger. They also asked Enzo to make sure that there was a slight fall on either side of the drain so as if water was to enter again that it would simply run into the new grate drain and then through the stormwater system. “It would have never have looked like there had been major works done in my garage” – Besides the brand new drains, Terri was amazed that after all the works were complete she could hardly tell that O’Shea Plumbing had been in her garage, as Andrew made sure that the place was left in an immaculate condition. If you want to experience first-class plumbing in Melbourne, get in touch with the team at O’Shea Plumbing on (03) 9888 2887 or submit an enquiry online.

Jane and Neil have called up O’Shea Plumbing a few times with their plumbing issues. At first, it was water hammering which Andrew rectified by installing pressure control on their water meter which lowered the water pressure entering their water pipes and fixtures. Neil and Jane were so impressed with the professionalism of the O’Shea Plumbing team that they had no issues in calling O’Shea Plumbing again to install two new mixer taps. It was a Friday afternoon during the Coronavirus isolation days when Jane went to bath her daughter, to find that there was only a small trickle of hot water coming out of the bath outlet. Jane advised Neil of the situation who did not hesitate to call O’Shea Plumbing head office at 3:00pm. Luckily Andrew had just finished a job and was around the corner so he was able to go around and have a look to see what was causing the problem, he quickly diagnosed the cause and offered options to fix the issue. Andrew installed a new duo valve to the Hot Water Unit and within one hour of the initial phone call Jane and Neil we’re back to having the Hot Water unit working properly again. Once Andrew finished he asked Jane if there were any other issues that she could think of that they would like O’Shea Plumbing to have a look at while they were there. Jane and Neil showed Andrew that the toilet was very slow to drain and gurgling was happening when bath, basin and shower was draining. Andrew had a quick look at the sewer outside and found that there was a slight blockage which was only going to get worse. Andrew provided Jane and Neil with options to fix this issue before it became an even larger problem. Andrew arrived the very next morning with his cable machine and cleared their blocked drains to 100mm (the size of the sewer pipe). Andrew also identified a potential issue with the neighbouring property as it was a combined drain on a vacant block and the sewer drain on the vacant block had not been sealed properly. Andrew advised Jane and Neil of potential issues and how to move forward to get this rectified. If you are looking for an experienced and trustworthy plumber in Melbourne, then call on the friendly, experts from O’Shea Plumbing. Contact us on (03) 9888 2887 or send us an online enquiry.

Roger’s previous plumber had closed down his business and was not plumbing anymore, so when his taps started to leak he didn’t know who he could trust to work on his plumbing. Roger did some research on the internet and found a lot of positive reviews and recommendations for O’Shea Plumbing, which gave him the confidence to call O’Shea and trust them to handle his current plumbing problem. Andrew and Dani arrived shortly after the call and introduced themselves and O’Shea Plumbing. Roger invited Andrew and Dani into his home and showed them the two taps he was having an issue with, as well as a loose-fitting on a separate basin. Andrew measured the water pressure and had a look at the Hot Water Unit (HWU), in case there were underlying issues that caused these taps to fail. It turned out that the existing HWU was very old. Roger mentioned that he would love to get rid of his old storage HWU and replace this with a brand new continuous flow HWU, but would like us to fix the taps before we talk any more about a new HWU. Andrew provided options to attempt to fix the downstairs basin mixer and sink mixer, as well as providing options to replace each of the taps. Andrew also noted that if Roger wanted us to go ahead with works, that he would attempt to tighten the loose-fitting at no extra charge (subject to there being no other issues with said tap). Roger chose to replace both taps so Dani and Andrew went to work.  With the three jobs quickly completed, Roger changed the subject back to the new HWU and asked for a quote. Andrew provided Roger with the information he needed to make an informed decision on a new HWU, including information about upsizing of the gas pipe to supply enough gas supply to new HWU. Roger said the price was a little higher than he expected, so he was going to get another quote to be sure. The very next day Roger rang up and said that he would like to go ahead with the new HWU. He also asked if O’Shea could provide another quote to renew the entire gas pipe as the existing gas pipe was made of galvanised iron, meaning it was only a matter of time before this would split causing a gas leak. Jarrett (O’Shea Plumbing Service Manager) went straight over to provide an updated quote to renew gas pipe as Andrew was busy on another job. This quote was very quickly approved and materials were ordered to arrive the very next day. The next day the old HWU was replaced with a new continuous flow HWU and all gas fixtures had been renewed with copper in appropriate sizing. All the work was tested to guarantee that it was sound and that there were no gas leaks.  Roger was so happy that the entire O’Shea Plumbing team made him feel that he was the most important client we had and gave him all of the information available without over complicating it. If you want to experience a professional plumbing service in Melbourne, contact the team at O’Shea Plumbing on (03) 9888 2887.

George rang up O’Shea Plumbing on behalf of his elderly parents with as there was hot water seeping out of the wall of their house and onto the ground outside. The friendly O’Shea operator scheduled in a time and told George that there would be an O’Shea plumber at his parent’s house at 8am the next morning. Andrew (O’Shea Plumber) arrived and introduced himself and the company as this is the first time that George had used O’Shea Plumbing. Once Andrew received permission to enter the building and was showed to the spot, he quickly realised that there was definitely a water leak coming from the hot water pipe feeding the kitchen sink. Unfortunately, he could not see the exact location of the leak but he could partially see the hot water pipe behind the rendered concrete. Once Andrew knew what the problem was, he came up with some options to resolve the issue. Andrew provided George with the options and prices to fix this leaking pipe. This meant that George could choose how he wanted the pipes in his home fixed. George signed off on his preferred option and the O’Shea plumber got straight to work. Andrew removed some of the render and found that the flared nut was leaking so went to remove this to have a look at the flare. The flare had split at the base and a section of the copper pipe needed to be replaced fix the leak. Andrew removed a bit more render from the house to access the leaking hot water pipe. Once it was within in reach, he cut out a small section of the copper pipe, replacing the section with new copper and a new flare which would solve the leak. Once he had finished fixing the water leak, Andrew re-connected everything and turned the hot water unit back on, ensuring there were no more leaks. George was so happy with the service provided by the O’Shea Plumbing team that he got on the phone to organise O’Shea Plumbing team to have a look at some issues he was experiencing at his own house. Well done team! If you suspect you have a water leak or are experiencing another general plumbing, get in touch with the professional team at O’Shea Plumbing on (03) 9888 2887.

Karl from Malvern rang and spoke to Lawrie at the O’Shea Plumbing office in Mount Waverley, his hot water heater had unfortunately stopped working. Lawrie arranged to visit Karl at his house the next morning.  Lawrie arrived the next morning and upon inspection confirmed that Karl’s water heater was indeed on its last legs and likely needed to be replaced with a new one. Lawrie gave Karl a number of quote options ranging from a brand new Rinnai Infinity heater to servicing and repairing the old water heater. Karl decided to go ahead with a new Aquamax 390 water heater. Andrew and Dani (O’Shea Plumber and Apprentice) arrived shortly after with materials to commence the installation. As the old hot water heater had been installed too close to an internal corner, the new unit had to be relocated to another suitable location and a tempering valve fitted. The gas installation was pressure tested for gas leaks from the meter, tees were cut into the nearby hot, cold and gas pipes and all the connections to the new unit were completed and the pipes to the old unit were capped off. To finish off and guarantee their work, Andrew and Dani gas pressure tested the system again and the new hot water unit was commissioned. The commissioning included adjusting the tempering valve so that the water to the nearest bathroom did not exceed 50° Celcius. A tempering valve helps to prevent scalding by blending the 60°C+ water from the hot water system with cold water to reduce the heat of the water being delivered to the taps to a far safer temperature. Within a day of his call, Karl and his family had a brand new Aquamax hot water system up and operating. Karl sent an email shortly after saying how pleased he was and to say thank you to Andrew and Dani for their hard work. Karl also left O’Shea Plumbing a positive 5-star review on both Google and Product Review for other potential clients to read. If you are having issues with your hot water give the professionals at O’Shea Plumbing a call. We provide maintenance, repairs and installation of hot water systems. Contact us today for a fast quote or call (03) 9888 2887. We’ll come running!

Margaret’s gas company had recently been around changing the gas meter. When the gas company technician was relighting the hot water heater he mentioned to Margaret that the unit was over 20 years old and not in very good condition and was likely due for a replacement. Taking the technician’s advice, Margaret called O’Shea Plumbing. She had used O’Shea Plumbing in the past and remembered how Lawrie had got them out of trouble at the last minute when they were moving house a few years ago.  Jarett the Service Manager at O’Shea’s took the call and arranged for Lawrie to call to quote and give options. He gave her options for a new Vulcan 170 litre unit along with a limit and cold water expansion valves, along with the servicing of two tap sets with Aqualoc tap valves. Margaret chose the latter as their preferred option. Lawrie ordered the materials to be delivered by the Plumber’s Supplies Co-op in Cheltenham. Andrew (O’Shea plumber), Dani (a new first-year apprentice) and Lawrie arrived early the next morning.  The next day, Andrew started work on the hot water heater, while Lawrie and Dani serviced the taps. It was a great opportunity for Lawrie to show her how to service taps properly and the benefits of Aqualoc tap valves that have a 5-year warranty. Andrew pressure tested the gas installation for gas leaks from the gas meter. The installation proved to be gas-tight. The new hot water heater needed to be moved along the wall and a soakage pit needed to be fitted so the new unit would comply with the regulations. He completed the works and had the new hot water back up and running by lunchtime. Lawrie and Dani completed the work on the taps, Margaret was delighted on how easy the taps were to turn on and off. As a bonus for Margaret, Lawrie tightened up the loose sink mixer tap free of additional charge. At O’Shea, our hot water plumbers in Melbourne can perform all scheduled repairs and maintenance for a highly affordable price. Contact O’Shea Plumbing today for a fast quote on (03) 9888 2887.

Alf, a resident of Mt Waverley, received a letter from Yarra Valley Water stating that he had a suspected water leak on his property and that they required him to contact a plumber to fix it ASAP. Alf had used O’Shea Plumbing to complete some sewer works previously and had no hesitation in contacting us again. Alf spoke to Lawrie (O’Shea Plumbing owner) who was in the Wantirna base and organised Andrew (an O’Shea plumber) to come have a look at this potential water leak. Andrew arrived on site shortly after and went about explaining the service Alf should expect from O’Shea Plumbing. Options were given and a quote written up explaining everything that Andrew was going to do to investigate the potential leak. In the quote, Andrew detailed that he would have to remove plinth boards to gain access underneath the house as he had found water pooling and could hear a slight hiss of water. Alf approved and Andrew went ahead with the water leak investigation. Andrew identified the pipe material and soon found the leak. This was made easier as Andrew had asked Alf to turn on the water mains which dampened Andrew in the process. The water was then turned off and Andrew had the pipe fixed in no time, turned the water back onto the house and replaced the plinth boards. This was a good outcome for Alf as the leak was easy to find and fix. Andrew didn’t even need to get out the pipe and leak detection equipment, one of the many specialised pieces of equipment that O’Shea Plumbing has available. To guarantee his work, Andrew checked the water pressures to the property and finished up by discussing the results and benefits of pressure reduction with Alf. O’Shea Plumbing’s quick, reliable service means that you can solve your water leak issues in no time. All you need to do is contact us on 03 9888 2887.

Karen from Hampton, an existing client of O’Shea Plumbing, had noticed a substantial increase in her quarterly gas bill which was unusual for her household. She called the O’Shea Plumbing office and spoke with Chelsea who sent Adam (O’Shea Plumber) and Dani (first year plumbing apprentice) over to investigate. Upon arrival, Adam inspected the gas line on the property as well as Karen’s two gas appliances; a hot water unit and a 6-month-old hydronic heating unit. Suspecting a leak, Adam pressure tested the gas line from the gas meter for leaks and checked the two appliances. The pressure test confirmed his suspicions, the gas leak was coming from the pipe connection to the new hydronic heating unit that another plumbing company had installed recently. To ensure it was the pipe connection, Adam disconnected the pipe leading to the hydronic heater and pressure tested again. The system now proved to be gas-tight. In addition to the leak on the new heater, Adam subsequently discovered broken seals on the gas meter itself. He replaced the seals and advised Karen to call the company that installed the faulty heater appliance as this should be covered by their warranty. Due to the swift arrival and thorough inspection by the professionals from O’Shea Plumbing, Karen was able to call the hydronic heating company, confidently explain the situation and organise for them to come out and rectify the problem. Nice work team! If you’re seeking the best gas plumbers in Melbourne, contact O’Shea Plumbing to schedule an appointment. Our professional plumbers are here for all your emergency or non-emergency plumbing services. We’re only a phone call away on (03) 9888 2887.

Mrs Mac from Blackburn South found one day that her gas space heater had stopped working. As she had used O’Shea Plumbing in the past for her plumbing needs and had been very happy with the work done on those occasions, she decided to ring them again. This time, she spoke to Jarett, the Service Manager, who arranged to call out the next day, check what was going on and give her a fixed price quote and options to repair the heater. Upon investigation, Jarett discovered that the gas space heater was very old. Although he recommended she replace the unit with a new, more efficient one, he still gave options to service and carry out a carbon monoxide test on the old heater. He gave Mrs Mac an option to replace the heater with a highly efficient and very safe room sealed Rinnai Energy Saver heater. The benefits of these heaters (besides being highly efficient) is that they are room sealed, meaning that all the air for combustion is brought in from outside, and the products of combustion are exhausted to the outside. Mrs Mac decided to proceed with the installation of a new heater. Jarett went ahead and ordered the heater from the Plumbers Supplies Co-op in Mitcham. Once the heater was delivered, he met Adam (one of O’Shea’s senior plumbers) on site. The first thing that they did – as is what O’Shea Plumbing always do on gas installation work – was to pressure test the gas installation from the gas meter for gas leaks. Adam proceeded with the installation of the new gas heater, conducting another gas pressure test and the commissioning of the heater, to ensure that the heater was operating according to manufacturers specifications. Within a few hours, the new heater was completely installed. Mrs Mac was delighted with her new gas heater installation. Although it was summertime, we all know that there are some cool nights in Melbourne when people – especially older folks – need to turn on the heater. O’Shea Plumbing provides the most professional and expedient gas repairs and services Melbourne residents could ask for, call us today on (03) 9888 2887. We’ll come running!

When Udam woke up to get ready for the day he didn’t need a coffee to wake him, as when he jumped into the shower he was unpleasantly awoken by the freezing cold water coming out of the shower. Udam went outside to have a look at the Hot Water Heater (HWH) and found it was leaking profusely and causing water to flood his backyard. Udam quickly ran to the water mains and turned this off, consequently shutting off water to his entire house. Once the water stopped running he looked up phone numbers for a plumber and found positive reviews for O’Shea Plumbing. He contacted Lawrie, who advised him to shut off the duo valve (HWH water isolation valve). Lawrie said so long as the duo valve was in good working order and shut off the water properly, Udam could then safely turn back on the water to the rest of his property. Lawrie organised an O’Shea Plumber to investigate the HWH issue. Adam (an O’Shea Plumber) arrived shortly afterwards. After a thorough investigation, Adam had to deliver the unfortunate news that Udam’s existing HWH had split and would need a replacement ASAP. Adam gave Udam options of replacing the HWH with the same brand storage units, alternative brands and he also gave options to install a continuous flow HWH. The benefit of a continuous flow HWH is that they are far more efficient and you won’t run out of hot water (provided you have a supply of power and gas and you keep the heater serviced). The only time that this unit will use gas is when the user turns on a hot tap which allows water to flow through said unit, starting up and heating the water to a set temperature of 60-degrees Celsius. The 60-degree water is connected to a pipe leading to the kitchen and laundry, and then a high-performance tempering valve set at 50-degrees Celsius is installed to reduce the water temperature to the bathrooms. The continuous flow HWH’s counterpart is a storage HWH, which has a pilot light that stays on permanently. These units need to keep the temperature of water in the storage cylinder above 60-degrees to ward off Legionnaires’ disease, in order to do this the burner needs to fire up regularly to keep the water above this temperature especially when the temperature drops over the cooler nights. Udam liked the idea of changing to a continuous flow HWH. He was also fully aware that this unit required an increased capacity of gas to function, meaning a short section of larger pipe would need to be laid to allow correct gas consumption. Adam ordered the material to be sent from the Plumber Supplies Co-op in Cheltenham and organised Daniel our trusted electrician to fit an external powerpoint. He then proceeded to carry out pressure testing the gas installation for gas leaks.  Later that day the job was all completed, within a short time of Udam’s initial phone call his water supply was back up and running with a brand new Rinnai 26 Infinity. He could now enjoy a great reliable, energy-efficient hot water heater. Whether it’s a heater tank leak or an entire hot water heater that needs repair, O’Shea is committed to providing hot water maintenance Melbourne wide. Contact us today for a fast quote on (03) 9888 2887.

O’Shea Plumbing has completed quite a number of jobs for Andrew from Vermont over the years. Included in these jobs was the supply and installation of Caroma toilet suites, installation of tap sets, the replacement of a hot water heater and the installation of a vanity unit that Andrew had selected and supplied. Andrew is one of many loyal clients of O’Shea Plumbing, who value the quality work and reliable service that this company delivers. Things like; always turning up on time, doing exactly what was detailed in the quote, and fixed price quotes so the client can relax in the knowledge that they won’t be charged any more than the total amount of the quote that they approved. Clients such as Andrew also rest assured in the knowledge that O’Shea Plumbing check and guarantee all of their work, for example, all gas installation work will be pressure tested before, during and after each job to ensure that there are no gas leaks. Andrew recently rang our office again. He has purchased another vanity unit that he would like installed by the plumbing professionals that he trusts – O’Shea Plumbing. For more of our loyal clients’ plumbing stories, check out the case studies on the O’Shea Plumbing blog. Contact O’Shea Plumbing today to get a fixed quote for your plumbing needs. For peace of mind and 100% satisfaction guarantee call us today on (03) 9888 2887.

Simon rang the O’Shea Plumbing office in Mt Waverley and spoke to Lawrie. His Hot Water Heater had stopped working. Lawrie arranged to meet Simon at 8am the next morning. Simon is an existing client of O’Shea Plumbing and over the years he had been given advice that the installation of the existing hot water heater did not comply with the regulations, and that a Rinnai Infinity would be a great alternative. After inspecting the existing unit, Lawrie gave Simon prices and options to repair, service or replace the hot water heater. The final choice was up to Simon. Simon decided it was time for a new Hot Water Heater. Lawrie gave him options for a Rinnai Infinity and also for a Rinnai Touch with remote controllers. The benefit of the Rinnai Touch with controllers is it allows the user to select the exact temperature of delivered hot water, avoiding temperature fluctuations and also the danger of a child or elderly person accidentally increasing the water temperature resulting in a scalding. Simon’s second option was a Rinnai Infinity unit, which (amongst other features) has precise temperature control for safety & convenience and never runs out of hot water. Simon accepted the quote for a Rinnai Infinity. Jarett (O’Shea Service Manager) ordered the materials from the Plumbers Supplies Co-op in Mitcham. The next morning Andrew and Jeremy (O’Shea plumber and apprentice) arrived on site. The first thing they did (as O’Shea Plumbing always do on any gas installation work) was to pressure test the gas installation for gas leaks, further tests are done during and on completion of the job – the tests proved that the system was sound and there were no issues. Andrew and Jeremy drained and removed the old Hot Water unit and then installed the new Rinnai Infinity system. The job all went well and by the end of the day, Simon and his family had a reliable, highly efficient hot water heater. O’Shea Plumbing provides maintenance, repairs and installation of hot water systems. Contact us today for a fast quote or call (03) 9888 2887. We’ll come running!

