Normanhurst is a short drive from Gordon, where Peter lives. Blocked drains, hot water, leaks, gas and 24/7 emergencies for the period homes and leafy streets of Normanhurst, from the plumber who answers the phone and turns up at your door.
It’s mostly post-war family homes on leafy, generous blocks, with a village of shops near the station. Established trees and original pipework, with the land sloping away towards the Berowra Valley bushland on the western side. Peter knows the streets, and he knows what’s under them.
Older homes bring original clay sewer lines, joined every metre, with decades of roots in the joints, and galvanised water pipe that’s slowly closing up from the inside. Normanhurst’s homes are at the age where hot water systems, galvanised pipe and clay drains all come due at once.
We aim to respond to all enquiries within one business day.
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Blocked, leaking, cold or smelling of gas, you don’t need to know the name of the problem to call. Tell Peter what you can see, hear or smell, or send a photo. You’ll get a straight answer on what’s likely going on, what your options are, and what it’ll cost before any work starts.
Normanhurst’s established trees and original earthenware pipe make root blockages the most common repeat problem.
Galvanised water pipe losing pressure, original fixtures, and hot water systems sized for another era.
Leaf-filled gutters, downpipes and pits on established, leafy blocks.
Nearly all of our Normanhurst work is in people’s homes. We also look after the townhouses and unit blocks near the main roads and the rental properties managed from local offices.
Tell us what’s happening. A photo often tells us most of what we need.
Normanhurst sits on the Northern rail line just south of Hornsby, in Hornsby Shire, between Thornleigh and Wahroonga. It’s mostly post-war family homes on leafy, generous blocks, with a village of shops near the station.
Established trees and original pipework, with the land sloping away towards the Berowra Valley bushland on the western side. The homes were plumbed with clay sewer pipe and galvanised steel water pipe, and much of it is still in service. The clay lines are joined every metre, and Normanhurst’s trees have had decades to find those joints. Root blockages that come back every few months are the most common repeat call we get here, and the fix is rarely just another clear. A camera inspection shows how far the roots have got and whether a section is worth relining.
The galvanised pipe corrodes from the inside, so pressure fades slowly and the first sign of trouble is often discoloured water in the morning or a pinhole leak. Hot water systems in the older homes are often sized for the household that lived there decades ago, and plenty are at the end of their life.
Normanhurst’s homes are at the age where hot water systems, galvanised pipe and clay drains all come due at once. We’ll tell you straight what’s worth repairing and what’s worth replacing, with the camera footage to show why.
Sink not draining, toilet backing up, the same blockage back again a month later. Blocked drains are the job we’re called to most in Normanhurst, and tree roots in old clay sewer lines are the usual reason. We clear the blockage, then use a drain camera to show you why it blocked, so it doesn’t keep happening.
We ask what’s been happening and check where the blockage sits before we start. Flushing the toilet and seeing water come up in the shower or an outside gully tells us the main line is blocked, not just one fixture.
Depending on the blockage, that’s an electric drain machine or a high-pressure jetter that scours the pipe walls clean, roots included.
A CCTV drain camera shows what caused it: roots, a cracked pipe, a sag, or just years of build-up. You see the footage too.
If the pipe is damaged, we explain your options, including pipe relining where it suits, so you’re not paying for the same clear every few months.
Why does my drain keep blocking?
In Normanhurst it’s usually tree roots in the original clay sewer line, sometimes a cracked or sagging pipe, sometimes grease. A camera inspection tells us which, so we fix the cause instead of clearing the same blockage again.
Can you clear it without digging up the garden?
Nearly always. Jetting and the drain machine work from the existing access points, and relining repairs a damaged section from the inside without a trench.
Are supermarket drain chemicals worth trying?
We’d skip them. They rarely clear a real blockage, they can damage older pipes, and they make the drain unsafe to work on when we arrive.
