Common plumbing jobs in Christchurch homes
Most calls to a plumber are small and routine: a dripping tap, a toilet that will not stop running, a blocked waste, a leaking washing machine connection, or a hot water cylinder that has stopped heating. Larger jobs usually involve replacing pipework, fitting out a new bathroom or kitchen, or connecting appliances.
Christchurch has an unusually mixed housing stock. Many homes were repaired, partly rebuilt or newly built after the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes, so a street can hold recent plumbing next door to original pipework from decades earlier. It is worth telling a plumber roughly how old the house is and whether it has had repair work, because that changes what they expect to find.
- Leaks, dripping taps and running toilets
- Blocked sinks, showers and gully traps
- Hot water cylinder repairs and replacements
- Bathroom and kitchen installations
- Pipework repairs and replacement
- Appliance connections
What to tell a plumber when you describe the job
A clear description gets you a more useful answer and a more accurate price. Before you call, have a quick look and note down what you can see.
- What is happening, and when it started
- Where in the house it is, and whether it is upstairs or downstairs
- Whether water is still running or you have turned it off at the toilet stop tap or the main
- Roughly how old the house is, and whether it has had earthquake repair work
- A photo or short video, if the plumber takes messages or email
- Whether you are at home during the day, or need a specific time
Questions worth asking about a quote
Plumbing work is often priced differently depending on whether the job can be diagnosed before anyone arrives. Ask how the business prices work so there are no surprises.
- Is this a fixed price, or charged by time and materials?
- Is there a call-out fee, and is it charged on top or absorbed into the job?
- Does the price include parts, and what happens if a part turns out to be different once the job is opened up?
- What happens if the job takes longer than expected?
- Is there a different rate outside normal hours or at weekends?
- Will you get the quote in writing before work starts?
Checking licensing and service coverage
Plumbing, gasfitting and drainlaying are regulated trades in New Zealand. It is unlawful to carry out that work unless you are authorised by the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board, and a person doing the work should hold a current practising licence. The Board keeps a public register, so you can check a licence yourself rather than taking it on trust.
The three trades are separate. A plumber is not automatically a gasfitter or a drainlayer, so if your job involves gas appliances or underground drainage, check the person is licensed for that specific work.
This directory does not check licences, insurance or qualifications for any listing. Confirm them with the business and with the Board's register before work starts.
Confirming they cover your suburb
Plumbers travel to the job, so where a business is based matters less than where it is willing to work. Some cover the whole of Christchurch, others stay within a handful of suburbs, and a few take work out towards Selwyn or Waimakariri. The suburb filter on this page matches both the suburb a business is based in and the areas it says it travels to, but coverage can change. Confirm it when you make contact, along with whether they can reach you in the time frame you need.