Jason and his family like so many other people are trying to do their part in preserving our precious resources any way possible. Jason has had a water tank collecting rainwater for use in the garden as well as flushing their two toilets. Unfortunately, Jason’s pump had given up on him while his rainwater and mains water was running through the pump, and it was now spraying water everywhere. O’Shea plumber Andrew arrived and gave a quote to replace and install a new pump. Jason approved these works and Andrew ordered the pump and parts required to complete the job from the Plumbers Co-op in Mitcham. Once the parts arrived at the O’Shea Plumbing Mount Waverley office a time was scheduled to complete the job. On the day of the job, Andrew arrived and began installing the pump. When he was doing a cross-connection test he found that the upstairs shower was making an unhealthy noise. Jason said that they do not enjoy their shower anymore because of the horrible noise. Andrew did a quick check of Jason’s water pressure which measured at 1100KPA, well and truly exceeding the recommended 500KPA. Andrew provided Jason with an option to supply and install pressure control at the water meter to limit the water pressure to 500KPA which would solve the noise issue, as well as replace the faulty sink mixer and replace the plug and washer in the basin. Jason gave Andrew the go-ahead. Low and behold by the time Andrew had finished his works, the noise in the shower had completely disappeared because the water pressure was reduced. As well as the noise issue, all of the other fixtures in the house are now being looked after and have been given a new lease on life. This water pressure reduction will also reduce the likelihood of water hammer. Once Andrew had finished, Jason told him that O’Shea Plumbing were “the real deal” and that they would recommend O’Shea Plumbing to all of their friends and use them again in the future. Our professional plumbers are here for all your emergency or non-emergency plumbing services. We’re only a phone call away on (03) 9888 2887. Contact us today!

Noelle from Kew rang O’Shea plumbing in Mount Waverley as she had a sewer blockage on her property. Our plumber Adam and apprentice Jeremy drove down to investigate. When they arrived, Noelle told them that the toilet had blocked up previously approximately 12 months ago. After looking around the property Adam and Jeremy found that the only access to the sewer was through the toilet. After removing the toilet Adam and Jeremy saw that the blockage was located immediately below where the toilet connects to the drainage system. They attempted to clear the blocked drain using a Rigid cable machine, and made some progress. However, due to the severity of the tree roots that had grown into the drain, Adam and Jeremy were unable to completely clear the blockage. The next day owner and lead plumber Lawrie and Jeremy returned to Noelle’s property with an older Rigid machine that was much more powerful than the standard machines carried on the O’Shea Plumbing vans. The larger machine still struggled to cut through all the roots but eventually, the blockage was cleared.   Lawrie and Jeremy then put a drain camera down to investigate where the tree roots were getting into the drain to ensure that the drain was completely cleared. They found a secondary blockage further down the drain, but were able to clear this one easily with the cable machine. They put the camera down again and saw that the rest of the drain was clear of any other blockages. Lawrie and Jeremy suggested that Noelle have her drain relined to ensure that the tree roots could not grow back into the drain.  Noelle was extremely pleased that her toilet was unblocked and flushing properly again. Ever wondered how plumbers clear a blockage? Read our blog about how plumbers clear a blocked drain. At O’Shea Plumbing, we strive to offer competitive rates on all of our blockage services while keeping our standards high. Have a blocked drain? Contact our team of plumbing professionals on (03) 9888 2887.

In need of a plumber, Ian found the phone number for O’Shea Plumbing on a sticker located on the old Hot Water Unit. He then checked review forums on the internet which helped influence his choice to call O’Shea Plumbing (take a look for yourself to see the reviews left by some of our satisfied clients on Google, Facebook and Product Review). Within a couple of hours of making the call, Andrew arrived to investigate the Hot Water Unit (HWU) which was not working. Andrew checked the age of the unit, water pressures and asked Ian a few questions which painted a picture of what Ian wanted and the expectations he had of O’Shea Plumbing. Andrew provided Ian with options to replace the HWU, as the existing unit was well over 20 years of age. After discussing the options, Ian decided he wanted to install a new HWU. Despite the recently warm weather consisting of multiple days over 30 degrees, Ian wanted the new HWU as soon as possible. This was no issue for O’Shea Plumbing to arrange. Andrew rang up the O’Shea Plumbing Mt Waverley office and arranged for one of his colleagues to cover his other job for that day. Once this was done Andrew called the Plumbers Co-op in Mitcham to order the required material. Unfortunately, the Mitcham branch could not deliver to Hampton, but Pat from the Plumbers Co-op told Andrew to give him 5 minutes to organise an alternative. Pat returned a phone call and said they have a driver from the Footscray store going to Brighton who could pick up the material from the Cheltenham store and drop it off to Andrew within 1.5hrs. While he waited for the delivery, Andrew completed a pressure test on the existing gas line, to check for gas leaks, measured water pressures, drained and removed the old HWU.  Once the HWU arrived Andrew went about installing the new HWU, including adding a ball-type valve to be able to isolate their back-up electric HWU which was purchased in 1997 when there was a gas fire and the City of Melbourne was without natural gas for about two weeks. Andrew also installed a limit valve set to 500KPA on the HWU to protect the unit. Ian was very happy that his needs were met and his family could have a warm shower in the morning before work. O’Shea Plumbing offers maintenance and repairs, as well as assistance when you’re picking and installing new hot water systems. Contact us today for a fast quote or call (03) 9888 2887.

Nathan owned a natural gas barbeque and wanted it to be connected to a gas point that was provided by the original plumber/builder of the house. Lawrie and Jeremy visited the site to complete an inspection before giving a quote. They gave a fixed-priced quote to do the work that was accepted by Nathan. O’Shea Plumbing provide fixed-price, upfront quotes so that you have peace of mind that there won’t be any surprise bills at the end of the job. Lawrie and Jeremy got to work. After checking that the pergola was ok for the external BBQ to be fitted, the next thing to do was to pressure test the gas installation from the gas meter. This ensured that there were no gas leaks that would create a dangerous situation (both during the installation and following use).  Next, the BBQ was connected to the gas point. The BBQ was then secured to the wall with chains, this would prevent the BBQ from being moved which would cause damage to the gas supply hose. It was pressure tested again to guarantee that the gas installation was sound.  Finally, the BBQ was commissioned. This involved measuring the burner pressure with a manometer and adjusting the burner aeration. During the commissioning process, it was discovered that the regulator that was supplied by the manufacturer was faulty. A replacement regulator was promptly sourced and fitted. The burner pressure could now be set correctly.  Nathan’s installation was now all set to use and ready for a season of delicious summer BBQs with friends and family. He sent an email shortly after telling Lawrie ‘thank you’ and how much he appreciated the help of O’Shea Plumbing. If you are in need of O’Shea Plumbing’s domestic installation services anywhere around Melbourne, contact us for a fast, fixed-price quote. Call us now on (03) 9888 2887.

Pauline rang the O’Shea Plumbing office in Mount Waverley and spoke to Lawrie. They had a blockage in a pipe between the swimming pool and the pump. She said that several people had been out and all had failed to fix the problem. Pauline told Lawrie that she wanted O’Shea Plumbing to do the job as she always found that even though O’Shea Plumbing was a bit more expensive, they always got the job done. She was confident that they could solve the issue again this time. Lawrie met Adam (an O’Shea plumber) and Jeremy (apprentice) on-site the next morning at 8am. After some investigation, they found that there certainly as a blockage in the suction pipe underground near the pump. To fix the problem a section of pipe was removed, the blockage cleared, the pipes reinstated, and before long the pool was back in operation. Two days later, Pauline was back on the phone again. She said that there was a water leak in the same area as the repair had been carried out, and she suspected that one of the joints was leaking. She also said that she needed it fixed that day as someone was coming around the next day to work on getting the pool water cleaned up ready for swimming. The time was about 3pm and heading towards the end of the working day. Lawrie organised Andrew to go to the job and commence an investigation to see what was going on. He also contacted Adam to put him on alert in case he was needed, before heading out to the job himself.  By the time Lawrie arrived on-site, Andrew had exposed the pipes and proved that there was no fault or water leaks from the work that was previously done. It turned out that the water was coming from a leak in the wall of the pool itself. The client had topped up the water in the pool, and that caused the leak that had not been there before.  This just shows that O’Shea Plumbing will always guarantee its work and will always follow up, check and fix any faults quickly and happily. For quick and reliable plumbing and a team of highly skilled professionals, call O’Shea Plumbing in Mount Waverley, Wantirna, Bentleigh or Bundoora on (03) 9888 2887 or book a quote online. We’ll come running!

Betty is a long term client who has trusted O’Shea Plumbing for many years. Over these years O’Shea Plumbing has completed a variety of work for Betty including clearing sewer and stormwater blockages, renewing sections of stormwater, changing tap washers to fix leaking taps and general work on the roof to name a few. On this occasion, Betty called the Mt Waverley office complaining of a water leak coming from her roof and very poor flow coming from her hot water unit. Jarett (O’Shea Plumbing Service Manager) arrived promptly and jumped up into the roof space to investigate the cause. He very quickly found that Betty was running two old gravity fed hot water heaters and the leak was coming from there. Jarett gave options for Betty to choose how she would like O’Shea Plumbing to fix this issue. All options were given to Betty with a fixed price so there would be no nasty surprises at the end of the works. Betty chose not to fix the old unit, instead opting for a new continuous flow hot water heater. She was fully informed by Jarett that this option would include adding a new section of gas pipe to provide enough gas for it to work correctly. Betty agreed and Jarett booked her in for the next day. The next day Andrew and Jeremy (Plumbers from O’Shea Plumbing) arrived onsite with Jarett who gave them the brief of what had to be done. Whilst they were doing this the Plumbers Co-op in Mitcham arrived with all the materials needed to complete this job. Andrew and Jeremy split up to divide and conquer this job. Jeremy ran all the gas piping from the gas meter to the new hot water heater where Andrew had installed and hooked up the water inlet and connected the hot water to the existing hot water pipes. To ensure the old units wouldn’t cause further issues, Andrew spent most of the afternoon in the roof space decommissioning the old gravity fed hot water heater and connecting up all the hot water pipes to remove the old hot water heater from the plumbing. After a hard days work the boys got the job done and Betty and her daughter were very happy that A) the leak had stopped and B) they would now have better flow coming from the hot taps. For quality plumbing with a 100% satisfaction guarantee, contact the professionals at O’Shea Plumbing to get a fixed quote for your plumbing needs. Call (03) 9888 2887 today!

Most people only replace their hot water heater when it bursts or develops a leak. It goes without saying that you should probably get it serviced or replaced before then. It’s also a good idea to consider replacing the unit when it is old and in need of major repairs. In this case, a client should ask themselves if it is a good economic decision to spend a lot of money repairing an old heater or would it be better to replace it with a new heater that has a long manufacturers warranty. You will also need to consider if the current hot water heater meets the demands of the household occupants or a growing family. If it isn’t delivering, then you may be in need of a new system. The team at O’Shea Plumbing recently came across a case where five adults wanted a hot water heater that could supply sufficient hot water for them all to be able to have showers in a short period of time each morning before leaving for work. The hot water heater had to be able to deliver enough hot water for two showers at a time and not run out of hot water. A Rinnai 26 Infinity continuous flow hot water heater was the answer! Another reason to change the existing hot water heater is to upgrade to a high-efficiency continuous flow gas unit or a Solar Apricus unit or an electric heat pump unit. The very old gravity feed hot water heaters in the roof space, are way past their use-by date. If you own one of these it is best to disconnect it, drain them down, and to replace them with an external gas storage or continuous flow high-efficiency unit before they burst and cause a flood. O’Shea Plumbing is committed to providing the highest quality of hot water maintenance and installation Melbourne wide. Contact us today for a fast quote on (03) 9888 2887.

There are many reasons why it is essential for a plumber to install a hot water heater. These reasons relate firstly to the installation being safe, both for the person installing it and for any use thereafter. Secondly, that any potential leakage does not cause damage, and thirdly, that the hot water heater operates correctly and efficiently. With a gas hot water heater, the gas pipes need to be sized correctly, to supply the correct amount of gas so that the appliance operates to meet the manufacturer’s specifications. Many manufacturers tell O’Shea Plumbing that faults with gas appliances often relate to poor gas supply and this is because of the gas pipes not being sized correctly. The water pressure needs to be checked, and a pressure reduction (PRV) limit valve or cold water expansion valve may need to be fitted. O’Shea Plumbing strongly recommend that PRV and cold water expansion valves are fitted when required, as they can greatly increase the life of your plumbing systems. Water temperature may need to be controlled via a tempering valve. The pressure and temperature relief valve drain lines need to discharge to a position where it will not cause nuisance or damage. O’Shea Plumbing recommend it is discharged to over a  sewer disconnector gully or a stormwater grate whenever possible.  A safe tray with a drain to the outside or a Mildred valve may need to be installed under an internal hot water heater to prevent damage to the building from water leaks. The ventilation into the room or enclosure need to be checked and vents fitted where required when an internal gas hot water heater is installed  It is important that the gas flue pipes are installed and terminate correctly and that the clearances from internal/external corners openings into a building, etc. for external water heaters are all correct. It’s important to consider all of the above-mentioned elements of a water heater installation so that your hot water heater operates safely and efficiently, and is soundly installed. To alleviate the stress and complexity of the task it is best to hire an experienced plumbing professional to complete the installation. O’Shea Plumbing offers hot water system maintenance and repairs, as well as assistance when you’re picking and installing new systems. Our customers trust us to provide exceptional repairs and installations for all of their hot water plumbing and service needs. Contact us today on (03) 9888 2887.

The caretaker of the Uniting Church in Glen Waverley called O’Shea Plumbing of Mount Waverley, stating that there was water starting to pool in the front garden of the property. Chelsea (one of O’Shea Plumbing’s administration staff) identified this as an urgent job and moved around some appointments so that Andrew and Jeremy (O’Shea Plumbing Plumbers) could inspect the issue as soon as possible. Within 45mins of the initial phone call, Andrew and Jeremy arrived and began investigating the issue. They chose to investigate the water pooling in the garden first, rather than going straight into using the specialised pipe and leak detection equipment.  Andrew and Jeremy soon found the water leak but were unable to fix it due to the position it was in. This water leak was being caused by a giant gum tree which had grown a massive root ball and squashed the copper water pipe. The two plumbers began thinking of ideas to resolve the issue. Instead of cutting the tree roots/root ball to fix the leak, Andrew and Jeremy came up with the idea to bypass the gum tree roots. This would alleviate possible damage to the tree as well to keep the copper water pipe away from the ever-growing root ball which was likely to cause similar issues down the track. The caretaker of the property agreed this was a good idea. The next morning Andrew and Jeremy came back. They located the section of copper water pipe before and after the leak and began digging a trench to re-run a section of pipe. Once the pipe was reconnected and the water turned on, it was a simple matter of backfilling the trench and completing a cross-connection test. It is important for not just your household, but for the safety of the wider community to complete a cross-connection test whenever there is an alternative water supply i.e. water tank/s on the property. With any cross-connection, there is a chance of the alternative water supply ending up in the community’s drinking water, which could potentially cause serious illnesses. This is why plumbers have to be very vigilant about backflow prevention. If you want your water leaks handled efficiently and in a timely manner, call on the professionals at O’Shea Plumbing. Call us on (03) 9888 2887.

Most of the blockages that occur are in the sewer or stormwater drains and are caused by tree roots. All of the trees that we have in Melbourne make it a great city to live in and are very good for the environment, but sometimes the roots from these trees do get into cracks in the earthenware drains and cause blockages. Earthenware was the most common material used for drains up until the 1970’s & 1980’s. Some properties also had concrete used for the stormwater drains, as that was the only type of drain pipe available after the second world war.  The tree roots get into the drains through cracks, mainly in the joints. The roots are generally small to start with and then grow larger once in the drain. Tree root growth in sewer drains is usually noticed and attended to fairly quickly, however this may not be the case with stormwater drains where the root growth may be quite extensive before it is noticed. O’Shea Plumbing has come across situations where the stormwater drains around the whole house are full of roots. In cases like this, it may be best to replace all of the drains. PVC drains are much better, because the glued joints generally keep out the roots. It is usually only when a joint has not been glued properly or the pipe has been crushed or not installed correctly, that problems occur. Other causes of blockages are when prohibited items are flushed or are allowed to go down the drain. Grease is also a cause of blocked drains and waste pipes. It congeals in the drain and stops the regular flow of wastewater. Grease should not be put down the drain, instead it should be left to set, wrapped in paper and put in the rubbish bin. Cooking oil should be put in a container and put in the rubbish bin. Breaks and defects in drains are also a cause. These may need to be dug up and a section or all of the drain replaced or relined. If you’re experiencing a blocked drain on your premises, contact the professionals at O’Shea Plumbing in Mount Waverley VIC, Wantirna VIC, Bentleigh VIC, and Bundoora VIC. We’ll come running!

When Claire and Ian’s gas provider came around to upgrade their gas meter, the plumber who changed it over was required to complete a pressure test on the clients existing gas pipes. It’s important this test is completed, if the pressure test fails and proves there is a leak on the gas supply pipes, the gas legally has to be shut off until the gas leak is found and fixed. Unfortunately for Claire and Ian, when the gas provider did the pressure test on their system it had to be shut off as there was a major leak in the gas pipe. Luckily, they live next door to Lawrie the owner of O’Shea Plumbing, which has been around for 41 years as of 2019. Lawrie visited Claire and Ian the same night their gas was shut off to investigate and take a look at what was involved in fixing the issue. It turned out that Claire and Ian’s galvanised gas pipe was the original gas pipe and was buried under the slab of the house. To save costs and potential damage to the property (digging up slab to find the leak), Lawrie provided Claire and Ian with an option to renew the gas supply pipes with good quality copper. This option involved a few different courses of action for Claire and Ian to decide upon. They could either run the new copper around the property or penetrate the wall and run the copper through the roof space. The latter option would mean Lawrie could reconnect the new copper gas supply pipes to the ducted heating in the roof space as well as connecting the new gas pipe to the existing copper gas pipe for the hot water unit. O’Shea Plumbers Andrew and Jeremy arrived on site the next morning and began renewing the gas pipes. While they were organising their tools and setting out where the pipes needed to run, the Plumbers Co-Op in Mitcham arrived and supplied the materials needed to complete the job. About an hour later Claude, a core driller from East Malvern, came and made a perfect hole for the new 32mm copper to fit through. The job went smoothly and the gas fitting was completed efficiently. All of the pipes were installed in neat, straight lines and clipped appropriately with a test of new gas pipes set at 7KPA which is about 5 times the amount of pressure that will be present when the gas is connected and at operating pressure. Once Andrew completed the works and testing, he turned on all gas appliances on the property and ensured their gas fixtures were supplying and burning at the correct pressure. He found that the Pressure Temperature Relief Valve (PTR) on the hot water unit was leaking and very old and required changing. Andrew also measured the water pressure as Claire had mentioned to him that they had been experiencing water hammer (noise coming from the water pipes). Andrew presented Claire and Ian with options to supply and install a new PTR Valve as well as install pressure control to hot and cold water. This took the pressure from just under 1000KPA (double what is recommended from VBA) down to 500KPA.  These fixes will be sure to drastically improve the plumbing in Claire and Ian’s home.

When David and his son came home from cricket on a Saturday afternoon they were not pleased to find that their downstairs toilet was threatening to overflow. David decided that he should call his local plumber immediately. Andrew from O’Shea Plumbing arrived half an hour after the initial call to investigate what was going wrong with their toilet and sewer. He quickly found that all fixtures were being effected and were not draining properly. This indicated to Andrew that he should be looking outside as that’s most likely where the issue was. Andrew gave Yarra Valley Water in Mitcham Vic a call to find out the exact location of David’s sewer point. Andrew was advised that David and his neighbour shared a sewer point which was located on next door’s property. This is common in some suburbs, including Mt Waverley. Once Andrew had a solid plan, he presented David with the options to resolve the problem. David decided on the option which involved Andrew using the large sewer cable machine to make an attempt to clear the sewer drain blockage.  Andrew worked his cable machine through the drain, removing a few sections of clumped tree roots. All of a sudden, there was a gushing noise and all the water that was sitting in the drain evacuated and ran into the authorities sewer mains.  The blockage was cleared but Andrew not only wanted to clear the blockage, he wanted to clear the sewer to avoid further blockages occurring. So, he upsized his cutter on the cable machine to 75mm and ran the cable through again, then repeated the process with a 100mm cutter the exact size of the drain. This cleared the drain to the correct size and left minimal – if any – tree roots in the drain which toilet paper could catch on creating another blockage. Andrew was able to give David a 1-year blockage-free guarantee on the section of drain that he worked on. David was very happy that he was able to use his toilet and other fixtures again within two hours of calling the O’Shea Plumbing weekend base in Bundoora.