No hot water, not enough of it, or a tank that’s started to leak. We repair and install gas, electric and solar hot water systems across Normanhurst, and because Peter is a licensed gas fitter as well as a plumber, there’s no second trade to book for a gas unit. We’ll tell you straight whether yours is worth fixing.
Age, condition, what’s failed and what’s likely to fail next. Have the brand and model handy, or send a photo of the sticker.
A thermostat, element, valve or thermocouple on a sound tank is usually worth fixing. A leaking tank isn’t; tanks can’t be patched.
The right type and capacity for your household, not just a like-for-like swap. Old unit removed, new one fitted tidily, area cleaned up.
Is a leaking hot water system urgent?
A small drip from the relief valve usually isn’t. Water pooling around the base of the tank is, because it won’t get better and can cause water damage. If it’s leaking heavily, turn the cold water off at the isolation valve on the inlet pipe and call us.
Storage or continuous flow?
It depends on what utilities are available and what matters more to you: efficiency, which favours continuous flow, or hot water that keeps coming if the power fails, which favours storage. Peter will talk you through both before you decide.
Do you install gas hot water?
Yes. Storage and continuous flow, repairs, servicing and replacement, all by a licensed gas fitter.
Burst pipe, sewage coming up, water through the ceiling, a smell of gas. Call 0403 404 307 any time, day or night, weekends and public holidays, and you’ll speak to Peter, the plumber who’ll come out. Normanhurst is a short drive from Gordon, where Peter lives, and we’ll tell you honestly how long that’ll take when you call.
Usually in a box near the front boundary. On older Normanhurst homes it can be tucked behind a hedge or under leaf litter, so it’s worth finding before you need it. Turn clockwise until it stops.
Electric: switch it off at the switchboard. Gas: turn the unit to off or pilot.
If water is near power points or lights, switch off at the switchboard if it’s safe to reach. Don’t touch anything wet.
Don’t use switches or flames. Turn off the gas at the meter if you can, get everyone outside, and call. If the smell is strong, call 000 first.
When a genuine emergency comes in, it goes to the front of the queue. If that means moving a booked job, the customer affected gets a straight phone call about it, not silence. We’ll tell you honestly when we can get to you.
Peter Pan Plumbing is one licensed plumber and gas fitter, based in Gordon and working across the Upper and Lower North Shore. Peter has done his share of construction work, but maintenance is where he wants to be: the drain that keeps blocking, the leak nobody can find, the hot water that’s given up on a Sunday. He likes working out what’s actually going on and fixing it properly.
When you call, you get Peter. He’ll talk you through it, give you a straight answer, and he’s the one who turns up and finishes the job.
Normanhurst is a short drive from Gordon, where Peter lives. We cover the whole suburb and the suburbs around it.
All of it. If you’re in Normanhurst, we come to you.
Call 0403 404 307 or send a photo. Most jobs can be quoted before we arrive.
Most jobs can be quoted over the phone or from a photo, and phone quotes are free, so you know the price before any work starts.
Yes. We’re open 24 hours, 7 days, including weekends and public holidays. For a burst pipe, sewage backing up or a smell of gas, call 0403 404 307 straight away.
Peter. The person who answers the phone is the plumber who comes out and finishes the job. No call centre and no handovers.
Yes. Peter holds NSW licence 464374C, which covers plumbing, drainage, gas fitting and roofing, with public liability insurance. Gas and water work is done by the same person.
Usually tree roots in the original clay sewer lines, sometimes a cracked or sagging pipe, sometimes grease. A camera inspection tells us which, so we fix the cause instead of clearing the same blockage again.
Yes. Strata managers get a fixed quote before work starts and a written job report. Property managers get photos and an invoice they can forward straight to the owner.
Call Peter and you’ll get a straight answer about what’s wrong and what it’ll take to fix. No call centre, no runaround, and no one trying to sell you more than you need. Most jobs can be quoted over the phone or from a photo, so you’re not waiting on a site visit just to get a price.