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O'Shea Plumbing has been looking after Melbourne homes since 1978. That’s ore than 48 years of repairs, replacements and maintenance across 42,000+ properties.
Our plumbers in the northern suburbs work seven days a week, and because we've operated out of Melbourne's east and north east for close to five decades, the inner and middle north is familiar ground.
We cover Brunswick and Northcote through Preston, Reservoir and Coburg, across to Ivanhoe, Heidelberg and Greensborough, and out to the newer estates in Epping and South Morang. Every job starts with a proper assessment.
As local plumbers in the northern suburbs, we tell you what's causing the problem, give you options with a fixed price on each, and back the finished work with a 10-year workmanship guarantee. We've been the plumber Melbourne homeowners call since 1978, and the north has been part of that run for most of it.
Anyone can clear a drain or swap a hot water unit. The part that saves you money is knowing whether the fault will hold. Our plumbers camera lines, pressure test and use leak detection equipment where the cause isn't visible, then explain what each option costs and how long it buys you. You decide what's worth doing now and what can wait.
You'll have a fixed price to approve before anyone picks up a tool, and there's no call-out fee on jobs that proceed, so you're not paying for a quote. If you'd rather not go ahead, that's your call.
All plumbing and gasfitting work is carried out by tradespeople licensed and registered with the Victorian Building Authority. Plumbing meets or exceeds AS/NZS 3500 and gas work meets AS/NZS 5601, with compliance certificates issued where required. We've been a member of the Master Plumbers and Mechanical Services Association of Australia for over 40 years, and Product Review named us one of the best plumbers in Australia in both 2024 and 2026 on verified homeowner reviews.
The north covers a lot of ground and a lot of build eras, and a few issues come up far more often here than they do elsewhere in Melbourne.
Inner northern suburbs like Brunswick, Northcote, Thornbury and Coburg are full of subdivided blocks, older units and dual occupancies that share a single private drain across several titles. When that shared section blocks, clearing it is straightforward. Working out who pays is the part people get stuck on. We locate the fault first so the responsibility question is settled before anything gets quoted.
Preston, Reservoir, Fairfield, Ivanhoe and Heidelberg have plenty of pre-1970s homes still running original earthenware sewer lines joined in short mortared lengths. Pair those joints with established street trees and root intrusion becomes the most common cause of recurring blockages. Relining an old line usually beats clearing it every second winter, which is why we camera before recommending anything.
A good part of the north sits on reactive clay that swells and shrinks with the seasons. Over decades that movement fractures rigid pipework and pulls drains out of grade, so water sits in a sag instead of flowing away. If you've had two blockages in the same line, that's usually what's behind it rather than what went down the sink.
Epping, South Morang, Mernda, Craigieburn and Greensborough bring a different set of jobs again: slab-on-ground construction, PEX systems, continuous flow hot water units and tight service cupboards. Faults here are more often about installation detail and pressure than about age, and some are still covered by a builder's or manufacturer's warranty. We'll tell you if we think that's the case rather than quoting you for something you shouldn't be paying for.
Terrace and cottage extensions are common across the inner north, and most of the plumbing happens before a tile goes down. Relocating a toilet depends on the fall available to the existing sewer connection, which is easier on a suspended timber floor than on a slab. Give us the layout you want and we'll tell you what's achievable before you spend money on a design.
Usually the homeowner, but it depends where the blockage sits, and it's a fair question to ask your plumber before work starts.
We camera and locate the drain, mark the exact position and depth of the fault, and if it turns out to be in the water corporation's main we'll say so rather than charging you to fix something that isn't yours. We also offer a 12-month warranty on sewer blockages that recur in the same spot, applying to weekdays and one call back.
Book one of our northern suburbs plumbers seven days a week. We'll clear it, camera the line, show you what caused it, and give you a no-obligation quote before any repair work starts.
03 8566 8449We have plumbers in the northern suburbs on call every weekend of the year, so a Saturday hot water failure doesn't have to wait until Monday. Urgent work, including burst pipes, gas leaks, no hot water and sewage overflows, is triaged ahead of routine jobs. For non-urgent work we'll book a time that suits your household and give you a window, rather than a whole day at home waiting.
If your street isn't on the list, give us a call and we'll confirm coverage.
Tell us what's happening at your place and we'll get a licensed plumber in the northern suburbs out to assess it, explain your options and quote a fixed price before any work begins. Seven days a week, no call-out fee on jobs that proceed, backed by a 10-year workmanship guarantee.
03 8566 8449We work seven days a week with plumbers on call, so you're not waiting for Monday morning. Urgent jobs are triaged ahead of routine work and we'll aim to get someone out the same day where we can.
For non-urgent work, our office team asks enough questions to send the right plumber with the right equipment, then books a window that fits around your day.
Because clearing a blockage and fixing the cause are two different jobs. A recurring blockage in the same line almost always means the pipe itself is the problem: tree roots at a joint, a cracked section, or a sag holding water.
That's why we put a camera down after clearing it. Once we can see what's there, relining or repairing the affected section is often cheaper over a few years than paying for a clear every winter.
Yes, and it's a lot of what we do in the inner north. We deal regularly with property managers and owners corporations on behalf of both landlords and tenants.
On any strata or shared-title job, the first thing we establish is whether the fault sits inside your lot or in shared services, because that decides who wears the cost. We document what we find so you can hand it straight to your building manager or agent.
Yes. Plumbing and gasfitting work must be carried out by a plumber licensed or registered with the Victorian Building Authority, and licensed plumbers are required to issue a compliance certificate for most work above a set value.
That certificate is your evidence the work meets Australian Standards, and it matters for insurance claims and when you come to sell. Unlicensed work on gas pipework or appliances is a safety risk, not just a paperwork issue.