When our plumbers from O’Shea Plumbing say that our client has a sewer blockage we often get a quizzical look. There is a common misconception that only your toilet will be affected when a sewer blockage occurs. FALSE!  If any of the drains in your shower, bath, basin, sink or other fixtures that have wastewater running into a drain block, drain slowly or make a gurgling noise you may have a sewer issue which should be looked at ASAP. Andrew from O’Shea Plumbing was called out to a blockage issue in Bundoora where a coffee machine and filtered tap were not draining at all.  After investigating the issue, Andrew deduced that there was a blockage which was occurring only in this section of drain, and not affecting other drains on the premises. He couldn’t determine the exact location of the drain blockage but could narrow it down to the section of pipe that was blocked, which helped him to figure out the options for resolution. Andrew provided the client with options to clear the blockage. The first option involved using his plunger, and if this didn’t work the other options included using a small sewer cable machine or a small water jet to clear the blockage. The client chose the first option that Andrew recommended, and once approved Andrew went ahead and cleared the blockage.  By the time Andrew was done, he could turn on the tap and leave it running while the wastewater drained perfectly and a foul odour no longer lingered around the drain. Andrew’s client was pleased with the service and happy that they could get back to their usual operations as quickly as possible.  

‘Ross’ from Mount Waverley Vic, rang the O’Shea Plumbing office as there was a plumbing issue at his mother’s house causing unsanitary spillages in her home. Lawrie and Max (plumber and apprentice) quickly called around to the property to investigate the problem. After assessing the issue, they discovered that the sewer drain on the property had become blocked due to tree root growth in the drains. Lawrie and Max quoted Ross for a number of different options and prices to solve the blocked drain issue, which included options from simply clearing the blockage and using Rootx to inhibit root growth, to relining and also replacing sections of drain. Ross decided he just wanted the drain unblocked, stating said that he has used O’Shea Plumbing many times before and was always happy with the service. Lawrie and Max started clearing the sewer drain with a Ridgid cable machine, beginning from a D.T. at the rear corner of the house and then from a point located outside of the toilet. Due to the severity of the tree roots in the drain, the machine cable got stuck mid-job.  Since O’Shea Plumbing has been in operation since 1978, they have plenty of experience with these types of issues. Lawrie travelled back to their factory/office to get the old, original Ridgid machine, that was stronger and more powerful than the standard machine carried on the vans. By using the older, stronger machine, the cables were quickly retrieved and the job completed. To get the job done, Lawrie and Max used full-size 100mm cutters to run through the drains to completely clear the sewer drain and give Ross and his Mother the maximum time until the tree roots grow back and the job will need to be done again.  Ross was very happy that all of the sewer drains were once again clear and running freely.

‘Beverley’ from Balwyn Vic, rang and spoke to Chelsea in the O’Shea Plumbing Mount Waverley Vic, office as her sewer drain had blocked again. Andrew from O’Shea Plumbing had cleared a blockage at her house a few months earlier. Lawrie (plumber) and Max (apprentice) were working on a job in Doncaster East Vic,  at the time, so Chelsea checked the booking system on her computer and could see that they would be available to go see Beverley shortly after lunch that afternoon. Lawrie and Max arrived at Beverley’s that afternoon. After investigating the problem and calling Yarra Valley Water for a sewer point location, it was found that Beverley’s drain was combined with Nick’s drain on the property next door and this was where the blockage was actually located. Lawrie provided Nick with a copy of the sewer plan so he could see exactly where the drains ran and how the blocked drain would affect him. A number of options and quotes were given to Nick to clear the drain. At first, Nick and his wife thought the prices were too high, but after Lawrie gave them a detailed explanation of what would be done and why it would be beneficial, they decided to proceed. As it turned out, there was extensive tree roots in three points of the sewer drain. These roots were all completely cleared out using full-size 100mm cutters. On completion, Nick and his wife said that they were very happy with the job. They had seen the amount of work that was done. They both said that no previous plumber had done that much clearing, and that no one had provided a copy of the sewer plan to show them where their drains ran. They asked for a business card so they could ring O’Shea Plumbing if they had any plumbing issues in the future.

Recently, Mrs O’Shea (no relation to O’Shea Plumbing) called up our  main office of O’Shea Plumbing. She had looked at the reviews on the internet and decided that she liked the sound of a family run business and was happy with what she read. The fact that her last name was O’Shea was just a nice little touch that helped her cement her decision to give us a go.    Mrs O’Shea rang up the Mt Waverley Vic head office to report an issue with her toilet — the system was constantly running. Our plumber Andrew (from our Bundoora depot in VIC) was designated to her case. He made sure he was at her house the next morning at a very punctual 8am.  Andrew investigated the issue and provided Mrs O’Shea with some viable solutions to fix the problem.   Mrs O’Shea decided to replace the old cistern (over 20 years old) with a new one. With the new cistern being smaller, she fully appreciated the economic benefit that this option provided in  using far less water per flush. She saw this as an opportunity to save money in the long run. This solution would require less maintenance with minimal to no replacement costs involved for a number of years to come.     Andrew performed his duties and installed the new cistern in a timely manner. Mrs O’Shea was thrilled with the work and happy to have her toilet in proper working order. 

Mr Zeng rang up O’Shea Plumbing (our Wantirna office in VIC) on a Sunday, to get some assistance regarding a water leak. This leak was occuring in the front yard of his property and was coming from under the grass. Our plumber Andrew arrived shortly after the call  at Mr Zeng and his wife’s home.    Andrew began by explaining the process that his new clients could expect from O’Shea Plumbing. Once Mr Zeng approved works, Andrew went about attempting to locate the leak. He soon found that the water leak was not under the grass, but potentially under a concrete path or under the house. The water was tracking onto the grass where it could pool and sit.   Andrew squeezed under the house to see if he could see or hear any evidence of a water leak. This was in order to cover all bases. Once Andrew got to the area where he thought the leak could be, he realised he was now lying in a gigantic puddle of water. This indicated that a leak was occuring nearby. Unfortunately for Andrew he had not quite found the source of the leak itself. But he knew he was close!   Andrew was confident he was in the right area. However, he did not want to start cutting up his client’s nice concrete path or remove bricks from the house without any more evidence. Andrew proposed that he used specialised pipe and leak detection equipment to trace out where the water pipe ran. He also suggested connecting an air compressor to the water pipes and using a listening device in an attempt to get a more accurate location on the leak. This approach would minimise damage to the property.   Andrew came back the next day with the pipe location equipment and painted a good picture of where and how deep the water pipe ran, as well as an approximate area where the pipe was leaking. From here, he decided he needed to cut out a small section of the  concrete path to gain access to the water leak. Usually O’Shea Plumbing will try to bypass leaks so there is no need to cut up paths or driveways. But in this case the path ran all around the property. There was just no other option.   Once Andrew cut out concrete path he very quickly found the leak. He cut out that section and replaced it with new pipe. With the water was turned back on, he ensured all fixtures were checked. Mr Zeng and his wife were so happy with the result that they actually said they would never use another plumbing company again!   

‘Maz’, a resident from Ashwood VIC, rang and spoke to Chelsea at the O’Shea Plumbing Mount Waverley head office as his sewer drain had become blocked causing spillages on the property. O’Shea Plumbing offers a 12-month warranty on sewer drain blockages that reoccur in the same spot. Maz queried if this blockage would come under the warranty, as it has been just under 12 months since O’Shea Plumbing had previously cleared this sewer. After investigating the blockage, Lawrie and Max (plumber and apprentice) called at 8am to confirm that indeed the main blockage would be cleared under the warranty at no charge to Maz. Further investigation with a Ridgid drain camera and Navitrack – which locates the position of the camera head – revealed that tree roots that had also made their way into another sewer branch drain.  At O’Shea Plumbing, we conduct extensive assessment and consultations in order to offer the best solutions for your plumbing problem. After determining the best course of action to remove the blockage, Lawrie and Max provided Maz with quotes to clear the tree roots from the drain and also to treat the drain with Rootx to slow the root growth of the tree. Quotes were also given for a more permanent solution, which involved relining the junction where the roots were infiltrating the drain.  The final decision was up to Maz, who accepted the quote to clear the blockage and use the Rootx treatment. With that settled, the tree roots were completely cleared and treated with Rootx and the drain was checked again with the camera. During the course of the work, Maz had to go back to work, and his father (who also uses the services of O’Shea Plumbing at his Glen Iris house) arrived. On completion, Maz’s father commended Lawrie and Max for fixing the issue so promptly, calling them the “best plumbers in Melbourne”, and requested they give him several business cards to give to family and friends.

‘Frank’ from Mount Waverley rang the O’Shea Plumbing office, as his toilets were blocked and the water was not flushing properly. Lawrie and Max (Plumber and Apprentice) made their way to Frank’s property to conduct an inspection. After assessing the situation and checking the extent of the blockage they found that all the fixtures were blocked.  Lawrie and Max began making some calls in order to get some solutions for the problem. A copy of the sewerage plan and a phone call to Yarra Valley Water confirmed the location of the connection point to the Yarra Valley main sewer. Lawrie and Max discovered that Frank’s drain was combined with their next-door neighbour’s and the connection point was located on the neighbour’s property. A quick visit next-door revealed the neighbours were not home, and a note was left on their door to contact Frank and O’Shea Plumbing as soon as possible. Frank later rang to say that O’Shea Plumbing could access the neighbour’s property the next day. Lawrie and Max visited the two properties again. Now that they had access to the neighbour’s property they were able to clearly deduct that the blockage was actually in the Yarra Valley Water main sewer. Lawrie rang and referred the job to Yarra Valley Water, and was informed that they would be on-site within two hours to get Frank and his neighbour’s sewer cleared and running again. Thanks to the quick work by Lawrie and Max from O’Shea Plumbing, the blockage was able to be solved quickly and Frank could go back to living in a home free from plumbing issues.

  ‘Tony’ and his wife have lived in Mt Waverley VIC for over 30 years. Over that time a lot has changed in Mt Waverley.  Many houses have been knocked down and turned into units, townhouses etc. This provides a good opportunity for property owners to upgrade things like sewer pipes, storm water gas and water pipes — to make sure that there are minimal issues in the future. In this instance, Tony made the decision to call up O’Shea Plumbing. He reach our owner ‘Lawrie’ who was visiting our Bundoora Vic base. He sent ‘Andrew’ straight over to have a look at the poor water flow in the back of the house. Upon arrival, Andrew noticed that the water pipes were made of galvanised iron and buried in the ground. Once Andrew found the water pipe under the house it was ascertained that the rest of the water pipes were also made of galvanised iron and not in the best condition. After investigating, Andrew started discussing options with Tony and his wife. The issue that Tony had was the fact that the galvanised iron pipes had started to rust — this material rusts from the inside out. What had happened was that a piece of rust had dislodged or blocked the pipe. The blockage was to such a high degree that there was minimal water flowing through the pipe feeding the water fixtures. As they didn’t want any recurring issues to arise, Andrew and Tony decided that it would be best to renew the whole water pipe with copper. Even though there was no immediate need to get the job done, Andrew promptly ordered the required materials from ‘The Plumbers Coop” in Mitcham VIC and got started the very next day. Andrew dug a trench from the water meter to under the house. He laid 20mm copper pipe and continued running the main run of the copper pipe, clipping it under the house every metre. He ensured the branches fed each fixture he ran but were not actually connected to the fixtures. The reasoning behind this? This approach meant the majority of the work was complete but it allowed for Tony and his wife to still access water off the old pipes overnight.  The very next morning, Andrew arrived early and advised his clients that he would need to turn off the water to their house. Andrew was now at the stage where we would need to connect the new pipe to each fixture. By lunchtime Andrew had finished the work and went about testing all the fixtures contained within the property. Of course, Andrew made sure that all of the landscaping was tidied up. Some sections of lawn had been carefully removed in the course of the work — these were all replaced. Tony and his wife were amazed at how much water was coming out of the taps in the back half of their house. At O’Shea plumbing we are certainly very passionate about providing proactive plumbing solutions, and this is just one example!  

Not too long ago, ‘Scott’ from Wantirna VIC called our O’Shea Plumbing main office in Mt Waverley VIC. The drains in Scott’s property were draining at a slow rate. There was also a lot of water constantly running. The toilets were filling up but only slowly draining away.    Our plumber Andrew arrived the next morning and had a look at what was likely to be involved in clearing the problem. Andrew then provided Scott with multiple options in proceeding to clear the blocked sewer drain.   Andrew removed the cover/cap from the toilet back access bend. He found that it was filled with waste. Once Scott approved works, Andrew started using his cable machine and found another blockage about 15m down the drain. Andrew continued to clear the drain until the machine hit yet another blockage. However, this one proved difficult to clear.    Andrew did not quit on that task and opened up the inspection shaft (where the blockage had moved to). He advised Scott to take several steps back. Andrew had a feeling that there was going to be a large overflow of sewerage. He was correct.    Once all of the waste evacuated the drain, Andrew was able to continue using his cable machine. All of a sudden, there was a large sucking and gurgling sound and Scott and Andrew watched the entire contents of the drain flush away exactly as it was meant to. The sewer drain was completely clear!    Andrew didn’t stop there. He grabbed a hose to clean up the work area. By the time he finished, Scott and his family would not even notice that there had been any issues. The toilet was in great working order and the bathroom spick and span. With the blocked sewer drain problem sorted, life could continue on without any plumbing dramas for Scott’s household.   

‘Andrew’ of Glenhuntly VIC is a longtime client who uses and trusts the services of the team at O’Shea Plumbing (at the Bentleigh VIC depot). Our plumbers have worked on multiple things over the years for Andrew. This ranges from installing taps, servicing taps, gas heaters, toilets and hot water units (HWU).   This time around Andrew called O’Shea plumbing and was noticeably distressed. He had sewerage coming out from the drains in the backyard of his property. Our plumber, who is also called Andrew, arrived to the location ASAP and had a look around to determine the best and closest location to clear the blocked sewer drain    Andrew the plumber provided Andrew the client with options including using the drain camera to inspect the below ground drains. The client opted out of using the camera in the sewer but asked if our plumber can inspect the storm water drain. This is because when large storms invariably happen in Melbourne, he has a lot of water flowing through his backyard.   Andrew cleared the sewer blockage easily using his cable machine. The investigation at the start of the process saved the client money as Andrew could predetermine (fairly closely) where the blockage was, which in this case proved correct.   Andrew then went to investigate the storm water drain using the camera. Andrew spent some time doing this. He found that the clients storm water drain was clear. However, the  body corporate’s sections of the storm water drains were filled with silt.    Andrew also noticed that there was a large number of units that were sharing the same 90mm PVC pipes. He was worried that there may be too much water collection for the size of the drains. Our trusty plumber documented this and provided viable solutions to the problems. The plumber passed this document onto his client to give to the body corporate.    This is just one example where O’Shea Plumbing will take the next step in being proactive about preventive plumbing solutions and looking at the whole picture, as well as the sum of its parts.   

Kate had just received a very large water bill. She was very concerned that her next bill was going to be just as high and that her house might be getting damaged due to water leaking somewhere on her property.    Kate rang O’Shea Plumbing. Reaching our Mt Waverley VIC office, she requested a plumber to investigate the issue. Our plumber Andrew, who at his time was working out of the Wantirna VIC depot, arrived at 8am to Kate’s property the very next day.   He took a look at the water meter to see if it was ticking over (which it was at the time). Andrew also assessed all the fixtures around the house to see if there was any water coming through and/or undue noise.    Once he got to Kate’s daughters bathroom he noticed that the cistern was consistently running. Andrew asked how long this had been happening. He was told that it had been occurring for some time.   Andrew provided some solutions to Kate. This would be to either service the existing or install a brand new one (his suggestion being a ‘Caroma Slimline’ cistern). This seemed like a good idea as the existing cistern was as old one, potentially requiring a new inlet and outlet valve.    Should this transpire, there would be much more expense incurred than simply replacing the cistern. With a brand new cistern comes with brand new valves, flush pipe, seat and the system can be guaranteed.    For Kate this decision was a no brainer. Andrew installed the new cistern and even tidied up the marks that had accumulated behind the old cistern.   Kate was so happy with the service Andrew and O’Shea Plumbing provided that she jumped onto Google and gave our company a very positive five star review. She said that she would be recommending O’Shea Plumbing to all her colleagues and friends.

‘Don’ from Lilydale VIC required the services of a plumber and found that O’Shea Plumbing had a lot of good reviews on Google. So he rang up the Mt Waverley office VIC to request a plumber to come and have a look at the multiple plumbing issues he had.   Our Service Manager Jarett , arrived on site and introduced himself and the company. He explained what to expect in terms of the services provided by  O’Shea Plumbing. After this, Jarrett asked Don to point out the plumbing issues in/around his house and what he needed fixing.    Jarett spent some time in providing Don with viable solutions concerning the works required. This started from a basic fix, all the way through to the most comprehensive approach. Don and Jarrett came up with a custom quote where Don got to choose the option dependent on the particular issue.   Jarett organised plumber Andrew (from the Wantirna VIC depot) to collect the required materials to complete all jobs. Andrew arrived at Don’s property at the time that Jarrett said he would. He went about changing inlet valves on two toilets, installing a new beautiful ‘goose neck’ mixer tap to the kitchen sink, as well as installing a new garden tap and a water pressure reduction valve at Don’s water meter.   Initially, Don had said that “after his experience he had with other ‘tradies’ he was really worried that he was going to be taken for a ride again”. With O’Shea Plumbing, Don had control over what he wanted fixed and how. O’Shea Plumbing provided Don with options on all plumbing issues and explained the pros and cons of each. At the end of the day, It was Don’s decision on which course of action to take and he was incredibly pleased with the result.

Campbell knows the history of his house, in Glen Waverley VIC, inside and out. Before he took over ownership it was his parent’s house. As such, he is aware of all the works that have been completed at the property, as far back as 1960.    He knows how long ago all the drains and pipes were installed and the approximate location. Campbell also has seen a slab of concrete drop in level putting pressure on the water pipes he knows are under the slab.   When Campbell noticed water bubbling up through the ground he contacted a plumber to come and repair it. Three weeks later he noticed more water coming to service (in a different location, further along the pipe) he again rang up a plumber who attempted to fix the broken water pipe again.   One month went by and Campbell thought he was in the clear. However, this was not to be the case. This time his plumber did not answer his calls and did not get back to Campbell! So instead he called up our O’Shea Plumbing Mt Waverley VIC headquarters. Reaching Chelsea, he received prompt attention.    Andrew arrived on site and retrieved the history of the plumbing. This included the year that the existing water pipe was installed. Campbell also mentioned to Andrew that he was worried about the concrete slab that was sinking and putting pressure on the pipe/s underneath.   Andrew went back to his van in order to source some solutions to offer Cambell in fixing the issue. This is a very important step in the O’Shea Plumbing process. The idea is that our plumbers will give options to the client in fixing an issue ranging from a very basic fix to perfect installations (in an ideal world).    This gives our clients all the information they could possibly want, allowing them to make the most informed decision on how they would like to go about fixing any plumbing issue.  At the end of the day, the option that Campbell inevitably selected is not the point. Campbell regained control of his plumbing issue once he received viable pathways of action in planning for the future structural integrity of his family home.   Andrew ordered the materials from the ‘Plumbers Supplies Coop’ in Mitcham VIC. He  organised an excavator from ‘RMR Plant Hire’ in Bayswater VIC and fixed the issue, according to the exact way that Campbell wanted.  

