Mooloolaba facts for plumbing
Apartments first
At the 2021 Census, 47.6% of occupied homes in the suburb of Mooloolaba were flats or apartments, 38.5% separate houses and 11.6% townhouses or similar. 41.5% were rented.
Medium-rise beachfront
Sunshine Coast Council's planning scheme says the beachfront is mostly medium rise residential buildings, for visitors and permanent residents.
Houses on the slopes and canals
Traditional low rise housing sits on the slopes west of Alexandra Headland and around Mooloolaba Waters.
A working harbour
The Mooloolaba State Boat Harbour serves commercial fishing and marine industries, including seafood retail and wholesale, next to the marina and Yacht Club.
What is in the water
Unitywater says Sunshine Coast and Noosa drinking water is generally soft, under 100 mg/L hardness. The Australian Drinking Water Guidelines call water under 60 mg/L soft but possibly corrosive, and 60 to 200 mg/L good quality.
Unitywater adds that soft water may lead to more corrosion of pipes, depending on pH, alkalinity and dissolved oxygen, while hard water is what leaves scale on hot water pipes and fittings. Its advice is to leave water-using appliances on factory settings, with no salt added.
Hot water in an apartment
Queensland's hot water page says water must be heated to at least 60°C to control bacteria such as Legionella, and delivered to taps at no more than 50°C. A temperature control device must be fitted to every new and replacement system.
If a unit's shower runs too hot, ask a licensed plumber to check the temperature control device. Queensland Health says any change to thermostat settings should be done by a licensed electrician. Our tempering valves page explains it, and hot water on the Sunshine Coast covers replacements.
Meters, leaks and businesses
Unitywater owns the water meter, and plumbers must not repair a leak at the meter itself. Report that to Unitywater. Pipes and fittings from the meter onto the property are the owner's to maintain.
For harbour and Esplanade businesses, see our commercial plumbing page. For a home leak, start with leak detection.
What we would do
In a Mooloolaba apartment, find out before anything breaks which pipes and valves are yours and which belong to the building. Keep the body corporate's contact with your hot water details. When the plumber knows that on day one, the right person approves the work, and nobody waits on a phone call.