TasWater's pipes and yours
TasWater is Tasmania's one statewide water and sewerage utility. It maintains pipes from the main to the connection point on your property.
For sewer, the pipe from that connection point to the house, usually starting at the inspection opening, is the private service line, and it's the customer's responsibility. For water, the connection point is the meter or the first valve closest to the boundary; a leak between there and your home is yours to repair.
With a sewer blockage, TasWater's advice is to call your plumber first. If the plumber finds the problem is in TasWater's system, contact TasWater. A plumber may not work on TasWater's pipes without its permission, and it may consider reimbursing the cost only when it authorised the work. Our sewer pipe guide compares this with other water companies.
Hobart facts that change a plumbing job
Stormwater came late
The City of Hobart says the city is more than 200 years old and its stormwater network is relatively recent, so some areas have limited or no stormwater pipes. Many properties send roof water onto the ground or into the sewer.
Roof water in the sewer
Council warns that stormwater in the sewer can cause sewer overflows in heavy rain, and water discharged onto the ground can flood downhill neighbours. If your property has no connection to the public system, the City can make one, at your cost.
Below zero in winter
TasWater says it's not uncommon for Tasmanian temperatures to drop below zero in the colder months, freezing water in meters and above-ground pipes. Cover the meter before a cold night.
More units than the rest of Tasmania
At the 2021 Census, 18.8% of occupied homes in the City of Hobart's area were flats or apartments, against 5.3% across Tasmania, and 35.6% were rented.
Who can do plumbing in Tasmania
Tasmania licenses the business and the person separately, under the Occupational Licensing Act 2005 and the Occupational Licensing (Plumbing Work) Regulations 2021. A business can't carry on as a plumbing contractor without a contractor licence. Section 38(2) of the Act goes further: nobody may represent that someone is prepared to contract for the work unless that person holds a contractor licence of the right class.
The plumber on site holds a practitioner licence, such as standard, restricted or certifier. Ask for the contractor licence number of the business and the practitioner licence of the person doing the work, then check them on the state's licence register. Our licence check guide has more.
Permits and the four categories
The City of Hobart sorts plumbing work into four categories. Category 1 is low risk work an owner or competent person can do. Category 2 is low risk work a plumber can do without a Council inspection. Category 3 is notifiable work that can't start until the City issues a Certificate of Likely Compliance. Category 4 is high risk work the City must inspect.
Your plumber should tell you which category your job falls in. Council says it's the owner's responsibility, with the designer, to have a certificate of likely compliance or permit in place before any work that needs one begins.
Hot water and other Hobart jobs
Replacing a hot water heater in Tasmania means fitting a temperature control device, unless you're swapping one unit in a bank of heaters. More on our Hobart hot water page.
Pick your problem: blocked drains, an emergency plumber, gas fitting or commercial plumbing. Suburb pages include Glenorchy, Moonah, Kingston and Sorell.
What we would do
If water appears after rain, think stormwater, and if it's been dry for 72 hours, Council says it's unlikely to be stormwater at all, so look for a leak or a sewer problem instead. For a sewer blockage, call a drain specialist first, as TasWater asks, and if they say it's in TasWater's pipe, have them stop and get TasWater's permission before carrying on. That's the only way reimbursement stays on the table.