O’Shea Plumbing recently worked with a new customer by the name of ‘John’, who resides in Canterbury VIC. When John called us he told us that he had a blocked sewer drainage issue for a few years.    He had tried a couple of different plumbers to no avail. John would pay them their fee, they would attempt to clear the drain only for it to block up again a few months later.    John called Chelsea in the O’Shea Plumbing base in Mt Waverley VIC. John asked if she could please send out a plumber to have a look at his drain. Lawrie and Andrew arrived and put a sewer cable machine down the drain and removed a large amount of tree roots.    Once this was done, they used a drain camera and located many areas along the line which appeared susceptible to tree roots entering the pipe work. As they continued along, they also found even more tree roots further up the drain.   Andrew and Lawrie provided John with several options in fixing the problem. These approaches included a drain renewal, reclining and using a cable machine (with different cutters and spending time removing small sections of tree roots at a time), finished off with a product called Rootx to inhibit tree root growth.   John selected to use the cable machine and the tree root inhibitor. Andrew came back to site and spent time removing sections of tree roots and pulled out a vast number of individual tree roots (definitely a main culprit in the scenario).   Once Andrew was confident he had removed most of the visible tree roots he used the drain camera once again (to be 100 percent sure). Fortunately, there were no more tree roots and Andrew was able to put the tree root inhibitor down the drain.   John was very happy with the service O’Shea Plumbing provided. He was glad that Lawrie and Andrew took the time to explain what each option involved and the potential issues that could arise. John was confident that he could make an informed decision on the way in which he wanted the plumbers to tackle his sewer blockage.   This case study really shows how O’Shea Plumbing provides various options and explains the recommended course-of-action/s in depth. This allows the client to relax in a no pressure environment, allowing them to make a clear-headed decision which will ultimately suit them best. 

‘Aly’ and his family had just moved into a new townhouse complex in Malvern VIC and needed a few things adjusted. The main issue was in regard to moving the existing washing taps. This was because Aly had just bought a new washing machine and dryer and there was no room to fit them. So Aly contacted O’Shea Plumbing of Mount Waverley VIC to get some assistance.    Upon arrival, O’Shea Plumbing’s owner Lawrie measured the water pressure (provided by water authorities). He found that it was much higher than what is recommended (by the VBA). Lawrie provided a few options to Aly. One was to install a pressure control to protect the water fixtures. He also suggested moving the washing machine stop taps. This would allow room for new appliances to be installed.   Turning off the cold water was easy. However, turning off the hot water proved a little more difficult. As a team, O’Shea Plumbing had to climb up through a small trap door in the roof to gain access to the top of the building. Once they located and isolated a solar HWU with a Rinnai Booster, a member of the crew was able to go about moving these water points. At the same time, Andrew and Lawrie went about installing the pressure control on the water meter.   Whilst Andrew and Lawrie were working, Lawrie noticed that there were no garden taps out the front of Aly’s property. He asked if Aly would like a garden tap installed (whilst the pipe was being worked on). Aly loved this idea and gave the go-ahead.   Once all works were completed, the O’Shea Plumbing team went about refilling the HWU tank. They also bled the air out of the hot water line. O’Shea Plumbing also helped Aly put his dishwasher and dryer into position (as these were heavy and bulky).    Aly was so happy with the service provided by O’Shea Plumbing that he gave a 5-star review on Google Reviews. This reads “great service and experienced team” and is exactly the sort of feedback we aim to achieve here at O’Shea Plumbing!

‘Carlos’ runs a very cool and popular bar, just off Chapel Street in Windsor VIC. He rang O’Shea Plumbing (from Mount Waverley VIC ) because the Overflow Relief Gully (ORG) on his commercial premises was overflowing. Our plumber Andrew was on a gas renewal job in Malvern VIC when the call came in. He was asked if he could pause what he was doing to go and check out the blockage.   Upon arrival, Andrew introduced himself and explained in-depth the service that O’Shea Plumbing provides. Andrew went about checking other sections of the sewer to see if he could ascertain the approximate location of the blockage. This would not only make the job easier for Andrew, but the potential benefits would stand to curb unnecessary expenditure.    Andrew found the approximate location of the sewer blockage and presented Carlo with some options in order to clear this. Carlo asked if Andrew could please use his cable machine and do his best about clearing the drain. Within two hours of the initial phone call, the blockage was cleared and Carlo was a very happy man.   Not only did Andrew clear the blockage (which seemed to him to be the result of years worth of build-up of grease and grime solidifying in the trap of the ORG), but Andrew advised and suggested actions that they could take to limit the amount of material building up in the drain in the future. That’s a level of care and attention-to-detail that is associated with the work of O’Shea Pumbing’s crew, across-the-board.   

Not too long ago, ‘Greg’ from Malvern VIC called our O’Shea Plumbing base (in Mt Waverley VIC). His 20yr old hot water unit (HWU) had finally stopped working and he was needing a replacement.   Our plumbers Lawrie and Haider arrived on-site and provide some options in installing a new unit. Lawrie also noticed that the gas pipes in Gary’s property weren’t ideal. They might not be the correct size, so he informed Greg that it might be necessary for them to be upgraded.    Lawrie organised a quote for the install of the new HWU, and he also included a test to see if there was enough gas flow and upgrade the gas pipe, only if needed. Whilst Lawrie was looking at the gas pipes Haider measured the water pressure. This was found to be very high.    Subsequently, Greg was advised and given options in order to reduce the pressure from the outlet of the water meter. This would involve protecting all water fixtures as well as installing a cold water expansion valve at the HWU (which reduces the build-up pressure of the system).   Once Lawrie ordered the HWU and materials required from the ‘Plumbers Coop’ in Mitcham VIC (who delivered to site), Andrew and Haider continued with the job. The appropriate gas tests were complete.    Then, the HWU and pressure control (including cold water expansion valve) were installed. A test was done to make sure there was enough gas flow. Luckily, the results showed that there was enough gas being provided to all gas appliance. This meant that the client did not need to upsize the gas pipes. We will always make sure to thoroughly check if something really needs fixing.    Greg was very happy with O’Shea Plumbing’s level of professionalism and the comprehensive scope of the options provided to him. He was pleased that Lawrie took the time to advise him on what potential problems may occur, not just the ‘bare bones’ solutions but the entire holistic approach to plumbing services.   

Jane and her family could tolerate the sound of water hammer in their property no longer! One morning, Jane notified O’Shea Plumbing (at our Mount Waverley VIC main office) and asked if they could please send a plumber out to investigate the water hammer. This atrocious noise had been waking up the family whenever a tap was used.   Andrew arrived that afternoon and introduced himself. Jane asked if he would like to come in and listen to the sound himself. Andrew said he would but would like to measure the water pressure first. Unsurprisingly, the levels were found to be high — the water pressure measured 900KPA (which is a lot higher than what is recommended by the VBA).   Andrew advised Jane about the situation with the water pressure and that it was more than likely the cause of the water hammer. Andrew offered Jane some options, suggesting some different pressure reduction valves to be installed at the water meter.    Once Jane approved the works, Andrew went straight to the water meter and installed an AVG pressure reduction valve. This was supplied by the ‘Plumbers CoOp’ in Mitcham VIC. He asked if Jane could let him know if that fixed her issue.   Jane woke up the next day feeling a huge amount of relief with no noise from the water hammer waking her throughout the night. She left a lovely review on online review site ‘Product Review’.    She wrote “…this is the second time we have used O’Shea Plumbing at our home. Andrew was punctual, friendly and very professional. He fixed our water hammer problem quickly and efficiently. We are happy to recommend O’Shea Plumbing to others and would not hesitate to employ their services in the future.”    That’s exactly the type of result we work hard to achieve at O’Shea Plumbing!

Recently, ‘Patricia’ from Armadale VIC found herself in a bit of a pickle, with a plumbing issue requiring urgent attention. Luckily, she did not hesitate in calling our team at O’Shea Plumbing. She reached Chelsea, in our Mt Waverley VIC office, who organised for our crew to have a look at her blocked bath.   Our plumber Andrew arrived on site and found an inspection opening out the back. He opened it up and found that there was water sitting in the pipe. He presented Patricia with options to fix the problem and she asked Andrew when he could start on the job. He said he could do so immediately. Patricia accepted the quote and Andrew went about unblocking her bath waste. Andrew managed to clear it pretty quickly and Patricia was happy once again.   Unfortunately, two weeks later Patricia rang up again and said this time her basin was blocked. Andrew arrived on site and inspected what was going on. The O’Shea Plumbing team dug down to found another inspection opening, this was a totally different blockage. Andrew said that he could get the drain going again, but was concerned that the frogmouth was full of roots and could potentially block again in the future.    Patricia said that she could speak to her Body Corp to see what they can do, but asked if Andrew could clear it anyway (as she would like to use her basin again). Andrew went ahead and performed the task, much to Patricia’s satisfaction. Patricia was so happy that, in both instances, she rang our headquarters at O’Shea Plumbing to report to our admin that our plumbers were on time, gave her notice and genuinely wanted to fix her issues.

For the duration that they have resided in Malvern VIC, ‘Ian’ and his family have been living with just the one storage hot water unit (HWU). When their children were going to school, they managed to all shower and get ready without running out of hot water, due to staggering the timings.    Now that their kids have grown up and all have jobs, the household needs to be ready to leave at very similar times, especially when guests were staying. The family found that if they were one of the last to shower then the HWU would simply run out of hot water.    Ian decided to do something about this and contacted Lawrie at O’Shea Plumbing (Mt Waverley VIC) office to ask about a continuous flow HWU. Upon inspection, Lawrie informed them that his team would have to upsize their gas pipe. This would allow enough gas flow in order for the new hot water to operate correctly.   Lawrie also noticed that their front garden tap was made of galvanised iron and had a large amount of rust on the pipe. He offered to remove the rusted galvanised iron pipe and replace it with copper.    A test of the water pressures of the property showed that their values to be on the high side. So, Ian also agreed to have a pressure reduction valve fitted at the outlet of the water meter. This would also help prolong  the life of all of the pipes, taps and appliances in the house.    Ian and his wife had a talk about what they wanted to do and decided that O’Shea Plumbing could complete the works whilst they were away on holiday. This would give our plumbers enough time to get Claude, our concrete cutting specialist from Keysborough VIC, to cut the brick pavers out to allow for a trench to be dug. We would also have time to arrange for Leo, our electrician from Hawthorn VIC to come in and hook up power for the new continuous flow HWU.   We also organised the team from the ‘Plumbers Co Op’ in Mitcham VIC to deliver all required material to site. This meant that the O’Shea Plumbing team could get all the works completed without the clients being put out at all.    Ian and his family came home and had hot showers in the morning before going off to work. They were very grateful that they could enjoy their hot water once again, and that we had done a thorough and efficient job overall. 

‘Geoff’ and his wife, from Wantirna VIC, arrived home in the dead of winter to find that their ducted heater had just died on them. Granted, the unit was 30 years old! But after spending the last 3 months in northern WA (where the temperatures hit 40 degrees and above) they were quickly reminded of just how cold a VIC winter can be!   They did not hesitate in contacting a plumber to fix the issue. After contacting our friendly team at O’Shea Plumbing, our plumber ‘Jarett’ arrived onsite wearing a nice warm jacket to find Geoff and his wife in similar attire.   Upon inspection of the ducted heater, Jarrett promptly advised them that they were better off spending the money on replacing this ‘relic’ with an entirely new unit. It would be less-than-economical trying to fix a heater that was obviously quite past it’s ‘used-by-date’ – you’d essentially be throwing money away!   Geoff agreed and he was provided with options on different heaters. Choosing the one that looked the best for his and his wife’s needs, Geoff accepted Jarrett’s quote and paid a small deposit. Jarrett ordered the new ducted heater to be delivered the next day from the team at the ‘Plumbers Supplies Co-op’ in Mitcham, VIC.   Jarrett and Andrew arrived onsite at 8am the next day and went about testing the existing gas lines. He then proceeded with removing the existing ducted heater. From here, he installed the base box and flashing. This keeps inclement weather and pests (like rodents) from entering underneath the house.   Our plumber had the new ducted heater ready for use in a flash. But before lighting and commissioning the heater, he followed regulations by performing another pressure test on the entire gas installation. Everything was proven gas-tight. A Victorian Building Authority  Certificate of Compliance was supplied to Geoff, certifying that all the work was done to comply with standards.   Needless to say, Geoff and his wife were incredibly relieved that they wouldn’t have to get through another night without the luxury of having hot air heating their rooms. At O’Shea Plumbing, we know things like this make a big difference to our clients, so we work hard to make things happen!

‘Malcolm’ lives in Canterbury VIC and has used O’Shea Plumbing to look after his plumbing needs on a constant basis. From fixing sewer blockages to repairing burst water pipes, O’Shea Plumbing has Malcolm’s undivided trust. That’s because we are committed to delivering professional work in a tidy and friendly manner, and we care about our client’s wellbeing.   Recently, Malcolm called our main O’Shea Plumbing office (Mount Waverley VIC) concerning an issue with his stormwater drain. It was clearly blocked, as storm water was overflowing onto his driveway and walkways along the side of the house.   O’Shea arranged for one of our plumbers to arrive on sit. Cue ‘Jarett’ who set to work to attempt to clear the blockage. First, he tried his cable machine but it just wouldn’t cut through. Jarrett moved onto using a drain camera. Now, he could see exactly where the drain was blocked: the culprit being some very thick roots. Jarret managed to clear the blockage, but the camera did show that there were some bad cracks in the stormwater drain   Jarrett provided his client with options in fixing this issue. Malcolm decided to opt for a permanent fix. The course of action would be digging up the footpath and replacing the section of drain. Jarett organised a skip bin from ‘Metropolitan Bin Hire’ (Keysborough VIC). He also acquired a ‘Road Opening Permit’ from Boroondara City Council, Camberwell VIC  Plus, a ‘Dial B4 U Dig’ application was submitted.   Jarett also arranged for ‘Claude’ (from Cheltenham VIC) to work alongside. Claude is O’Shea Plumbing’s main guy for neat and perfect concrete cutting. Claude arrived at 9 am, which gave Andrew and Lawrie enough time to mark out where the cuts would need to be made.   Once the path was cut and concrete removed, Andrew and Lawrie could assess the problem in detail. They could see that the section of drain that was blocked was caused by a large tree which was growing roots and had split the old stormwater drain. Smaller roots were now taking over the drain.   Andrew cut-out the broken section of pipe and replaced it with a high-quality PVC alternative. Once the new section of pipe was connected to the existing stormwater drain, it was backfilled using ‘quarter minus’. This supports the pipe from dipping over time. They finished off by filling the trench with ‘instant bitumen’ which was compressed down. All materials were delivered onsite at 8 am by the ‘Plumbers Co-Op’ (Mitcham VIC).   O’Shea Plumbing is pretty confident that this relieved the headache that Malcolm must have been feeling due to his stormwater drain issues! Plumbing is the kind of thing that you often overlook. But you certainly notice when it stops working and it sure does make life difficult when it does! That’s what we are here for at O’Shea Plumbing: to make our client’s lives that little bit easier.

Our plumber ‘Andrew’ was on call over the weekend. A call came through from ‘Peter’ from St Kilda VIC. As it transpired. Peter had previously used another plumber to install his new hot water unit (HWU).   This plumber was an older gentleman who had started on the task adequately enough; he did test the existing gas lines before starting any works. This had pinpointed a large leak presenting a significant danger to all involved.     Unfortunately, the plumber wasn’t equipped to deal with the problem and had to walk away from the job. You see, it is a legal requirement that the gas supply is shut off until a leak is found and fixed. In this case, the plumber in question couldn’t actually find the gas supply and he also was no longer up to speed with this type of plumbing.   Here is where O’Shea Plumbing came into the picture, alongside our trusty plumber Andrew (from our Bentleigh VIC depot). He arrived within 1.5hrs of the initial call and set about to gauge exactly what he was dealing with.   Within Peter’s property was an old galvanised iron running up into roof space, as well as an undersized copper pipe to the old HWU continuing around the corner going under the house (picking up a gas stove and a gas heater).   However, these pipes did not meet current regulations. For Andrew to take over the job, he would be required to renew the copper pipes. The size of the existing copper pipe did not allow enough flow to service all of the gas appliances in the house. Additionally, the copper pipe was sitting on the ground: this certainly was not up to code!   Andrew presented options to Peter in to attempt to find the leak (with no guarantees that leak will be found that day), as well as quotes for installing the new HWU. Andrew also provided options to renew the entire exposed gas line only (making sure that it was the correct size as well as following regulations).   Peter opted for Andrew to come back two days later in order to install his new HWU correctly. This meant that Peter and his family did not have gas for these two days. However, this is a far better alternative than living with a large gas leak; considering the potentially dire consequences.   When Andrew came back the team at ‘The Plumbers Co-Op’ in Cheltenham VIC had already delivered the required materials and Andrew set about to work. He finished the job according to his pre-agreed timeline.   He then tested the new gas pipe (that he pressure tested  to 7KPA as per regulations) and connected the new pipe to the copper pipe that went under the house. Once all fixtures were connected, he pressure-tested the gas pipe again with no pressure drop. This meant no more gas leak!   All Andrew had left to do now was make sure that the copper pipe was clipped at the correct intervals, as well as commissioning the new HWU. Peter was so thrilled with the work and friendly service that he gave our team at O’Shea Plumbing a 5-star review on Google!

‘Noel’ of Chadstone VIC was referred by a friend to O’Shea Plumbing. He called our main office in Mount Waverley VIC. His hot water unit had failed and another plumber had been already been out to his property. However, Noel did not like what this other plumber had suggested and was calling our team for another opinion.   ‘Lawrie (the owner of O’Shea Plumbing) called out to Noel’s location. He gave him a number of options to fix the problem, varying from repairing the existing unit to supplying and installing a new hot water unit.   Noel decided to proceed with replacing the existing hot water unit with a ‘Rinnai 26 Infinity’ continuous flow hot water unit. ‘Benjamin’ (one of our plumbers) went ahead and organised sourcing the materials from ‘The Plumbers Supplies Coop’ in Mitcham VIC. He installed the new ‘Rinnai’ system, pressure tested the gas installation (for gas leaks) and commissioned the new hot water unit.   Noel was soon back to enjoying the comfort of free-flowing hot water from his brand new system. Additionally, Noel requested that Lawrie call back to quote on adding a ‘Rinnai Smart Start’ and controllers to what was already installed. This would allow Noel to get hot water at a predetermined temperature without wasting any cold water; all at the press of a button.   You can trust our team at O’Shea Plumbing to come up with innovative solutions for any kind of plumbing problem; to make your life that much easier!

As his hot water unit has stopped working, ‘Kevin’ from Mount Waverley VIC reached out to our team at O’Shea Plumbing for assistance. Our Service Manager ‘Jarrett’ called around to Kevin’s property to investigate this issue, that very same afternoon.   Jarrett provided Kevin with various alternative solutions in fixing the problem. These ranged  from repairing the existing unit, to supplying and installing brand new units. Kevin opted for an install of a new Aquamax 390 hot water unit.   The new hot water service was ordered from ‘The Plumbers Supplies Coop’ in Mitcham VIC. Unfortunately, when ‘Andrew’ (one of our plumbers here at O’Shea Plumbing) pressure tested the gas installation (as we always do before and after any gas installation/repair work) he found that there was a major gas leak.   Andrew proceeded to complete the hot water installation but he could not complete the job until the gas leak was found and fixed. After disconnecting the gas appliances and re testing, the gas leak was located on the gas pipes. The next step was to separate sections of gas piping. The gas pipe that was leading to an outside kitchen and BBQ was disconnected. A second gas test was performed. This time the gas installation proved to be sound.   At this point, all of the gas appliances were reconnected. One more gas test was carried out for good measure and this proved the installation to be 100 percent sound. Kevin’s hot water could now be commissioned.   It was evident that Kevin was pleased to have his hot water going again. He benefited from the assurance that his gas installation was now completely sound. Kevin left O’Shea Plumbing a great review on Google, and that’s a result we always strive to attain!

