Tewantin facts that affect plumbing
Mostly houses
At the 2021 Census, 82.2% of occupied homes in the suburb of Tewantin were separate houses and 41.4% were owned outright, against 29.1% across Queensland.
Older homes, no stormwater link
Noosa Shire Council says many buildings from before 1975 were never required to connect to the stormwater system, so their pipes simply empty onto the ground.
Not every property is sewered
Council says not all properties in the Noosa council area are connected to water and sewerage. Those that aren't treat wastewater on site.
Council's plumbing team
Noosa's Building and Plumbing team is currently working from Council's customer service centre at Tewantin. Plumbing records for a property can be requested through Council's property search.
Water crossing the boundary
Council treats most overland flow between neighbouring blocks as a matter for the owners. Many such problems can be solved with seepage drains, which stop pooling and send the water to the stormwater system, and a licensed plumber and drain layer can advise.
Council has an interactive map of a property's stormwater infrastructure and a Stormwater Site Report. Run it before the plumber comes. See our stormwater page.
Septic tanks and treatment plants
An on-site system needs local government approval before it goes in, and an appropriately licensed plumber and drainer must do the work. Council recommends pumping out a septic tank every 5 years.
Treatment plants are serviced every 3, 6 or 12 months, depending on the system, by a qualified service agent, who must lodge a service report with Council within 10 days. Holding tanks must be registered with Council. Keeping the system in good condition is the owner's job. Our septic systems page explains a service visit.
Smells and slow drains
Unitywater says odour, slow drainage or gurgling at taps and toilets may mean a blockage or another problem in the private plumbing, which the owner fixes. On a sewered Tewantin property, that is a job for a drain specialist. For hot water, see hot water on the Sunshine Coast.
What we would do
For an older Tewantin house, request the plumbing records from Council before any drainage work. They should show whether the property is sewered or on an on-site system, and how the roof water is meant to leave the block. If it turns out to be a septic tank, find the last pump-out date too.