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Hills Plumbing & Gas
Blog

Plumbing advice, written by Gold Coast plumbers.

Real talk on burst pipes, gas safety, hot water choices and bathroom renos, written by people who actually do the work, not content marketers.

Tips
Tips · 7 min read

How to spot a dodgy plumbing quote (a plumber's guide)

A licensed Gold Coast plumber on quote red flags: pressure tactics, the licence check most people skip, and questions that expose a dud early.

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New builds
New builds · 14 min read

New build plumbing on the Gold Coast: the complete 2026 guide

Everything that goes into plumbing a new home on the Gold Coast, the build stages, what gets installed, compliance, costs and the mistakes that cost owners thousands.

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New builds
New builds · 11 min read

The stages of plumbing a new house on the Gold Coast: rough-in to fit-off

Every stage of plumbing a new Gold Coast home, from pre-slab drainage to rough-in, fit-off and commissioning, and which trades coordinate when.

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Renovations
Renovations · 13 min read

The plumbing side of a bathroom renovation on the Gold Coast (2026 guide)

The plumbing side of a Gold Coast bathroom renovation: strip-out to fit-off, what's easy to move and what isn't, and how the work gets certified.

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Renovations
Renovations · 12 min read

Bathroom waterproofing: the Gold Coast make-or-break step

Bathroom waterproofing on the Gold Coast: what AS 3740 requires, the membrane types in plain terms, and why this is the one corner you never cut.

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Blocked drains
Blocked drains · 13 min read

Blocked drains on the Gold Coast: causes, fixes, prevention

The complete plumber's guide to blocked drains on the Gold Coast, why they happen, how to read the warning signs, which clearing method actually works, and how to fix it for good.

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Blocked drains
Blocked drains · 11 min read

Pipe relining on the Gold Coast: no-dig repair explained

How no-dig pipe relining fixes cracked, root-invaded sewer lines on the Gold Coast, what it honestly costs, and when digging is the better call.

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Leak detection
Leak detection · 13 min read

Water leak detection on the Gold Coast: the complete 2026 homeowner's guide

How to spot a hidden water leak, the DIY meter test, the types of leak we find in Gold Coast homes, and how professional non-invasive leak detection finds the problem without jackhammering your slab.

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Leak detection
Leak detection · 11 min read

Slab leaks on the Gold Coast: signs, detection and repair

How to spot an under-slab water leak in a Gold Coast home, why older coastal slab-on-ground houses get them, how a leak is pinpointed without smashing the floor, and what the repair really costs.

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Pool heating
Pool heating · 10 min read

Pool heating on the Gold Coast: gas vs heat pump vs solar (2026 cost guide)

Gas, heat pump or solar for a Gold Coast pool? What each costs to install and run, heat-up times, sizing, and which suits your swimming season.

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Pool heating
Pool heating · 18 min read

Heat pump pool heating on the Gold Coast: 2026 deep-dive

Heat pump pool heating on the Gold Coast: real install and running costs, sizing, coastal-rated units, and whether one pays off for your pool.

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Pool heating
Pool heating · 18 min read

Solar pool heating on the Gold Coast: the honest guide

Solar pool heating on the Gold Coast: how roof collectors work, real 2026 install costs, honest performance limits, and when to add a heat pump.

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Hot water
Hot water · 8 min read

Hot water systems on the Gold Coast: the 2026 coastal buyer's guide

Gas, electric, heat pump or solar hot water for a Gold Coast home: what each costs to run, how salt air shortens lifespan, and when to replace.

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Emergency
Emergency · 4 min read

What to do when a pipe bursts at home

The first 5 minutes matter most. Where the water main is, how to turn it off, what to do before we arrive, and how to limit the damage and the insurance claim.

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Gas safety
Gas safety · 5 min read

Signs of a gas leak in your home

What gas actually smells like, what to do (and not do) if you smell it, why you should never test it yourself, and when to ring the licensed gas fitter.

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Hot water
Hot water · 7 min read

Heat pump vs gas hot water on the Gold Coast

Which works better in our climate, what the 2026 STC rebates do to the upfront maths, and when it's worth replacing your existing hot water unit early.

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Renovations
Renovations · 8 min read

What a bathroom reno actually costs in 2026

Honest 2026 pricing for a Gold Coast bathroom rebuild. What the plumbing costs, what the tiles cost, what tends to blow the budget, and how to stop it.