‘Walter’ from Brighton VIC called us recently at the O’Shea Plumbing head office (in Mount Waverley VIC). He spoke with ‘Chelsea’ in order to get some assistance with his ducted heater, which was no longer working.   Chelsea is relatively new to our team. As such, she was not aware that Walter is one of our very loyal, long term clients. She told him that we were heavily booked until the following week; without realising that we will squeeze in our regulars, wherever possible.   ‘Lawrie’ (the owner of O’Shea Plumbing) received an email concerning this issue. Lawrie quickly remedied the situation. He let Walter know that he would be at his house at 8am the very next morning in order to fix the domestic plumbing issue. He would also bring ‘Marco’ from the Bentleigh VIC depot to assist.   The fault codes on Walter’s ‘Lennox’ ducted heater indicated that the system was operating normally. Further investigation proved that the fault was actually with the wall thermostat . Subsequently, a new thermostat was sourced from ‘Reece’ in Mentone VIC. Once this was fitted (and the heater serviced and a carbon monoxide test carried out); it was evident that the system once again in good working order.   Walter sent an email saying how much he appreciated the quick response and successful solution. He added that he especially loved the fact that Lawrie had personally intervened in order to make it all happen. At O’Shea Plumbing, we go the extra mile to keep our clients happy!

‘Ali’ hails from Armadale, VIC. After hosting a party on a Saturday night, one of her guests decided to lend a hand and help Ali clean up. Unfortunately, this guest decided to fill Ali’s sink with food scraps, which were then pushed down the Insinkerator. These units do not like to be overloaded and this incident blocked her sink.   Ali got a few quotes from different plumbers. These plumbers opted to go straight to using a small cable machine to clear the sink (the most obvious choice to clear the blockage). Ali also reached out to our team at O’Shea Plumbing. Our plumber ‘Andrew’ (from our Mount Waverley VIC office) arrived on site the following Friday morning. He provided some options in approaches to clear the blockage.   One of these options was also to use the small cable machine, but he made sure to give Ali a secondary solution. This was to use a hand plunger (this is much cheaper than using a cable machine). Ali agreed to this course of action. Very quickly, Andrew unblocked the sink. He ensured that is was fully cleared by running water down the drain for approximately 10 minutes. Good news, there was no subsequent backing up!   Whilst Andrew was looking under the sink, he noticed that there was a large amount of water pooling in the cupboard. This was damaging the timber. Andrew asked if Ali had noticed this before. This prompted her memory and she recalled that her veggie spray mixer tap hose had split. However, she didn’t quite realise just how much water was going under her sink! Ali asked Andrew for a suggested solution to fix/replace the tap.   Andrew went out to his van and brought in the sink mixer taps that he had on board. Ali fell in love with the ‘Gooseneck’ mixer tap. She wanted one without even needing to know the price. Which is funny, as the tap is a actually a major hit with Andrew himself. After installing his first ‘Gooseneck’ mixer, Andrew had also been quite taken with its excellent form and function. He went ahead and purchased his own and installed it in his house that very same night!   Andrew completed the install on Ali’s new mixer, sourced from ‘The Plumbers Supplies Coop’ in Mitcham VIC. He made sure to check the water pressure and temperature. It’s important to make sure the value of these aren’t too high, as extremes can damage mixer tap cartridges and washers in taps. Plus, high water pressure and temperature may also result in voiding the manufacturer’s warranty. Thanks to Andrew, this was now controlled to sit perfectly in the ideal range.   Ali was very happy with the thoroughness of the work completed and the knowledgeable advice that came alongside it. She has reviewed our business very favorably online, and the team at O’Shea Plumbing is very grateful for her valued feedback.

Ferny Creek VIC is a sleepy town located near the top of Mt Dandenong, in the Australian State of Victoria. People from the relatively nearby city of Melbourne may know this place as the ‘top of the 1000 stairs’. Damian and his wife have lived here for many years. Now that all their kids have moved out they enjoy a large amount of space for just the two of them. However, a few times a year their children and grandchildren visit and stay with them for various lengths of time.   Without the family visiting, they never run out of hot water. But, when they do have extra guests they must stagger the daily showers. Quite understandably, this makes it very hard for everyone to get ready for the day. This is where O’Shea Plumbing (of Wantirna VIC) comes into the picture. The team was on hand to provide several solutions. The first was to install a continuous flow hot water unit, which Damian thought would be a good option.   Our plumber ‘Andrew’ performed the necessary calculations in making sure enough gas was supplied to support a new continuous flow. It turned out that this would involve quite a large scale of work, as an upsizing of the gas pipe would be required. Also, the driveway was over 100m and the client did not want to go down this path.   Andrew suggested installing a second storage hot water unit (using much less gas). This would not require any upsizing of any pipework. The install was not going to be standard. This is because the client wanted the new hot water unit to be in continuous use only during those times when it was just Damian and his wife at the house. When there were additional visitors the idea was to divert the new unit to the upstairs part of the house, and for the older unit to service the downstairs part of the house.   This was achieved by connecting the new unit in a creative fashion. This new hot water unit was supplied by ‘The Plumbers Supplies Coop’ in Mitcham VIC and was fed into the hot water pipe to the downstairs pipework. It was also connected to the upstairs pipework with isolation valves to divert the water either upstairs, or both up and downstairs. Also, an isolation valve was fitted to the older hot water unit so that it could be connected to the plumbing (but isolated when not needed).   Damian and his wife were very happy about the end job. It met all of their expectations, as well as speeding up the delivery of hot water to their kitchen (as the new unit was installed much closer to the fixtures than the existing unit). This would not have been possible if our plumber did not take the time to understand the needs of his client and to work out the best possible way to achieve them. That’s just the way we do things at O’Shea Plumbing.

As winter comes closer, the heaters go on. The thing is, very long and hot Australian Summers mean that heaters often remain dormant for extended periods of time. When the cooler months eventually do come around, a lot of people are finding that their heaters aren’t turning on. If they do turn on, then a lot of times they don’t function very well at all!   Recently, ‘Don’ from Surrey Hills VIC attempted to switch on his 1984 model ‘Brivus Buffalo’ heater. It just didn’t start! So, he gave our team at O’Shea Plumbing a call at the main office in Mount Waverley VIC. Reaching the owner ‘Lawrie’, Don told him that he would like a new ducted heater installed.   Lawrie went over to assess the situation, and have a look if Don’s heater looked fixable. Once Lawrie saw the age of the unit, he was in full agreeance with Don needed a new one. From here, Lawrie went ahead and provided some quotes for different types of ducted heaters.   Don decided which heater he wanted and Lawrie ordered a ‘Brivis’ ducted heater from ‘The Plumbers Supplies in Mitcham VIC, to install the very next morning. Lawrie arrived with our plumber ‘Andrew’ 15mins before the time they had organised with Don for the install.   They went about conducting the appropriate tests (required whenever any gas works are performed). Once these were completed, Lawrie and Andrew removed the top half of the old ducted heater and put the new half on. Then, they connected the gas and wires and tested for gas tightness.   At this point, they tested the burner pressure of the unit and walked around the house with a carbon monoxide tester (making sure Don was safe). Whilst Andrew was walking around the house, Don mentioned that his toilet was blocked. He asked if Andrew if he might be able to fix it.   Andrew investigated the issue with Don’s toilet. He found that there was a blockage in the sewer main run (located between the last overflow relief gully and the boundary trap). He then provided some options in using his sewer cable machine to attempt to clear the blocked sewer drain. In almost no time at all, Andrew and Lawrie left Don with a warm house and clear sewer. That’s another job well done from the team at O’Shea Plumbing!

Not too long ago, ‘Amanda’ contacted our O’Shea Plumbing main office in Mount Waverley VIC. She was calling regarding a strange smell that was coming from her toilet. Our plumber ‘Benjamin’ went to Amanda’s house to assist her with the problem.   Benjamin assessed the situation when he arrived. He could see nothing visibly wrong with the toilet. From here, he suggested to Amanda for the toilet to be removed. This would be more conducive to investigating the issue in depth. As the smell was really unpleasant, Amanda insisted Benjamin remove the toilet himself.   As requested, Benjamin removed the toilet. He found the rubber seal for the toilet to be missing. Benjamin spoke with Amanda about her options in moving forward. This involved sourcing and fitting replacing parts to provide a permanent fix to the toilet. After discussing for an appropriate span of time, Amanda gave to the go-ahead to replace the parts.   Benjamin went to ‘The Local Plumbers Supply’ in Mitcham VIC to get the correct parts. On return, Benjamin reinstalled the toilet with the new equipment. Benjamin showed Amanda the toilet once completed. The smell was completely gone! Amanda was so pleased that she asked Benjamin to check her other plumbing.   Benjamin did some exploring and found that Amanda had kids in the house and her water temperature was at 75 degrees. This was a concern to Benjamin (as this is generally too hot for children).   Amanda asked Benjamin what he could do to remedy the situation. Subsequently, he advised for a tempering valve to be installed by her hot water unit (this is to reduce the temperature of the hot water to 50 degrees). Amanda asked Benjamin if he could do the install the very same day. As it seemed urgent, Benjamin went ahead and installed the AVG tempering valve. which was also bought from The Plumbers Supplies Coop in Mitcham. Naturally, he did this after conducting a temperature test.   All in the one day, Benjamin left Amanda with a smell free toilet and had her feeling a great deal of relief in regards to her hot water temperature. Amanda was so happy that she left Benjamin a 5-star review on Google!

Naturally, sewer blockages can be quite disturbing for clients. They often involve raw sewerage flowing into people’s back yard and other areas. This presents a substantial health risk. There’s also the potential for a very nasty smell, especially on a warm summer’s day!   The longer a blockage is left unattended, the harder clearing the sewer becomes. Solids (including tree roots) build up over time. A plumber will have to do more work to clear the site. However, that’s not to say it can’t be done.   Recently, ‘Lawrie’ (our O’Shea Plumbing founder who resides in Wantirna VIC) received a call from ‘Shiela’. Shelia is based in Mt Waverley VIC, and called our office late on the evening preceding Mother’s Day.   Lawrie asked Shelia if she wanted somebody out that evening to attempt to clear the blockage. Her reply was “can it wait till morning?” Shiela had another toilet that was not blocked that she (and her visiting family) could use.   Lawrie instructed our plumber ‘Andrew’ to head over to Sheila’s house. Upon arrival, Andrew started an investigation around the house to determine which fixtures might be blocked and to locate the most likely site of the blockage. He presented this information to Sheila to guide the work ahead.   Andrew received approval from Shiela to proceed with using his sewer cable machine to attempt to clear the blockage. Andrew ran the cable to the point of 7m. At this juncture, the machine started to struggle to cut through (what he thought to be) the blockage.   Andrew worked the machine a little bit further down the sewer and started to bring the cables back out again. He retrieved a length of tree root of about 2m long by 70/80mm in circumference. It was evident that this tree root was the likely cause of the blockage.   Andrew used the same cutter to run the cable all the way to the sewer point location with ease. This is in the jurisdiction of the local authority, which plumbers are not allowed to enter. Andrew used a spearhead cutter, 75mm cutter and 100mm cutter. This cleared the drain cleanly and completely.   At this point, Andrew voiced concerns that there was something more sinister going on in the sewer due to the large amounts of tree roots. This has either occurred over many many years, with Shiela not noticing. Or, it was because the initial signs of blockage were largely ignored. These indicators include a gurgling noise as water drains, water rising higher than usual in the toilet pan when flushing, or even toilet paper/grey water coming out of the drains next to your house.   Shiela said that she was happy that Andrew cleared the sewer blockage. He reiterated his concerns. She said if she noticed the sewer becoming blocked again that she would call O’Shea Plumbing and ask for Andrew. The next stage would be to put a camera down the drain to inspect the quality of its construction. It’s this level of customer care that makes O’Shea the trusted choice in local plumbers.

Recently, ‘Kerry’ from Clayton VIC called up our  O’Shea Plumbing main office in Mt Waverley VIC with a complaint of a strange sound happening when she flushed her toilet. Our plumber ‘Andrew’ arrived in order to provide her with a quote to fix the problem.   The investigation would involve checking water pressures, inlet and outlet valves on the toilet and feeling for vibrations on the wall near where the sound was coming from. Proceeding with this work, Andrew noticed that the inlet valve of the toilet was not functioning correctly. His course-of-action was to replace it.   He had intended for this approach to negate the issue and remove the subsequent noise (coming from the old inlet valve). Unfortunately, the noise was still present after Andrew completed this task. He didn’t hesitate to call for back up (the beauty about O’Shea Plumbing is that is a medium-sized company and that the team really work well together at all times when required).   Our boss ‘Lawrie’ stepped in to lend a hand. He continued to investigate the strange noise that was occurring (at no extra charge). Lawrie queried the client in order to get some more details about what was occurring. Lawrie found out that there used to be a shower in the toilet room. This had been removed a while ago.   Lawrie found the drain and trap (which was covered with boxes and other household knick-knacks) and put water down to sit in the trap of the old shower. Lo and behold! When the toilet flushed again there was no noise. What had happened was that the shower trap had dried-up, and the noise was simply an echo coming back up the pipes when the toilet flushed.   When O’Shea Plumbing commits to a client the whole team is invested. We are all about helping people sort out their plumbing issues in the most prompt and practical fashion. That’s our promise to all of our valued clients.

‘Walter’ is an elderly gentleman who lives with his wife in Endeavor Hills, VIC. He has contacted our O’Shea Plumbing office (at our Mount Waverley HQ) a couple of times in the past. The first instance was for assistance with a sewer blockage, and the other for a tap install. He called up at about lunchtime after his wife has noticed that there is a leak under the kitchen sink (not the tap O’Shea Plumbing installed).   Andrew received notification from the Mt Waverley VIC office regarding Walter’s issue and had just finished up installing a toilet in Glen Waverley VIC. Andrew quickly rang Walter to see if he was home (as Andrew figured he could squeeze in a visit to Walter’s property before his next job).   Upon arrival, Walter told Andrew that he was concerned that he would need a new tap set and was worried that he could not afford it. If this were to be the case, he and his wife would have to put up with a dripping tap for a couple of weeks!   Andrew quickly diagnosed the issue. He offered Walter another option in performing a tap service. Walter was under the impression that a service is just changing the washer between the spindle and breach. O’Shea Plumbing offers a much more comprehensive tap service than what is typically provided by competitors.   A Tap Service from O’Shea Plumbing includes:   changing washer using a brass washer changing body washer changing o-rings clean and repack spindle with high-quality tap lube check and reseat tap, if required measure water pressure and temperature   Needless to say, Walter was grateful that Andrew offered alternative solutions. This included solutions other than replacements to parts. Unfortunately, this seems to be a common trend in today’s disposable society, ie. to source a new one without even trying to fix the old one.   Andrew left Walter with a drip-free kitchen sink tap, with the spindle being able to be turned on with more ease than before. This is exactly the kind of cost-effective and practical outcome that we set out to achieve for our clients at O’Shea Plumbing.

In this next blog, we talk about building inspections and plumbing, including the common pitfalls to avoid. If anyone has purchased or sold a house before they would be familiar with the terms: ‘subject to finance’, ‘subject to pest inspection’ and ‘subject to building inspection’. These stipulations form effective safeguards, particularly if you are wanting to buy a house to live in (not demolish).   A building inspection is generally done by a builder, who has a general knowledge of various trades but may specialise in a certain field, for example, carpentry. When an inspector goes to inspect a building they take account of any faults that they can see. But, what about how the plumbing? The fact is that not all plumbing is visible.   It is well known that you can get a reputable plumber to take care of assessing the situation for you. However, there no such thing as a good plumber who is cheap. It’s undeniable that it can be a costly exercise, especially when resultant issues come to the fore. But, neglecting this step may be even more dangerous and expensive over the long-run.   For example, what happens if you buy a house and spend nearly all of your savings in the process. That’s only to move in and find out you need one, or even several plumbing issues rectified.   Maybe it’s a gas pipe renewal/water pipe renewal? Or, your eardrums are now taking a battering from the massive water hammer issue. Sometimes, you’ll discover a hot water unit that is as old as the hills and may die any minute. Gutters may be rusted out, or the stormwater drains are blocked and the first rain you get floods your entire house/property!   It’s crucial to realise that a standard building inspection will not necessarily cover all these things. O’Shea Plumbing of Mount Waverley, VIC have completed numerous plumbing inspections. Some have turned out to be just fine, and others have been veritable nightmares. In each situation, the client’s peace-of-mind is of utmost priority.   Here’s a case in point: O’Shea Plumbing recently visited a property in Croydon, VIC. ‘Jarrett’ (one of the Wantirna,Vic. depot team members) undertook an inspection for a hopeful new house owner. It became apparent that there was going to be a number of large jobs required in order to get the plumbing to a point that could even be remotely considered ok.   Jarrett passed on this information to his client. She walked away from buying the house. This may have been disappointing, but it offered a much better outcome than what would have happened otherwise. Imagine the shock once the ink was dried on her contract and it was too late for any recourse. In this case, the client was able to avoid extensive costs in repairing severe plumbing problems and sidestep an absolute doozie in purchasing a property.

In this recent case study, we look at the plumbing issues that our client ‘Yasmin’ from Clifton Hill,VIC  encountered and how we set about solving them.   She contacted our main O’Shea Plumbing office in Mount Waverley, VIC on the Easter Monday holiday morning. She was calling to notify us that there was water leaking everywhere on her property, which was flowing from the exterior side of her house.   Yasmin asked if we could come out as soon as possible to fix the leak. With nothing being too much of a problem for our team, our trusty plumber ‘Ben’ (from our Bentleigh, VIC depot), arrived at her doorstep within just two hours of her reaching out to us.   Ben spoke with Yasmin regarding the leak on the side of the house. After he had a good look at the leak, he relayed how he believed the valve had come to a state of disrepair. Yasmin asked if he could fix it today. Our team is always well prepared for emergency situations, so Ben was happy to agree to the timeframe. Yasmin was pleased that not only had O’Shea plumbing responded so quickly, but that we could fix the problem on the day.   After Ben fixed the leak, Yasmin mentioned to him that she has other plumbing work needing a look at. She was having problems with her tap sets in her bathroom not opening up. Yasmin drew attention to the fact that they hadn’t functioned as well as she would like, all the way back to when she first moved into the house.   Ben explored some options with Yasmin in order to get her shower and bath sets fixed/replaced. She was pleased with the proposed solutions, which would mean both taps would actually match and work properly. She requested that we go ahead and replace them.   Yasmin asked O’Shea Plumbing could undertake the work on the Friday of the following week, as that was the day she was working from home. Ben booked Yasmin in for first thing that morning. Our client was so relieved that we were able to accommodate a time that suited her, as she is usually kept busy working in a full-time job.   Overall, Yasmin was incredibly happy with the service of our team at O’Shea Plumbing and the work performed. That’s exactly the result that we always strive to achieve!

‘Josh’ and his partner are a young couple who are very proud owners of a brand new property. They own a unit in Ashwood, VIC. They had been enjoying the freedom of their new residence, putting up artwork on the walls and they even got a dog without requiring permission. That was until their sewerage started to overflow into their front garden, spilling onto the driveway and overflowing onto the footpath.   That’s when they called the O’Shea Plumbing office in Mount Waverley, VIC. Josh reached our plumber ‘Andrew’. Andrew sympathised greatly with the urgency of the situation and provided a prompt investigation on site. He provided Josh and his partner with some options in fixing the problem. The most salient being to completely clear the drain.   INSIDER NOTE: Clearing a drain is not to be confused with unblocking it – which only partially clears the drain. Clearing a drain is obviously a far superior solution, but one that requires more expertise and care. O’Shea Plumbing believes in doing things properly, or not at all.   Andrew then went outside to give Josh and his partner some privacy to discuss if they wanted to go ahead with the works. Once he was given the go-ahead, he set up the ‘drain snake’ and got down to business. Very quickly, Andrew hit the blockage and cut his way through it. All of the sewerage emptied down the drain. Andrew had successfully unblocked the drain, fully and entirely clearing it of obstructions!   Following this, Andrew moved the ‘spearhead cutter’ and upsized it to a 75mm cutter, slowly clearing the pipe of the tree roots. Andrew then upsized the cutter once again. This time to 100mm, which was the size of the pipe.   INSIDER NOTE: Upsizing the cutters is not common practice in the maintenance industry as it is double to triple the work required to perform. If a company were to choose not to upsize the cutters, more than likely they are going to get more work from the same client sooner as the tree roots will grow back quicker (as they are already in the pipe and will grow back with vengeance).   This is just one example of O’Shea Plumbing’s expertise. The friendly and skilled team can also give options to replace, renew or reline drain if this is the client’s preferred option). The benefits of such things as clearing drains and upsizing cutters is what sets O’Shea Plumbing apart from the bulk of the competition. They are about solving plumbing problems for the sake of longevity and care about their client’s quality of life. That’s for now, and far into the future.

