Most water coming into a building during a storm is a stormwater problem rather than a roof problem, and the fix is usually cheaper than people fear.
No obligation. Takes 30 seconds.
Emergency Plumber Geelong connects Geelong and the Geelong and Bellarine region property owners with qualified, connects Geelong and Bellarine property owners with licensed local plumbers for roof & storm. Tell us what's happening and whether water is still running, and we'll match it to a licensed plumber covering your suburb. Firm price before work starts.
Gutters full of debris so water backs up over the fascia and into the eaves. A downpipe blocked so the gutter can't drain. A stormwater line blocked underground so the downpipes back up.
All three present as 'the roof leaks' and none of them are the roof. That's good news — they're the cheap end of this list.
Water appearing in the same spot in light rain as well as heavy, or continuing after the rain stops, points at the roof itself — flashing, valleys, or a failed penetration seal around a vent or an aerial.
Roof plumbing is licensed work in Victoria. Getting up there yourself on a wet Geelong roof to check is not a good trade of risk against saved money.
Clearing gutters and testing downpipes in autumn prevents a large share of what gets called out in winter. It's unglamorous and it works.
Properties under established trees — most of Newtown and Highton — need it more than once a year, realistically. Leaf-heavy autumns fill a gutter faster than people expect.
Get containers under it and move what you can. Then check whether power outlets or the switchboard are anywhere near the water — if they are, that changes the priority entirely.
If a powerline is down anywhere near the property, stay at least eight metres clear, ring **000** if life is at risk, and ring **Powercor on 13 24 12**. Treat every downed line as live.
Geelong.
Where this job typically sits. Access is usually a bigger cost driver than size.
| Job | Indicative price | What moves it |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency call-out, business hours | $120 – $250 | Attending and diagnosing. Some credit it against the work; ask, because not all do. |
| After hours, weekend or public holiday | $180 – $400 | The call-out premium. Confirm it on the phone before anyone is dispatched. |
| Burst pipe — isolate and repair | $250 – $900 | Depends heavily on access. A pipe in a wall or under a slab costs multiples of one in a roof space. |
| Blocked drain — machine clear | $200 – $550 | Electric eel or high-pressure jet. Root-bound lines take longer. |
| CCTV drain camera inspection | $150 – $400 | Usually the sensible next step after a second blockage in the same line. |
| Blocked toilet | $150 – $400 | Cheaper if it's the pan, more if the blockage is out in the sewer line. |
| Hot water unit repair | $180 – $600 | Elements, thermostats, valves and thermocouples. Worth trying before replacement. |
| Hot water unit replacement | $1,200 – $3,500 | Electric storage at the lower end; continuous-flow gas and heat pump at the upper. |
| Leak detection, non-invasive | $250 – $600 | Acoustic and thermal tracing to find a leak without opening walls or slab. |
| Gas leak — make safe and repair | $250 – $800 | Gasfitting licence class. Never a job to defer or attempt. |
| Tap or mixer replacement | $150 – $400 | Per tap, plus the fitting. Often bundled if several are done at once. |
| Sewer or stormwater repair | from $900 | Excavation dependent. A camera inspection first tells you what you're actually buying. |
Prices are indicative only. What a job costs depends on the fault, how long it takes to find, whether parts are needed and whether it's after hours. You get a firm price before any work starts.
Something has gone wrong now — water running, gas smell, or sewage inside.
Water escaping and not stopping. The one where minutes genuinely count.
Slow, gurgling or backing up — and why the same drain keeps doing it.
No hot water, not enough, or a unit leaking — and repair versus replace.
A gas smell is a life-safety situation, not a plumbing inconvenience.
Rising, not flushing, or overflowing — and whether it's the pan or the sewer.
Tell us the suburb and what's happening and we'll get it to the right person.
Call 0483 963 438