What's particular about Sunshine Coast plumbing
Mostly houses, many paid off
At the 2021 Census, 73.1% of occupied homes in the Sunshine Coast council area were separate houses and only 12.8% flats or apartments. A third, 33.9%, were owned outright, against 29.1% across Queensland.
Drains shared with the neighbours
Sunshine Coast Council says some homes sit on a combined sanitary drain: one private drain that serves two or more properties and joins the sewer at a single Unitywater connection. Most were built in the 1930s and 40s.
Older homes off the stormwater
Council notes that some properties built before 1976 aren't connected to the stormwater system, and still have pipes that empty onto the ground.
Soft water
Unitywater describes Sunshine Coast and Noosa water as generally soft, under 100 mg/L. It advises leaving water-using appliances on their factory settings and says there's no need to add salt.
What Unitywater looks after
Unitywater provides water and sewerage across the Sunshine Coast, Noosa and Moreton Bay council areas. It doesn't do repairs on private plumbing: anything that belongs to the property is the owner's to sort out with a licensed plumber.
On the water side, the line is the meter. Pipes and fittings from the meter onto your land are yours to maintain, and so is any leak on them, hidden or not. The meter itself is Unitywater's, so a leak at the meter goes to Unitywater rather than to a plumber.
Sewer blockages: let the plumber call it in
Where Unitywater's sewer pipe ends and yours begins depends on the property. Unitywater's own pages describe that point in two different ways, so we don't quote either. Ask Unitywater to confirm it for your address.
What is clear is the process. If a plumber finds the blockage is in Unitywater's pipes, the plumber reports it to Unitywater and shouldn't try to clear it or charge you for finding it. Unitywater pays an identification fee for that work, and only the plumber can claim it. Our guide to who owns the sewer pipe compares the rules elsewhere.
Licences and paperwork
Queensland plumbers are licensed by the QBCC. Ask for the licence number, then look up the business on the QBCC licensee register and the worker on the occupational plumber and drainer register. Anyone doing gas work also needs a gas work licence or authorisation, which you can search on the RSHQ Portal.
Replacing a water heater, or altering the drains of an existing house, counts as notifiable work. The plumber lodges it with the QBCC after invoicing, and you get a copy within 20 business days of it being registered. Work on a combined sanitary drain is different: it needs a plumbing permit from the council first.
Hot water on the coast
Queensland wants a temperature control device on every hot water system, new or replacement, and stored water at 60°C or more. Heat pumps and solar systems must be fitted by an installer with a QBCC solar and heat pump endorsement. Our Sunshine Coast hot water page goes through the choices.
Blocks without sewer, and backflow devices
A property that isn't connected to the sewer needs an on-site sewerage facility, such as a septic tank or an aerated treatment plant. Council must issue a plumbing permit before one is installed or altered, and servicing runs from quarterly to yearly depending on the system. Our septic systems page explains what a plumber checks.
Irrigation, swimming pools and commercial processes are among the contamination risks Council lists for backflow. If your property has a testable backflow prevention device, the owner must have it tested yearly by an endorsed plumber, and Council keeps the register.
Sunshine Coast specialists and suburbs
Choose the page for your problem: hot water, hot water installation, blocked drains, leak detection, gas fitting or an emergency plumber.
Suburb pages start with Caloundra, Maroochydore, Buderim, Nambour and Noosa.
What we would do
If your home is older, ask the council's plumbing team two questions before any drain work: is the property on a combined sanitary drain, and is there a drainage plan on file? The answers decide who shares the cost of a repair and where the plumber should start looking. For a blockage, pick a drain specialist who knows Unitywater's process, so a fault in its pipes gets reported rather than cleared at your expense. Then check the QBCC licence before work begins.