The Wantirna Club is a licensed venue just near Knoxfield, VIC. We recently received a call from this business at our O’Shea Plumbing HQ is Mount Waverley, VIC. Justin was on the line,  needing help with some leaking toilets in his venue.   He reached our O’Shea Plumbing owner/operator ‘Lawrie’. Lawrie went about arranging a quote to supply and install a Caroma Slimline toilet cistern and seat. This was accepted by Justin and the item was purchased from ‘The Plumbers Supplies Coop’ in Mitcham, VIC. It was then fitted promptly and efficiently, solving the plumbing problem at the Club.   This is not the first time The Wantirna Club has relied upon the services of our team. In fact, they have been using our expertise at O’Shea Plumbing for over 10 years. From servicing tap sets, to changing over toilets, to unblocking toilets; they are confident that our people are skilled and professional enough to discreetly go about their plumbing works. That’s without bothering or getting in way of the staff or patrons at their Club.     O’Shea Plumbing know the location of most of the isolation valves for gas and water. We also know ‘the lay of the land’, which expedities the works that are regularly required within this large venue. The Wantirna Club is just one of many large businesses who form our backbone of loyal and valued long-term clients. It’s just how we do things at O’Shea Plumbing!

Our team O’Shea Plumbing not only complete works on domestic properties, but are relied upon by a number of number of shops and commercial properties that trust their expertise in plumbing services. Our headquaters is based in Mount Waverley, VIC and the office is backed by systems and processes that our plumbers use to help track and monitor tasks.   Coupled with friendly and genuine customer care, these safeguards allow us to provide the best level of service for our clients. We have a level of adaptability and responsiveness that is a real point-of-difference. Plus, we band together like a family to make things happen.   Take the following example: our plumber ‘Jarrett’ is requested regularly by one of our clients who operate a store located within Chadstone Shopping Centre, that is in Malvern East ,VIC. However, this time around (when he got their call) he was completely booked with pre-existing work.   Our plumber ‘Andrew’ picked up this job on Jarrett’s behalf. He arrived to find that all toilets, and drains were blocked and needed to be fixed. The employees at the shop couldn’t use the facilities. Andrew looked up the history of this shop and within five minutes of arriving could already affirm some important particulars. He knew where Jarrett had previously worked (where all the pipes had been layed) and how far down the drain the blockage was likely to be.   Andrew acquired permission to start works and in no time at all had cleared the drain. Naturally, he then packed up and cleaned the surrounding area. Being able to access the history of the shop’s plumbing really streamlined his task. It also meant that the shopworkers didn’t need to hold their plumber’s hand, letting them focus on their job. At O’Shea Plumbing, we are all about efficiency!

This next case study involves O’Shea Plumbing assisting with a retiree from Glen Waverley, VIC and her daughter ‘Elizabeth’ (who is her caretaker).‘Tereza’, is an elderly lady who experiences some health problems. Her daughter was looking after her house and had noticed a small pool of water starting to form on the driveway and concrete path leading up the side of the property.   It was one Sunday in April when Elizabeth first contacted the O’Shea Plumbing main office in Mount Waverley, VIC. Our team promptly dispatched our plumber ‘Andrew’ to assess the situation. Upon arrival, Elizabeth met Andrew out the front of her house and turned the water meter back on.   Within two minutes, water had started to sweep through the cracks in concrete and has started flowing to the nearby stairs. It was also going into the back yard as well as starting to pool along the side of the house. Naturally, this did not sit well with Elizabeth (she did not want her mother to come home from the hospital to find a new ‘water feature’ in her front yard)!   Andrew suggested that he perform an initial investigation to locate the split in the water pipe.  Once that was approved, Andrew crawled under the house and found that water was also dripping in this spot.   Andrew provided further options. The first one was further investigation using pipe and water leak detection equipment, in an attempt to find the split and fix it. This would be a good option if the split was in the soil outside. The second option was to organise a renewal of a section of the water pipe, bypassing the leak to stop this from happening again in the future.   Elizabeth gave the go-ahead to bypass the leak. Andrew organised a digger (from RMR Plant Hire in Bayswater, VIC ). He also engaged ‘Claude’ (our concrete cutter from Keysborough, VIC) to make a perfect hole in the brickwork and cut out a thick section of concrete.   The ensuing work was completed in just a couple of days. This was just in time before Elizabeth’s mother was scheduled to return home! The only way that Tereza could possibly notice that there were works done was via a thin section of concrete cut out and backfilled with ‘quarter minus’ (and a thin section of grass that had been dug up).   Needless to say, the forward-thinking and diligence our team displayed in this scenario avoided a whole lot of potential stress for Tereza. Elizabeth was extremely grateful for the prompt service that O’Shea Plumbing delivered. It’s just one example of where we put the real-life concerns of people first. That’s the O’Shea Plumbing way.

Water Hammer can be a very frustrating sound. Especially when your partner goes to the toilet and washes there hands and you wake up to a thundering or squelching sound.   In the middle of the night, the water pressure spikes, as no one is using water in the neighbourhood, which can affect the volume of the water hammer. Not only that but it can damage fixtures and void warranties on some water taps and appliances.The best option to attempt to stop water hammer is to install pressure control to the water mains and hot water unit.   When Andrew arrived to Evelyn’s house to look at some water hammer issue he gave options on installing a 500KPA pressure reduction valve at the meter and a cold water expansion valve on the hot water unit. Evelyn decided that she would wait and put up with the noise until her HWU failed as it was in her words “100 years old” it was actually more like 20-25years old which is getting on in HWU life span.   Andrew asked if Evelyn could get the water hammer to happen so he could here where it is occurring and try and come up with some other options. The kitchen mixer tap would make a large chunk noise once you turn it off and the shower would squealch when it was turning on and off. Andrew gave options to service the tap set and see if that would help.   Andrew serviced the shower tap set and replaced the plastic washer with a brass one, servicing the tap by changing o-rings, body washers, cleaning and repacking spindle with tap lube. Once the taps were put back together he tested the tap which drastically reduced the noise that this tap previously made.   Whilst Andrew was walking down the side of the house to the HWU he noticed that it looked like there was a flood that had occurred down the side of the house. Andrew questioned Evelyn who said that during the heavy rain over the weekend her and her husband noticed that water was pouring out from the bottom of the downpipe and flowing like a river into the backyard. They also mentioned that they had a plumber camera down the storm water drain only 10months ago and it was like brand new, with nothing obstructing the pipe.   Andrew noticed that there was lots of bird activity around there backyard and said that he could remove the downpipe and have a quick look at the square to round downpipe adapter, in case something had fallen down there. While it was open if there was nothing obvious Andrew provided a quote to use the cable machine to clear what ever was blocking the pipe.   Once the downpipe was removed there was a very wet, very stuck birds nest nestled into the square to round downpipe adapter. Andrew removed this and flushed water down the drain for 10mins, with no subsequent backing up as well as checking to see if this water was flowing into the storm water pit that Evelyn had installed a year ago. Gutter was put back on and clients were left very happy.   Evelyn was so happy with the service that she called the Mt Waverley office to thank O’Shea Plumbing for their prompt, professional and informative service.

‘Fiona’ owns a beautiful two-story unit in Dandenong VIC. She called the O’Shea Plumbing central office in Mount Waverley VIC to get some help with her blocked drain, that was  affecting the  ensuite and shower (all other fixtures were draining as normal).   ‘Andrew’ (one of our plumbers here at O’Shea) arrived and assessed the issue. He provided Fiona with some solutions – with the aim to clear the blockage. Of course, it would be best to try to use a plunger before instigating more extensive plumbing. However, Andrew gave Fiona full disclosure of what would be required if plunging was to fail.   Andrew proceeding with attempting to clear the blockage in this manner. Unfortunately, it did not work. As all the pipes were behind walls, went downstairs and then under a slab, there was nowhere immediate that Andrew could use the cable machine. Andrew provided Fiona with another option. That would be to remove the blocked toilet system and then to use a cable machine down the ‘soil pipe’.   Once the toilet was removed Andrew covered the tiled floor and surrounding carpeted area with drop sheets. This was in order to provide a workspace that was as damage-proof as possible.   Andrew used the cable machine and managed to clear the blocked drain. Subsequently, he tested that it was cleared by running water down the soil pipe for about ten minutes. There was no further ‘backing up’. He was then able to remove the cable machine and install Fiona’s toilet firmly back into place.   Fiona was so happy with the service that she rang Mr. O’Shea (who was working in our Bundoora VIC office at the time). She said “Andrew was very clear and explained the whole situation to me. I am very happy with the service he provided and will be recommending O’Shea Plumbing to my friends”. That’s exactly the kind of feedback that the team at O’Shea Plumbing loves to hear!

‘Karen’ from Glen Iris VIC called our O’Shea Plumbing main office requiring our services. She reached our plumber ‘Andrew’ in our main office in Mt Waverley VIC. She told him that her downstairs toilet was not flushing properly and that whenever her daughter flushed the upstairs toilet, water would fill the downstairs pan.   Andrew was finishing a job in Chadstone VIC when he received the initial phone call. Amazingly, he arrived at Karen’s place within just 20mins! Andrew inspected the problem in-depth and found that there was a blockage in the sewer. A cable machine would be required to fix this issue.   Once Karen accepted the quote, Andrew got to work on clearing the sewer on her property. Within 1.5hrs of the initial phone call, Andrew had cleared the blockage in Karen’s plumbing. He advised her that all work from O’Shea Plumbing comes with a ‘12-month-blockage-free-guarantee’. Best of all, Karen’s family could go back to living their lives without fear of toilet water flooding their house.   Andrew also assisted Karen in providing some prevention measures, in order to keep this type of problem from happening again. He also made some future plumbing recommendations (with absolutely no pressure for Karen to go ahead).   Karen was made aware that when the time comes to renovate their bathroom (they have plans to do this in December 2019) that it would be a good idea to renew the entire sewer (or at least sections of) as a part of the entire process. This is because their sewer currently features old earthenware pipe and less than ideal plumbing. The point to remember here? Good drains don’t block!

Unfortunately, while ‘Supis’ was at work one day one of her water taps decided to snap off and start to flood in the upstairs bathroom. By the time Supis arrived home, the flooding had spilled out of the bathroom and had collapsed entire the roof of the bottom floor, soaked all of the carpets and most of the electrical fixtures!   Luckily, no job is too difficult for the team at O’Shea Plumbing. Supis needed to acquire a plumber’s report. This would detail what had occurred and seek to identify the potential factors in the source of the problem.   Our plumber ‘Andrew’ (from our O’Shea Plumbing Mount Waverley VIC office) started on the job by completing pressure tests. He then made sure that the fixture had a watermark (all water taps used in Australia have to adhere to this standard). A full inspection of the broken fixture was conducted.   Whilst Andrew was on site he asked Supis if she was happy with the rest of her plumbing. Also, he took the initiative to look at other fixtures in her property, in order to ascertain potential further damage. This included ‘flexi hoses’, taps etc.   Andrew found that both garden taps on the property were very old, leaking and stiff. Supis agreed that Andrew should change over these taps. All material was purchased from the Plumbers Coop in Mitcham VIC.  Of course, this was in addition to her initial request to complete the plumber’s reports to give to her insurance company.   So, all-in-all a very successful day and Supis was left feeling assured and happy with all the plumbing in her home. At O’Shea Plumbing, keeping our clients happy is always what matters most.

In this next case study, ‘Andrew’ (one of O’Shea Plumbing’s plumbers from our Mount Waverley office VIC) responded to a call from ‘Gary’. Gary hailed from Glen Iris VIC and he was worried about a possible gas leak in his house.   Upon arrival, Andrew had a chat with Gary about why he thought this might be an issue. A neighbour had mentioned to him that there was a smell of gas coming from his side of the fence. The neighbour had encountered this more than once and this had instigated Gary’s cause for concern.   Gary had a quote from another company to renew the gas line. Before Andrew went about completing his quote, he decided to do some investigation to see if the leak was in ‘min run’ or in the ‘gas isolation valves’ to the gas units.   Andrew turned off all isolation valves and went about pressure testing the existing gas line. The pressure held, so he went and turned all isolation valves back on. He completed the pressure test again once again. Lo and behold, it held. This left only one possibility as a cause of the problem: the leak was at the gas meter itself.   Andrew informed Gary that he should contact his gas supplier to come and check the meter. This was because the meter most likely had a fault and this presented a significant issue. This saved Gary’s pocket quite considerably.   Not only did he no longer need to renew his gas line, but payment for plumbing now became the responsibility of his gas company. Thanks to O’Shea Plumbing, Gary had proof that his pipes were in good working order and could put the onus squarely where it was due.   At O’Shea Plumbing, we go beyond our core aspiration to deliver professional workmanship. We also provide professional advice to every client. This provides the best experience and the most astute solutions for anyone who requires our services.

In this next case study, the team at O’Shea Plumbing was called in to install the plumbing for some home improvement. ‘Karen’ and her husband from Mooroolbark VIC had purchased a beautiful new home and wanted to create a garden to complement their house.   They were just about to begin working on that when they realised that there were no taps near the front of their property! That would make keeping a garden alive a virtual impossibility. Their thoughts were “no point making a nice garden if it is just going to die from lack of watering”.   ‘Andrew’ (one of our plumbers from our Wantirna VIC depot) arrived at the property 15 mins before he was required, in order to be prepared. He measured the water pressure on site and spoke with Karen and her husband in order to find out where they would like their new tap installed.   After a bit of thought, Karen advised Andrew that she wanted the tap in a certain spot. She also wanted it very low to the ground as they were experiencing some neighbourhood nuisance issues late at night. Karen did not want someone to walk past and turn their tap on. This had happened at nearby house a couple of times and meant that their neighbors had wasted a lot of water through no fault of their own.   Andrew suggested that they install an ‘anti-vandal’ garden tap. He went to the local ‘Reece’ outlet in Lilydale VIC to purchase these specialised fittings and appropriate polypropylene water pipe connections. Andrew installed the tap exactly where Karen wanted it. She was very happy in the knowledge that she could now sleep soundly, without worrying some delinquent could make her and her husband’s life that bit more difficult.   Andrew and the O’Shea Plumbing team always take the time to find out the complete background on plumbing issues and client expectations. In essence, they apply problem-solving and forward-thinking. The anti-vandal tap would not have been installed if our approach was to complete jobs in a routine and uncaring fashion.   We pride ourselves on ‘going above and beyond’. We are pretty sure that’s why our clients are so loyal and we get plenty of repeat business! At O’Shea Plumbing we provide the best possible advice on plumbing and practical solutions which suit the unique needs of our clients.

This next case study from the team at O’Shea Plumbing involves ‘Ted’, who recently called our main office in Mount Waverley VIC. Ted’s mother’s house was advertised on the property market for sale. There was a problem with the toilet in the ensuite continually blocking up, so this presented quite an issue!   Our owner ‘Lawrie’ and our plumber ‘Benjamin’ visited on site. They removed the toilet in order to start investigating the problem in-depth. A ‘Ridgid’ drain camera was inserted in the drain.  This provided some insight into the problem. Tree roots had entered the drain and the installation of the sewer pipes was deemed to be very poor.     ‘Liam’ from ‘Pipe Hunter’ in Ringwood VIC, was called to site to advise if the option of relining of the drain would be viable. The consensus was negative. So with very carefully, floor tiles were removed to the most minimal degree. This was so that the damaged section of the sewer drain could be replaced.   Following this, a new ‘Caroma Luna’ back-to wall-toilet suite was ordered from the ‘Plumbers Coop’ in Mitcham VIC. This was installed as a superior, working replacement for the old toilet.   All the resulting scrap and rubbish was removed from site. The work area was thoroughly cleaned. This was of great benefit to Ted – as the house was open for inspection the very next day!   A VBA Certificate of Compliance was supplied to cover the work in entirety. Ted called to site when he was in town on the next Friday. He emailed Lawrie, with some fantastic feedback, stating that the job was “excellent”. That’s exactly what we like to hear about our work at O’Shea Plumbing!

This case study involves a hot water unit leakage. It all started when ‘Beverley’ from Balwyn, VIC  looked out her kitchen window to find her footpath flooded with water. The culprit was her hot water system, which was spilling a large volume of water.   In order to sort out the problem, ‘Lawrie’ owner and operator at O’Shea Plumbing (who is based out the Mount Waverley, VIC office) went to Beverley’s house at 6 PM on a Friday evening. At O’Shea Plumbing we really don’t mind attending outside regular working hours, to assist those with emergency plumbing issues.   Lawrie found out very quickly found that the hot water unit had split and was leaking water onto the ground (as fast as the water could enter). Unfortunately for Beverley, there was no chance to organise a new hot water unit at that point in time. However, Lawrie went about sourcing one to be installed by our plumber ‘Andrew’, who was on call for that weekend.   Andrew arrived at Beverley’s house at 8 AM the next morning and disconnected the old hot water unit. He performed the relevant gas pressure tests (that are required whenever any gas installation or repair work is carried out). He then installed a new hot water system. This was delivered to site by the team at ‘The Plumber Co-Op in Mitcham, VIC.   Andrew didn’t leave it there. After looking at all of the gas isolation valves, he found that there was a loose connection. Andrew undid the valve completely to check the condition of the valve (and the flared copper that attaches to isolation valve). Now that he had confirmed all was in good working order, Andrew felt confident about reconnecting the valve.   Once again, Andrew tested the gas line to ensure against any subsequent gas leaks. The new hot water unit was commissioned and a Certificate of Compliance was issued for the work. The gas was turned back on and the work area left clean and tidy. Best of all, Beverley and her husband were once again able to enjoy a warm shower that morning.

This next case study involves ‘Rosemary’ from Mount Waverley VIC. When she called our main O’Shea Plumbing office she reached our friendly administrator Kelly-Anne. Rosemary alerted Kelly-Anne to the fact she was having problems with the cisterns of both the toilets in her home.   Kelly-Anne acted promptly and later that day our plumber ‘Benjamin visited’ Rosemary’s home. He had a look at both cisterns. He suggested (that due to the age of the cisterns that a replacement) that a brand new system was the best option. However, Rosemary was also given the option of installing new toilet pans.   Rosemary chose to proceed with the complete installation of two new toilet suites. The O’Shea Plumbing team called our supplier ‘The Plumbers Supply Co-op’ in Mitcham VIC. They confirmed that the required toilet suites were in stock. Therefore, the job was booked to be completed only a few days later.   Benjamin and our apprentice ‘Alan’ installed both toilet suites for Rosemary. She was so pleased with the installations that she left a 5-star review on the website ‘Product Review’.

