What does an emergency plumber cost in Wellington?

It is the question everyone wants to ask and almost nobody does when the kitchen is filling with water. What is this going to cost me? We would rather you asked, so here is an honest run through of what goes into the price of an emergency plumber in Wellington, and where you can save.

There is no single flat price, and be wary of anyone who quotes one

An emergency call out is not one fixed number because no two emergencies are the same. A tap that has sheared off is a different job to a hot water cylinder that has split, which is different again to a drain blocked by a tree root. The price depends on three things: the time of day, the work involved, and the parts your job needs.

What we will always do is explain our fees when you call, and confirm the price with you before we start the actual work. You should never get an invoice that surprises you. If a plumber will not talk about cost on the phone, that is a fair reason to call someone else.

Time of day matters

A job at two in the afternoon on a Tuesday costs less than the same job at two in the morning on a Sunday. That is true of every trade that runs a genuine after hours service. The premium pays for someone to actually be awake, on call, and willing to get out of bed and into a cold van to help you.

This is worth keeping in mind when you decide whether a problem is a true emergency. A burst pipe spraying water is an emergency, call straight away on 027 247 3030. A tap that drips can almost always wait until normal hours, which keeps the cost down. If you are not sure, ring and ask. We will tell you honestly whether it can wait.

The work involved

Stopping a leak and replacing a short length of pipe is quick. Tracing a blockage, running a drain machine or a hydro jet, and finding that a clay pipe has cracked under a tree root is a bigger piece of work. The more time and gear a job takes, the more it costs. A licensed plumber who diagnoses the real cause the first time often saves you money over someone who keeps coming back to poke at the symptom.

Parts and materials

Some jobs are mostly labour. Others need a new cylinder, new valves, or a run of pipe. Hot water cylinders in particular are a real cost when the tank itself has failed. We carry common parts so we can often finish in one visit, and we will tell you up front when a part is the bulk of the price.

How to keep an emergency bill down

• Know where your toby is. The toby is the mains shut off valve, usually near the street boundary. Turning it off stops water reaching the whole house and limits the damage while you wait.
• Know where your hot water cylinder valve is so you can isolate a leaking cylinder.
• Call early. A small leak caught quickly is cheaper than a ceiling that has come down.
• Ask for the price before work starts. We give it to you, and you should expect that from anyone.
• Mention you are a new customer. New customers get 10 percent off the first job, up to $40.

Why a licensed plumber is worth it

Cheap is expensive when the work has to be redone. Mark is a fully licensed certifying plumber and drainlayer, which means the repair is done to code and signed off properly. That matters for your insurance, for a future house sale, and for the simple fact that it will not fail again next winter. You can read more about the team on our about page.

If you have water where it should not be right now, do not read on, just call 027 247 3030. If you are planning ahead, have a look at how we handle emergency plumbing and general plumbing maintenance, and the things you can try yourself before a blockage becomes a call out.