Where the facts come from
- State regulators and their licence registers, for who may do which work.
- Water companies, for who owns which pipe and who pays to clear it.
- Legislation and the regulators' own guidance on privacy and consumer law.
- Energy programs' own pages, for rebates, discounts and loans.
- Where a rule could only be read in someone else's summary, the source list names that summary, so you can judge it.
What we leave out
Prices. No prices for jobs, products or call-outs. A price depends on the job and the plumber, and we set neither. The only dollar figures on the site are rules, such as a rebate cap or a fine.
Rules we could not confirm. When two official pages disagree, the page says so and names who can give you the answer.
Stories we cannot prove. No made-up customers, jobs, reviews or plumbers. A real job, photo or review goes on the recent jobs or reviews page only with the homeowner's written permission.
Rules that change
Plumbing rules move. Victoria's gas hot water rule is a good example: from 1 March 2027, a gas system in an existing home must be replaced with an efficient electric option when it reaches the end of its life. The legal text behind it was not found, so our pages on it tell you to check current rules.
When a rule has a start date, the page gives the full date, so you can tell whether it applies to you yet.
Who writes and checks
The Blufire team writes and edits every page on PlumbMatch. Plumbers, suppliers and hot water brands do not write our guides.
None of us is a plumber, so a page leans on its sources rather than on anyone's opinion. Before a page goes up, someone on the team matches each rule, date and figure to the source listed at the bottom of it.
Independence
Guides explain the job and the rules. They do not name or rank plumbing businesses.
PlumbMatch is not affiliated with the hot water brands it writes about. How a job reaches a plumber is set out in how it works.
Found a mistake?
Email info@blufire.com.au with the page link and what looks wrong, plus a link to the source if you have one. The Blufire team checks it against the source and corrects the page if we got it wrong. We aim to reply within two business days.