One of our loyal clients from Bentleigh East, VIC contacted us recently with a concern about a puddle of water in her garden (it hadn’t rained in a few days). ‘Minnie’ was aware that this might point to a plumbing issue. She had engaged our services previously (via our Mount Waverley, VIC head office) with a separate issue and felt confident with how we approach our work. Therefore, she did not hesitate to get in contact with us again.   Andrew (our plumber from the O’Shea Plumbing Bentleigh, VIC depot) arrived 15mins before the time he was scheduled – to get a head start on the job. He went about measuring water pressure and checking the water meter (to see if it was a large leak or not).   When Minnie showed Andrew where the puddle of water was, he provided two options for Minnie to choose from in investigating the issue (in order to locate the pipe that was leaking). Andrew was tasked to ‘hand dig in’ the area where water was pooling and in about 15mins had dug up an old irrigation connection. The isolation valve had failed and a crack had appeared in the PVC pipe.   Andrew demonstrated the situation at hand to Minnie and posed the question: reinstate the irrigation connection or remove it? Andrew was asked by Minnie to cut out the irrigation section and make it as if it had never been there (as she had never used the irrigation in her time in the house).   After removing the irrigation branch and bleeding the existing water line (to make sure no dirt flushed into the hot water unit and cisterns), Andrew turned the hot water unit and two toilets back on. It was at this point that he noticed that one of the cisterns was not working properly and asked if Minnie wanted options to fix/install a new cistern. Minnie did indeed want a new cistern – so Andrew obliged and went to work on installing a new ‘Caroma Slimline’ cistern (which he ordered from Reece in Burwood, VIC).   Minnie was very happy that Andrew did not just focus on the initial problem of the water leak, but was diligent in regards to the entire plumbing in Minnie’s beautiful home and spoke to her in depth about any issues he found. That’s what makes all the difference to our valued clients here at O’Shea Plumbing.

This next case study involves ‘Katie’ from Brunswick, VIC. She initially called the O”Shea Plumbing office and spoke with ‘Kelly-Anne’ (our friendly administrator at our Mount Waverley,VIC head office ). Katie’s gas hot water unit had failed and she was after a quote for a new ‘Rinnai’ hot water unit.   Our plumber ‘Richard’ was dispatched from our Bundoora,VIC depot. He provided quotes and options in replacing the system – which included a new gas pipe back to the gas meter. Katie happily accepted and Richard quickly set about organising the job.   Richards ordered materials from ‘The Plumbing Supplies Coop’ in Preston, VIC. ‘Leo’ (our trusted electrician from Hawthorn, VIC) was also booked in order to fit an external powerpoint. The completed works were pressure tested for gas leaks. With results proving that all was gas-tight, the new hot water system was commissioned and a Certificate of Compliance was issued.   All in all, Katie was incredibly pleased to be enjoying hot water with minimal delay. Her home is now equipped with a reliable and efficient ‘Rinnai Infinity 26’ hot water unit. Katie was so thrilled with the service at O’Shea plumbing that she gave our plumber Richard a five-star review on Google!

This next case study involves our client ‘Adam’ from South Yarra, VIC. Adam contacted O’Shea Plumbing HQ (our main office in Mt Waverley, VIC) when he noticed the smell of gas in his home. We received his call on a weekday (at around lunchtime) with the request for a plumber to come over – in order to investigate the gas pipes on his property.   Within two hours ‘Andrew’ (our plumber) was knocking on Adam’s front door to introduce himself and to set about testing the gas line on the property. After acquiring authorisation to start a gas test, Andrew performed a pressure test and concluded that there was a leak in existence somewhere on the pipe.   Andrew had to shut off the gas. This is a requirement by law (until a gas leak is found, capped or fixed). Andrew completed this and then went about isolating each gas appliance in Adam’s house – to determine whether the leak was coming from aforesaid appliances, or on the gas line.   Andrew discovered a loose connection to the hot water unit. He went about removing the isolation valve (to check that the flares in the copper pipe were in good repair). After affirming this, Andrew then installed a new isolation valve (that he purchased from the Reece store at Armadale,VIC ) and proceeded to test the gas line (once again). This time there was no pressure drop – this meant that the gas  leak had, indeed, been fixed.   Within only three hours of the initial call, Andrew had successfully found and fixed the gas leak. This meant that Adam and his family could once again rest easy, knowing that they are no longer at risk for gas inhalation and all the scary implications of that. Another job was well done by the team at O’Shea Plumbing.

This is yet another case study from O’Shea Plumbing which occurred over the busy Christmas period. In this instance, ‘Hattem’ and his wife were not ready to deal with having no  access to hot water around Christmas time. With no hot water flowing through their taps, they got in contact with our O’Shea Plumbing HQ in Mt Waverley, VIC.   They reached ‘Kelly-Anne’ in our office who assured them that a plumber would be there with minimal delay. After just a short lapse in time, ‘Andrew’ (who is one of our plumbers) arrived on our client’s property to investigate the situation at hand. Unfortunately, he found that the client’s hot water unit was over 30 years old, and was not worth servicing.   However, Andrew did notice that their house had a number of solar panels on the roof. With the potential this provided in mind, he sat down with Hattem and his wife in order to survey the range of hot water units on the market (including solar), as well as the particular processes/requirements that the installation of each item would be likely to require. This in-depth analysis and ‘shopping around’ really helped to provide peace-of-mind for our client.   Once Hattem and his wife had made his mind up on which hot water unit they would like, Andrew made preparations to acquire an ‘Aquamax 390’ hot water system. Hattem was not confident that Andrew could source one in the busy period between Christmas and New Years on such short notice. Never fear, our employees are very resourceful people. Andrew spoke with ‘The Plumbers Co-op’ in Mitcham, Vic and managed to get his hands on the desired hot water system. Even better, the supplier could get it delivered within the hour!   In the meantime, Andrew went about performing the appropriate gas testing in order to affirm that the entire gas line was sound and safe. He drained the unit and got it out of the way for the new one to arrive and be installed.   Within four hours of our client’s initial phone call, we were so happy to have Hattem and his wife enjoying the comfort of fresh hot water once again. They now have a brand new ‘Aquamax 390’  hot water unit at their disposal, with a 12-year cylinder guarantee. Hattem was so happy with the service that we provided to him that left a glowing 5-star review on Google singing our praises. And that makes us feel so valued here at O’Shea Plumbing!

Did you know that O’Shea Plumbing isn’t just your friendly go-to for home plumbing issues, but that we are also involved in several large-scale commercial applications? The Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) in Carlton, VIC, is one such client.   An undoubtedly magnificent building, ACF also leads the way in Melbourne for green buildings and conservation. It is Australia’s peak national environment organisation, with over half a million people involved in speaking out for a world “where forests, rivers, people and wildlife thrive”. ACF are proudly independent, entirely non-partisan and funded via community donations.   The administration at ACF is also a proud, long-term customer of O’Shea Plumbing. ‘Andrew’ (the maintenance manager the ACF) has used our services for many years now. Here are O’Shea Plumbing, we carried out various works for this organisation over time, including installing mixer taps, water tanks, toilet systems and much more!   The ACF is just one of several large buildings that O’Shea Plumbing regularly services, particularly within the greater Melbourne region. We are so proud to assist not-for-profit, philanthropic and altruistic organisations and their endeavours. Getting involved in our local community is always a major perk for the team at O’Shea Plumbing!

In this next case study, we solved what could have been a crucial safety problem and it just goes to show the level of responsibility we hold at O’Shea Plumbing. It was late one night when ‘Graham’ woke and smelled gas coming through his window. He quickly alerted his wife ‘Dorothy’ (who couldn’t smell anything).   Graham realised there was no gas application in existence anywhere near their bedroom, so he only thought was that is could be the gas mains (located just next to the window). Graham made contact with his gas supplier who attended his home. The gas supplier tested the gas at the mains and noted that there was no problem on Graham’s property’s side of the gas meter. He shut off the gas to the house until he could find a plumber to fix the gas leak.   At this point, Graham started shopping around for options. He obviously found our team at  O’Shea Plumbing to be the best choice. After engaging us for the task, our plumber ‘Andrew’ was on site to test the gas line within just a few hours. He tested the gas line and all appliances (just to make sure that these were not the cause of the leak).   After performing these rigorous checks, Andrew went under the house and noticed that the existing gas line was made from galvanised iron, with nearly half of it buried underground. Andrew provided a quote to renew the gas line to copper. Graham and his wife were very happy with the price (as it was considerably cheaper than the other company’s).   In this case, our clients wanted us to start on the job right away. After checking our schedule, we discovered that all of our O’Shea Plumbing team members were all booked out until the next week. However, after a few phone calls, ‘Kelly-Anne’ (our administrator at our Mount Waverley, VIC office) was able to swap some jobs over for us to renew the gas line in just two days (instead of five).   Andrew ordered all materials to complete the job from ‘The Plumbers Supplies Coop’ in Mitcham, VIC. He then finished, tested and verified all the work. Graham and Dorothy had their gas back in safe operation in time for the weekend. They were very happy indeed!

Sometimes the effects of inclement weather can cause not only a heavy outpouring of rain but also an onslaught of calls to O’Shea Plumbing HQ. During December 2018, ‘John’ from Balwyn North, VIC was one such caller. He had noticed water from the rain pooling and starting to flood his backyard (alarmingly close to his house and garage).   John reached our friendly administration ‘Kelly-Anne’ in our main office in Mount Waverley, VIC. She organised for our trusty plumber ‘Richard’ to visit onsite to investigate and promptly rectify the problem. He thoroughly inspected the potential location of the blockage (through the opening in the stormwater drain).   Richard advised that he could attempt to clear the stormwater drain using his ‘Ridgid’ drain cable machine and, with approval from John, set to work. He managed to clear a lot of the tree roots and leaf litter out from the drain. He then continued by putting a hose down the area which ran the excess water out onto the road (without backing up) and thus, effectively solving the issue.   We were so pleased to see John leave this comment on ‘Product Review’. “He (Richard) explained everything he was going to do, so I knew what was involved from the start. I am very happy with the works and will recommend O’Shea Plumbing to my friends”.

This case study shows that O’Shea Plumbing is your local ‘go to’ for any plumbing issues – even when these occur outside of normal business hours. Just take, for instance, the following real-life story as solid proof.   Recently, ‘Les’ called us at our office in Mount Waverley, Vic to get assistance with a problem with his toilet flushing. He had noticed that water was running onto the floor every time  he operated the cistern.   Our response at O’Shea Plumbing was characteristically prompt. Our owner ‘Lawrie’ quickly dispatched one of our plumbers ‘Richard’ to the client’s site in Bentleigh East, VIC in order to fix the leaking toilet. Richard took the time to explain what was involved in the job, detailing in ‘layman’s terms’ what would be the likely course-of-action, and the potential risks in removing toilets. He issued quotes to Les, which were happily accepted.   In no time at all, Richard removed the toilet, paying due care to keeping the entire system intact and in good condition. He was also careful with the surrounding walls and bathroom door – as not to dent or scratch them. He replaced the rubber (that was allowing for leaks) with a new ‘50mm pan cone’ rubber and installed the toilet in its original position. He applied silicone around the base of the pan.   Richard had found that toilet had not actually been screwed in properly when he first arrived and inspected it, so he spent that little extra time in order to screw the base of the pan to the floor (the toilet was now fixed to the floor properly and unlikely to move over time).   The team at O’Shea plumbing were so thrilled to receive Les’ glowing review. He reviewed us on Google with a five out of five star rating, stating that he was very happy with our service and results. He said “Richard had a friendly approach and explained everything he was going to do very well, so I knew what was involved from the start. I am very happy with the results of his work and will be happy to recommend O’Shea Plumbing to my friends”.

The following is a recent case study involving garden pipe issues. To begin with, ‘Irene’ from Wantirna VIC, called O’Shea Plumbing’s Mount Waverley office and reached our administrator ‘Kelley-Anne’. She was in a bit of a panic; due to the fact that her father had hit the water line in his front yard with a shovel. He was in the process of constructing some garden edges when the unfortunate event occurred (of course, leading to water spraying out everywhere).   The very first thing that Kelley-Anne advised was for Irene to turn off the water meter. Then she arranged for our plumber ‘Andrew’ to be at Irene’s home as soon as possible. He arrived in a mere half an hour and promptly set about explaining the process likely to be involved in fixing the water pipe. After supplying a quote (which was approved by Irene and her father) Andrew got to work on fixing the split pipe.   Andrew asked if they were happy with the position and height of the existing garden tap. One change was requested: they would like to raise the tap so that they could fill a bucket underneath. As Andrew had to remove the ‘tee piece’ on which the tap was set, he simply asked them to demonstrate the desired height of the tap. He then raised the tap to suit the specifications of Irene and her Dad.   With a level thoroughness he is well-known for, Andrew made sure he left no stone unturned on the job. Luckily, he noticed that there was still a large volume of water filling up the trench (that was constructed to fix the split pipe). After fixing the leak, Andrew immediately called ‘South East Water’ to advise them that they would be required to fix the ‘isolation valve’ on the water meter (as it was not shutting the water off properly).   We are so thrilled to say that within an hour of Irene’s call that the plumbing issue was solved in entirety. That means fresh flowing water with minimal interruptions (almost like nothing had happened at all). So, that’s another win for the team at O’Shea Plumbing and of course for our valued clients!

Here’s another awesome result for the O’Shea Plumbing team in our Mount Waverley, VIC office. In this recent scenario, ‘Ping’ (a local Real Estate Agent) phoned and reached our friendly office administrator ‘Kelly-Anne’. She told Kelly-Anne that she required assistance with storm water and sewerage drains on a property in Glen Iris, VIC.   ‘Richard’ and ‘Grant’ (two of our plumbers) got to work in attempting to clear the drains. They employed a customised approach in a combination of tools, machinery, and equipment (all proudly owned by O’Shea Plumbing). They set about investigating the plumbing issues with a ‘Ridgid’ cable machine, a ‘Ridgid’ drain camera and ‘Ridgid’ Navitrack’ equipment (this tracks the drain camera). Plus, they also worked with a ‘Spartan’ trailer mount water jet machine.   Our superhero plumbing duo discovered that sections of drain needed to be replaced. Quotes for this work were submitted and accepted by our client Ping. Consent for the works (and a copy of the sewer plan) was sourced from ‘Yarra Valley Water’ in Mitcham, VIC. Only after this crucial stage did we go ahead with the task in earnest. We then found our most suitable tradespeople: ‘Keith’ (OShea Plumbing’s trusted excavator contractor from Eltham North, VIC); alongside ‘Claude’ (our reliable concrete cutter) were booked for the job.   The team at O’Shea Plumbing then arranged all the finer aspects of the task ahead. Bins were sourced from ‘Metropolitan Bib Hire’ in Keysborough, VIC (to facilitate the removal of rubbish and excess soi)l. Of course, inspections were booked with the ‘Victorian Building Authority’. In due course, a new ‘Caroma’ toilet suite was installed (all material was supplied by the ‘Plumbing Supplies Coop’ in Mitcham, VIC). As due diligence dictates, a ‘Certificate of Compliance’ was issued for all work undertaken.   We were pleased with the completed work, and Ping even moreso! Additionally, the property owners were delighted with the finished product of our plumbing services, and for the fact that the site was left in a spotlessly clean and tidy state. So, that’s yet another job well done for our crew at O’Shea Plumbing!

Here’s another case story from the team at O’Shea Plumbing. Our office received a call from ‘Matt’ from Wantirna South, VIC who was renovating his house before moving in. He required plumbing services as a result of the overhaul. Following this, ‘Jarett’ (our Service Manager here at OShea Plumbing) arrived promptly to site, providing quotes that were accepted by Matt.   The planned work included installation of a reflux valve on the sewerage drain (located near the property boundary). This particular valve proved to be a necessary component, largely due to the fact that the cheaper option of an Overflow Relief Gully was not an appropriate option in meeting AS/NZS 3500 regulations.   Before any works were carried out in actual practice, consent was first obtained from ‘South East Water’. Also, drainage inspections were booked, trench shields erected and an excavator arranged. Naturally, during the course of the work, a gas pressure testing was carried out. This detected conclusive evidence of a gas leak.   To remedy this situation, the existing gas pipes were replaced in heavy duty copper pipes and fittings. The new gas installation was pressure tested once again, to prove that it was safe and sound. This level of due diligence provides ultimate assurance, both for our company and our client/s.   A pressure reduction valve was then fitted (at the water meter) and a tempering valve attached (at the hot water plumbing) to prevent scalding water coming from the taps in the bathrooms. All the materials were proudly supplied by ‘The Plumbers Supplies Coop’ (in Mitcham). A Victorian Building Authority Certificate of Compliance was supplied for this work, in order to seal the deal. We are happy to report this with all work completed, Matt was soon able to move into his newly renovated house, with all plumbing in fully and safe operational order. That’s another job well done from the crew at O’Shea Plumbing!

In the following case study, we feature one of our long-term, loyal clients ‘Jay’. O’Shea Plumbing has an extended history of a successful completion of work for Jay, including replacing taps/toilets, fixing pressure control and solving water leaks in his house in Mt Waverley VIC. Jay called our office recently for some more assistance from the team he turns to for all his plumbing needs. This story has a bit of a backstory: Jay had recently taken the leap into purchasing a property in Ferntree Gully VIC. Unfortunately, after he had already ‘signed on the dotted line’, it was revealed that his new acquisition was equipped with poor water pressure, rusty-colored  water coming out of the taps and also a large amount of groundwater running under the house (as confirmed by a building inspector). ‘Jarett’ our Service Manager here at O’Shea Plumbing made the visit out to Ferntree Gully the very next day. After meeting with Jay, it was discovered that the house was fitted with old galvanised iron water pipes that needed replacing. Also, the agricultural drain (AG pipe) at the front of the house had been installed improperly and was allowing water to flow under the house. Jarett provided quotes to replace old galvanised iron water pipes with copper alternatives, alongside a proposal to install a new AG drain. Jay happily accepted the quotes, and Jarett facilitated a meeting with our plumber ‘Richard’ on site in order to get ‘works underway’. Heavy duty copper pipes and fittings were installed, and backed by a 25-year warranty. Pressure control testing was undertaken to provide ultimate peace-of-mind on the replacement of the water pipes. As always, excavated material and rubbish was thoroughly removed from site at the completion of the job. A Victorian Building Authority Certificate of Compliance was issued for this work to certify that it complied with AS/NZS 3500 standards. With the entire process taking no longer than a week, Jay was incredibly relieved to have the plumbing problems solved and to be able to move into his new house in a much shorter time span than he expected. And, that’s another positive result for the team at O’Shea Plumbing! We also thank Jay very much for leaving us a 5 star review on Product Review

O’Shea Plumbing delivers another great outcome in this next case study. Early one morning, ‘Kelly-Anne’ (our Customer Service Representative) received a call from ‘Nicky’ (our new customer hailing from Wheelers Hill, VIC). Nicky was calling to request assistance with a blocked drain in her kitchen sink. Her attempts to clear the drain with the household product ‘Draino’ had been to no avail.   Kelly-Anne promptly arranged for ‘Grant’, our experienced plumber to visit on-site later that morning. Grant provided some upfront quotes and suggestions to clear the blocked drain. However, upon further investigation, it was discovered that the drain under the house would require a higher degree of attention. Not only was it in very poor overall condition, but it also did not have anywhere near the correct gradient and was improperly connected to the main underground system!   Grant outlined replacing the existing 65mm suspended drain under the house with a 100mm drain. Nicky happily accepted the associated quotes. The work involved installing the new drain with the correct gradient, installing expansion joints, clips, wall sleeves (to allow for pipe expansion through the brick walls) and venting (as specified in the regulation/standard AS/NZS3500).   To go further into detail, a’ Ridgid Drain Camera’ and a ‘Ridgid Navitrack’ were used to locate the existing underground sewer drain. A new junction was cut into this drain to provide a proper connection between the suspended drain and the underground drain. In terms of site work, excavators were arranged, along with a bin to removed excess soil. Topsoil was provided to complete the ‘clean up of site’.     In accordance with current regulation, a ‘Victorian Building Authority Certificate of Compliance’ was issued to authenticate the work in its entirety. This effectively ‘wrapped things up’, but the job did not stop there! Feedback is so important to us at O’Shea Plumbing. So, we ensured that ‘Joanne’ (from our Accounts Department) contacted Nicky to make sure she was happy with our work.   Nicky said she ‘was very satisfied’ and that both ‘Grant and Marco were very professional’. Overall, she was surprised that none of her previous plumbers had brought these issues to her attention and, all-in-all was so relieved to put all the inconvenience with her kitchen drain behind her!  