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Blocked drains
Blocked drains · 6 min read

Tree roots in drains, why they keep coming back

Why Gold Coast clay soil and mature trees are a recurring problem for drain pipes, why eel clearing never lasts, and what actually solves it long term.

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Hot water
Hot water · 3 min read

No hot water? Check these 3 things before you call

Quick checks for gas, electric and heat pump hot water systems that might save you a callout fee entirely, plus what to do if the checks don't fix it.

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New builds
New builds · 9 min read

New build plumbing checklist for owner-builders

The 12 things you can't forget when plumbing a new home on the Gold Coast, from slab penetrations through rough-in inspections to final QBCC certification.

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Renovations
Renovations · 6 min read

Choosing tapware for your bathroom reno

Brass vs matte black vs chrome tapware. What actually lasts in Gold Coast coastal air, what's genuinely worth spending on, and what looks dated in 5 years.

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Tips
Tips · 4 min read

5 ways to actually cut your water bill

Beyond shorter showers, the real plumbing fixes that move the needle on a Gold Coast water bill, including the silent running-toilet that wastes thousands.

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Seasonal
Seasonal · 6 min read

Winter plumbing checklist for Gold Coast homes

No hard freezes here, but Gold Coast winters still cause real plumbing problems. Hot water demand peaks, hinterland pipes see frost, gas heaters fire up cold.

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Buying & selling
Buying & selling · 7 min read

Pre-purchase plumbing inspection, what to check before you buy

Buying a Gold Coast house? Standard building inspections barely look at plumbing. What a proper pre-purchase check uncovers, and the real cost of skipping it.

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Strata & apartments
Strata & apartments · 8 min read

Strata plumber Gold Coast: who pays for what (owner vs body corporate)

Apartment plumbing gets confusing fast: lot-owner vs body-corporate, shared stacks, isolated hot water units. How it really works on the Gold Coast.

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Owner-builder
Owner-builder · 9 min read

Owner-builder plumbing requirements in QLD, what you can and can't do

Owner-building on the Gold Coast? Exactly what plumbing you can do yourself, what requires a licensed plumber, and the paperwork that trips most owner-builders.

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Seasonal
Seasonal · 10 min read

Storm season plumbing prep for Gold Coast homes

Gold Coast storm season runs November to April: heavy rain, wind and the odd cyclone trigger plumbing failures most homeowners don't see coming. How to prep.

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Holiday letting
Holiday letting · 10 min read

Holiday-letting plumbing checklist for Gold Coast managers

Short-stay units have a different plumbing risk profile: wipes-blockages, flexi bursts in empty units, changeover emergencies. Tighten your portfolio plumbing.

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Tech
Tech · 9 min read

Smart water leak detection systems for Gold Coast homes

Smart water meters, leak sensors and auto-shutoff valves are now affordable on a typical Gold Coast home. What works, what's hype, what we install.

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Pools
Pools · 10 min read

Pool plumbing problems Gold Coast owners should know about

Pool plumbing sits between the pool builder and regular plumber, and gets missed by both. Auto-fill stuck open, backflow risk, gas sizing, salt corrosion.

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Acreage
Acreage · 11 min read

Dry-season water security for Gold Coast acreage homes

September to November is the dry-spell pinch point for hinterland acreage: tank levels drop, cartage prices rise, households get caught out. The plan we run.

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Repipe
Repipe · 10 min read

PEX vs copper, the modern Gold Coast repipe decision

Whole-of-house repipes are now common in 30+ year coastal homes. PEX is the new default for good reasons, but copper still wins in specific cases. Honest take.

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Buying & selling
Buying & selling · 10 min read

Pre-sale plumbing checklist, what to fix before listing your Gold Coast home

Buyer inspections are now standard on Gold Coast property and they flag every plumbing issue. Fix the cheap-but-visible ones first to protect your sale price.

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Acreage
Acreage · 8 min read

Acreage water cartage on the Gold Coast, what to know before you need it

Every acreage household eventually runs the tank low. Cartage suppliers, prices, delivery windows and how to avoid being price-gouged in peak dry-spell.

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Insurance
Insurance · 10 min read

Plumbing insurance claims, what insurers actually cover on the Gold Coast

Burst-pipe damage is one thing, slow leaks and gradual deterioration another. What gets covered, what gets contested, and the documentation we provide.

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Renovations
Renovations · 11 min read

Bathroom reno mistakes to avoid on the Gold Coast

The 10 reno mistakes we see most on Gold Coast bathroom jobs: wrong tapware for coastal exposure, drainage falls cut to a hair, cheap-trade waterproofing.

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