As featured in the Sunday Mail TV guide – Trades & Services section 30/11/14

Your losses from Leaks
Leaks from your bathroom fittings, if left unresolved, can seriously affect your water bill.
A dripping tap can waste 150 litres of water per day. A leaking toilet or cistern could cause your daily water use to increase by 250 litres.
A tiny crack in a pipe connected to your bathroom could leak over 300 litres of water in 24 hours.
In addition to inflating your bills, leaks can damage walls, electrics and contribute to increased damp and mould.
DIY Plumbing Disasters
A competition held by a leading plumbing supplies company, highlights some of Australia’s more ‘interesting’ attempts at bathroom DIY.
Some notable finalists included a misaligned toilet bowl (45° to the wall), a toilet directly supplied by water from a pipe in the roof, a piping junction held together by a significant amount of tape, and the winner; a milk bottle replacing a section of pipe (underneath a sink).
This shows that bathroom plumbing is a difficult and skilled task, taking years of training and experience.
If you have a long standing problem in your bathroom, the best thing to do is to call an Accredited Plumber.
Sharpe Plumbers answer a frequently asked plumbing question:
Q: What can I do to improve my plumbing?
A: Using plumbing devices like flow regulators will protect a number of key water using appliances.
Many of these require flow regulators to be connected to your plumbing system for warranties to remain valid.
Some manufacturers will refuse warranty claims if it turns out your water pressure was above 500 KPA.
Whilst new homes are legally required to have devices to limit water pressure, this is not the case for older premises.
Signs and Symptoms: Toilets, Basins and Taps
- Do your taps constantly drip or regularly leak?
- Have you noticed damp spots appearing in or below your bathroom?
- Does your toilet or basin frequently block?
- Are there small puddles of water around your toilet or basin?
If you notice any of these problems, contact a Sharpe Plumber immediately.
Master Plumber
Using an Accredited Master Plumber ensures your plumbing is carried out by an experienced and ethical professional.
Guidelines set by the Master Plumbers regarding standards, codes of conduct and pricing, mean you can be confident that work conducted to a best-practice level. If a plumber isn’t a Master Plumber’s member, then they shouldn’t get your business.
Secret Savings
Sharpe Plumbers reveal there are a variety of things you can do to reduce the amount of water you use in your bathroom.
Bathroom fixtures now have water ratings, so you can know whether you’re buying an eco-friendly product.
Having a new high efficiency shower-head installed can reduce your shower’s water consumption by around 40%.
Devices like flow regulators and tap aerators both reduce water use and water splashing when you turn on the tap. These products can lower tap water use by up to 50%.
Water Pressure Gauges are used by Sharpe Accredited Plumbers to test whether your home’s water pressure is at a level which can damage plumbing.
Select a Worry Free Plumbing & Hot Water Electrical Safety Inspection $187

A Sharpe Plumber will conduct:
- 17 Point Check
- Visual, Moisture and Camera Inspections
- Moisture and Pressure Tests
- Indoor and Outside Plumbing
- Water Heater Evaluation
All conducted by a fully licensed Plumber.
Written report provided on completion.