This following case study involves a repair on an old oil heater. ‘Pam’ initially called our office to request a service to fix the fan on this piece of equipment (that had since been converted to gas) which has located at a property owned by her father in North Balwyn, Victoria.     Our friendly O’Shea Plumbing business operator/owner ‘Lawrie’ called on his extensive experience in the field to give the advice that “as this heater was very old, the wisest and safest option would be to replace it, in its entirety”.   Lawrie and trusty O’Shea Plumbing team member ‘Richard’ visit ed onsite to conduct investigations and deliver quotes with the aim to replace the old heater with a very safe, reputable and efficient ‘Rinnai Energysaver’ heater.   Pam was happy to accept this option and the works were confirmed, with the new heater ordered and a date and time suitable for installation booked in. We organised for our electrician ‘Leo’ to be available to assist on the day.   Before installation, Richard also pressured tested the entire gas system for any leaks. The gas testing proved the existing gas system to be sound. However, during the course of the job, a fault in the existing wiring was found. Leo brought this to our client’s attention – as a matter of full accountability in the interest of safety.   The fault was fixed in due course – in order to make the area safe and operable. However, our team didn’t stop there. When the heater was removed, it was noticed that the heater flue pipe was broken. Therefore it proved that removing this flue pipe and replacing the old heater with a new heater , was the best option   The old and broken pieces of equipment were removed, the roof repaired and the old heater and flue taken away for recycling. Of course, as due diligence demands – another gas pressure test was performed upon completion along with commissioning the new heater (to ensure it was operating correctly).   All in all, the new gas heater installation went without a hitch. A Certificate of Compliance was issued to Pam, to certify the work was done correctly. We are happy to report that the Pam’s Dad is now warm, safe and comfortable in his home – thanks to a job well done by the team at O’Shea Plumbing!

Here’s another success story for our team at O’Shea Plumbing. Even on a Saturday morning, there is no job too big or small – that we can’t, or won’t assist with! When Beverley from North Balwyn called our company owner she was ‘in a bit of a pickle’, and needing some on-the-spot help from a gas fitter, Melbourne. Lawrie was available to listen to her concerns, and provide some very solid solutions.   What had happened in this instance was that a representative of the gas company had knocked on Beverley’s door that morning. He was there to alert her that during the work of renewing the gas pipes in her street, they discovered that there was a leak on her gas pipes, he had cut the gas off the due to the gas leak, and that she should get a licenced gas fitting representative ‘over pronto’ to sort it out. This was certainly not the best start to the weekend for Beverley!   Beverley was a bit of loss as she did not know of a gas fitter that she could trust, especially at such short notice. She proceeded to get out the phone book, and when the page opened to an O’Shea Plumbing advertisement the gas company representative affirmed our excellent reputation. This is always so great to hear!   Lawrie quickly organised for our team member Grant to call around that same Saturday morning. As efficiently as ever, he thoroughly checked out the situation and provide a good amount of options and, of course, some fairly reasonable quotes. We are happy to report that these were accepted, with the gas pipes in copper tubes and fittings replacements scheduled.   Lawrie met Andrew on site at 8am on the following Monday. All work was completed by midday of the Tuesday. This included all aspect involved, such as pressure testing of the gas installation, servicing and carbon monoxide testing of the gas ducted heater.   A Certificate of Compliance was emailed to Beverley upon completion. Beverley was relieved and happy to have the issue sorted out in such a minimal time frame, far exceeding her expectations. She said that she would use O’Shea Plumbing for any future work required – which is certainly the feedback we love to receive!

This following case study involves Mrs Taylor of Thornbury, VIC. When Mrs Taylor first contacted us she divulged that on (previous occasions) she had encountered some bad experiences with tradespeople (from rival companies). We told her that we would send over one of our professional plumbers, by the name of Andrew. We reassured her that he would check out her tap problems thoroughly – providing her with an array of options and fair prices.   Andrew discussed and explained everything in depth with Mrs Taylor, to her great satisfaction. He only ‘made the call’ to proceed after she gave her explicit approval. We are very pleased to report that the tap repairs went exceedingly well. As a very efficient plumber, Andrew was soon on his way to his next job!   Not long after, Mrs Taylor rang the office of O’Shea Plumbing and spoke to Lawrie, our owner/operator. She said she was very happy, and made a point of being grateful for Andrew’s work. She also told Lawrie that she would be pleased to “spread the word” to anyone that she knows – advising them to use O’Shea Plumbing for all their plumbing needs!

At O’Shea Plumbing we want people to have a good experience with our tradespeople – and, a ‘job done right’ – for the best possible plumbing solutions overall. Obviously, a lot of times this involves a individual’s or family’s place of residence (where they live, eat and sleep) so, it’s really important to rectify any issues with plumbing quickly and efficiently – as ongoing problems can really affect ‘quality of life’.   In this case, we assisted a gentleman by the name of Bill. Bill had purchased a property about 10 years ago and organised a builder to construct his dream family home in Hughesdale, VIC. What transpired is that Bill and his family noticed a damp smell coming from under the house (becoming increasingly apparent over time), causing black mould on windows and staining walls.   Over the years, Bill had tried hiring a number of tradespeople to sort out the issue. He also fought a lengthy legal battle in order to get his builder to take responsibility, and fix the problem permanently. Unfortunately, the builder involved foreclose and Bill was left to ‘foot the bill’ for the works. He and his family also had to deal with what was a very unwelcome inconvenience – smack back in the middle of their own home!   At this point, Bill wanted to source an independent review and advice on how to stop water from entering under his house, and to get a professional quote to renew the agricultural drain. Bill had trouble finding a plumber to start the process – as no one took the time to really understand the issue in depth!   Thankfully, the team O’Shea Plumbing are very good at listening. Having twice now ‘gone over with a fine-toothed-comb’ to give detailed quotes and professional suggestions to prevent wet areas under the house, we are now at the stage of sending these to Bill. This is so that he can finally finish off their dream house. It’s definitely a relief for Bill and his family, and we are more than happy to help!

Recently, O’Shea Plumbing very happy to assist Stan and his wife, who hail from Bentleigh VIC. As a retired couple, they renovated their bathroom many years ago. Unfortunately, issues were found to eventually arise from their efforts to improve their home – as the plumber responsible at the time had simply raised the shower base and connected the waste directly over the top of the old one – without bothering to even remove the grate!   Undoubtedly, this plumber performed a terrible disservice to Stan (and his spouse). Over the years obstructions were merely ‘poked down’ past both grates, which naturally lead to a very blocked drain. Luckily, a plumber from our experienced team at O’Shea was able to address the problem with a home visit. The plumber first unblocked the drain, then proceeded to propose options to find a permanent solution to the problem.   Through successful identification of the issue and alongside practical expertise, O’Shea Plumbing (as a tried and trusted plumber in Bentleigh) were able to provide peace-of-mind and a reliable service. Due to this, Stan and his wife will now only call our team to the exclusion of all others when they encounter any plumbing problems in their house. We were pleased to have them report that they found up to be “honest, fair, punctual and to do a job to a high standard”.

In this next case study, a resident of Mount Waverley by the name of Stewart gave the team at O’Shea Plumbing a call, with an issue regarding a blocked drain (storm water) and blocked sewer. This was a job for our senior plumber Grant – who promptly visited onsite to deliver  solutions backed by years of practical experience. As a plumber in Mount Waverley, he is in a  well placed proximity to most locations in the Melbourne region.   Some options (with accompanying quotations) were provided as potentialities in unblocking the drains, which included cable, water jet machine and drain camera methods. Stewart chose to proceed with a water jet and camera option – which resulted in a successful sewer clearance. The drain camera revealed faults with the drain, but the conclusion was that it would remain serviceable, for at least the time being.   The storm water drain was shown to have structural breakage and partial collapse. To deal with this particular problem, Grant once again went ‘back to the drawing board’, preparing quotes and recommendations in replacing sections of the drain, as part of a sewer replacement.   This was, of course, all performed in adherence to relevant regulations/protocol and included a substantial amount of ‘background work’. This took the form of Monash Council permits, inspections to meet Monash Council Inspector’s requirement, bin hire, concrete cutting/hole boring, excavating, ‘Dial Before You Dig’ permits and, of course, a complete clean up of site – amongst many other aspects.   With the problem at hand resolved quickly and meticulously, Stewart was very happy. He is now considering further work to be done by O’Shea Plumbing. And, that high level of loyalty is exactly what we aim to endear (through our hard work and dedicated customer service) in all our clients!

Here at O’Shea Plumbing HQ, we recently had a phone call from Natalie (a very valued long term client) about a blocked drain. The sewer drain had been cleared of tree roots, but our client wanted long term solutions. Our trusty team members were on hand to provide quotes for both a partial sewer replacement, and a section of stormwater drain. The work was confirmed by Natalie and completed as quoted. As plumbers in Elwood (inner suburb of Melbourne) must, of course, comply with State regulations, all work was completed in accordance with the Local Sewerage Authority, the Victoria Building Authority, and in compliance with AS/NZS 3500 standards. Therefore, consent was obtained from South East Water and inspections were booked before any work was undertaken. Specifically, a Road Opening Permit and a Dial Before You Dig (generally storm water only) applications were made, processed and granted. At this point the team also made sure all equipment was made available, and that a protocol was drafted before the practical application of the plumbing work could begin. A bin was provided to remove excess excavated soil and rubbish from the site, and a plan was enacted to leave all areas in a clean state. It was agreed that an excavator would be sourced and that excavated soil from under paved area would be removed from site, and back filled with crushed rock. We are pleased to report that the all the planning and hard work paid off. Natalie was very happy with the job, and exceptionally relieved to have her plumbing issues sorted with peace-of-mind into the future. It made it so rewarding when O’Shea Plumbing received positive feedback by way of an SMS from Natalie. “It’s at moments like now (as the rain pelts down) i’m very grateful for all the recent good plumbing work. Thanks Grant (and Keith). Cheers, Natalie.” If you too are experiencing issues like Natalie and need your plumbing fixed promptly (yet thoroughly) don’t hesitate to pick up the phone and give our friendly team a call today on 03 9888 2887!

We recently completed a drain replacement job for a client named Spiro based in Mount Waverley, Melbourne. He was struggling with a blocked sewerage drain that he had already attempted to fix, unsuccessfully. Spiro had gotten Yarra Valley Water to come check out the problem, but their efforts did not provide the results Spiro needed. They said the blockage was in the property drain and did not offer further solutions. Spiro then decided to contact a plumber in Mount Waverley instead. He reached out to the O’Shea Plumbing team to come clear the blocked drain. We investigated the situation using a drain camera and location equipment that could track the camera head. Upon inspection, we found that the sewerage drain was broken and needed to be repaired. We provided Spiro with quotes for the necessary plumbing work, which Spiro accepted. This included replacement of several sections of sewerage along with additional replacement of stormwater drains. Plumbers in Mount Waverley (Greater  Melbourne region from relevant sewerage authority) must obtain consent and sewer plans from Yarra Valley Water before completing such work. We helped obtain these permits along with information and plans from Dial Before You Dig (another requirement for Melbourne plumbers). Our plumbers also booked inspections at Spiro’s Mount Waverley property with the Victorian Building Authority. The plumbing project itself involved removing excavated soil from the site and backfilling the excavation with crushed rocks for sections of the drain that were underneath the pavement. Finally, our plumbing team supplied and lodged a Certificate of Compliance, which guarantees that services completed by any plumbers in Mount Waverley and surrounding areas adhere to relevant codes and regulations. We are pleased to say that Spiro was very satisfied with our services once it was all said and done. He wrote us a raving 5/5 star review on Product Review, claiming that we provided “quality service and exceptional value for money”.   More satisfied O’Shea Plumbing customers in Mount Waverley   Cathy has lived in Mount Waverley all her life or there about. Throughout the years she has seen the O’Shea Plumbing office and vans around the streets of her area and thought that she would use O’Shea Plumbing the next time she needed a plumber in Mount Waverley. Throughout the years since she first called us, Cathy has relied on the services of O’Shea Plumbing from heater and tap issues to hot water unit issues. On this occasion, Cathy rang up stating that her pilot light on her hot water unit was off and that she could not get it to go back on. Jarrett, who is a long time team member of O’Shea Plumbing, hung up the phone and was knocking on Cathy’s door within 10 minutes. Jarrett assessed the situation, noting that her hot water unit was over 25 years old and had well and truely served its purpose. While giving Cathy her options to solve the problem, Jarrett was transparent and mentioned that O’Shea Plumbing could attempt to service the unit, but at the age the unit was he could not guarantee that the Hot Water Unit would last too much longer. In this case, it was a much better idea for Cathy to put the money that it would cost to service the unit into a brand new unit with the manufacturer’s cylinder warranty, as well as knowing that all the internal components are new and she will not have to worry about re-lighting her old unit regularly. Jarrett and Cathy agreed that O’Shea Plumbing should install a new hot water unit. Jarrett organised delivery of the new unit from the Plumbers Co-op in Mitcham. Andrew and Dani arrived a short time after and went about installing the new hot water unit, performing all relevant gas tests to ensure that there were no gas leaks and commissioning the unit in accordance with the current regulations. Cathy was over the moon that she did not have to wait more than a day without hot water especially as the weather was cold, windy and wet – so a hot shower in the evening would have been very welcoming. Well done team!   Searching for Plumers in Mount Waverley? So was Garry! Garry purchased a beautiful home in Mt Waverley and was in the process of unpacking belongings when his new home’s plumbing took a turn for the worst. Unfortunately for Garry, the sewer system had became blocked and was causing waste to overflow into his new backyard. The blocked drain was also causing the toilets and other drains around the house to drain very slowly. Garry was unsure of who to contact as he had moved to Mt Waverley from Canada meaning that he had not needed the services of any trade yet. After already having trouble reaching two other Mt Waverley plumbers, Garry decided to search online for plumbers in Mt Waverley and read some of the O’Shea Plumbing reviews that had been left by customers on the internet. After reading numerous positive reviews, Garry decided that O’Shea was his top choice. Garry phoned the O’Shea Plumbing  Mt Waverley office, Chelsea (O’Shea Plumbing team member) answered and organised Andrew (O’Shea Plumber) to head to Garry’s house once he finished at his last job. Andrew arrived shortly after and provided Garry with a quote to use the sewer cable machine so Garry knew the approximate costs. Andrew gladly accepted the quote. Andrew took a look around all of the drains which were connected to the sewer system to find the closest spot to the blockage to use the cable machine. Doing this meant that 1.) Andrew would not have to work as hard to push the cable as far down the drain and 2.) it would mean that Andrew could do a better job at clearing any blockages and keep Garry’s costs down to a minimum. Within 4 hours of the initial phone call to O’Shea’s Mt Waverley plumbing office, Andrew had cleared Garry’s drain blockage meaning his systems would be back to running normally. O’Shea offers a 12 month warranty on sewer drain blockages that reoccur in the same spot, so Garry a one-year blockage guarantee if a blockage occurred within the cleared section of drain. Garry was so happy with the job, he decided to leave us a 5-star review. See below!     Spiro, Cathy and many other clients know and trust us for plumbing in Mount Waverley and all around Melbourne. To experience the difference we can make for yourself, call us today on 03 9888 2887!

Geoff is a local resident based off of Dandenong Rd in Murrumbeena, Melbourne. He called us up one day requesting a quote for swapping his gravity feed hot water unit to a gas unit. He had been looking for a reliable plumber in Murrumbeena and stumbled upon our company.   Shortly after our phone call with Geoff, several members of our plumbing team met him on site in Murrumbeena to inspect his property and provide advice tailored to his specific situation. We gave Geoff a range of service options and explained the details and requirements of each one. We also listened to Geoff’s suggestions and took them on board so we could offer a plan of action personalised to him.   We then presented Geoff with a quote, making sure to highlight the attention to detail, high quality and guarantees of our plumbing work. Geoff told us that he would get quotes from other plumbers in Murrumbeena and think it over before getting back to us. The next day, Geoff accepted the quote and arranged a day and time for the work to commence.   All the work we completed was done on time, including extra work such as water pressure reduction and water and waste pipe replacement that Geoff decided he wanted done as well. Our team even organised all application forms to Greenbank Environmental, which are important for plumbers in Melbourne and the greater Victoria region to complete. We filled the forms out and sent them off to Geoff so he could claim a government rebate, as he was changing from an electric unit to a gas five star hot water unit.   By the end of the project, we could see that Geoff was very satisfied with our work and level of customer service. In fact, he has even left us two 5-star reviews on Product Review! We can confidently say that if you need an honest and reliable plumber in Murrumbeena, we’re the place to turn. Both Geoff and ourselves guarantee it!   To arrange your own consultation or request a free quote, call the best plumbers in Murrumbeena at 03 9888 2887!

Case Study    O’SHEA PLUMBING – APPLYING SOUND BUSINESS PRINCIPLES TO ASBESTOS MANAGEMENT Plumbing is a challenging trade: a good plumber needs to understand hydrostatics and hydrodynamics, have all the necessary skills as well as a good dose of common-sense, and be prepared to work in some unpleasant environments. Plumbers who work on existing housing stock also have the additional challenge of working with asbestos. O’Shea Plumbing is a family-owned plumbing company located in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs, mainly carrying out work on private homes. The owner and managing director, Lawrie O’Shea, has developed an even more cautious approach to handling asbestos than in the past, prompted by Master Plumbers (Victoria) who alerted plumbing companies to the technical and financial risks of working with asbestos. What have they done? Processes which make ‘best practice’ the easiest practice The company has a number of simple but effective processes to make it easy for the company’s plumbers to act appropriately if asbestos is suspected: all staff have the occupational hygienist’s and the asbestos removal contractor’s phone numbers pre-programmed in their phones disposable masks and overalls are standard issue and easily accessible in all company vehicles the company uses scheduling software to minimise the chances of employees being “too rushed, too busy, too little time between jobs” to follow the company processes for dealing with asbestos the owner is always available to be consulted on ambiguous situations.   A methodical approach O’Shea Plumbing has an extremely logical approach to working with asbestos or in sites which potentially contain asbestos. It is often hidden – for example, under tiles which might need to be cut in order to carry out plumbing work – and cannot be identified until the work begins. They prioritise identification and management in advance, so that other trades don’t lose a day unnecessarily due to the last-minute identification of asbestos, and the client sees that the company is looking after their health. O’Shea Plumbing Asbestos Management Decision Tree Effective financial practices Apart from being personally committed to best practice in asbestos handling, the owner says it’s the only possible strategic financial decision: “it’s a business-based decision as well as a compliance-based decision”, due to the potential financial liability (not covered by insurance) if a client or staff member fell ill even years later. One risk to companies that undertake best-practice is that they could be underquoted by less careful or less scrupulous companies. O’Shea Plumbing gets around this problem by ensuring that asbestos testing or removal/disposal is always separately identified on any quote, so that a client can differentiate between the plumbing cost and the asbestos-related cost: when quoting, staff bring up the asbestos issue very early with clients – and ensure that the client is well-briefed before work starts. To ensure that best practice is followed, the company has designed a quoting template that makes it easy to separately identify the cost of asbestos-related work; staff have a series of standard clauses for quotations relating to asbestos risk pre-filled in on their iPads. The careful approach (and the separate invoicing) has paid off well for O’Shea Plumbing: their clients are delighted to see they care about this issue and are doing everything they can to protect their clients’ health, and their staff and other trades know that they can be sure they’re working on a site that is completely free of asbestos.   Part of a broader message The company has made the ‘asbestos message’ as part of a broader ‘safety message’: it’s not justified to take risks with asbestos, just as it’s not necessary to crawl under low floors and risk damage to your back. This broad safety message is continually emphasised during their regular weekly team meetings.   Challenges Many tradies are young, and the young are invincible. It’s necessary to keep emphasising the dangers of asbestos: some younger plumbers can still have too much of the “I’ve got to die of something, so why worry” mentality. There are still relatively low levels of community awareness of the potential risks of asbestos – the message keeps needing to be given.   Key messages about how to make it work O’Shea Plumbing’s practices have demonstrated how even a relatively small company can achieve best practice. The key to its success is: making ‘best practice’ the easiest practice having a standard, methodical, company-wide approach to working with asbestos, which incorporates the ‘asbestos message’ as part of a broader ‘safety message’ developing business practices that ensure that a best-practice company is not financially disadvantaged.