A blocked toilet or sewer in Whanganui
Ring a plumber
As the owner, you call a plumber to come and investigate. Finding where the blockage sits is the plumber's job.
If it is the council's pipe
The council covers blockages from the boundary to the sewer main, the lateral. If the cause is in its network, the council is invoiced.
If it is on your land
Repairs and costs for faults on private property aren't the council's.
Roots from a street tree
The council won't prune or remove one of its trees because the roots are in a private drain.
Hard water from artesian bores
Whanganui's water comes from five artesian bores, four at Kai Iwi and one at Aramoho, and is chlorinated. It's hard, at about 175 mg/L, which is within the drinking water limits but leaves scale on elements and plumbing fittings. If a cylinder element keeps failing, scale is worth asking about: see thermostats and elements.
Pressure at the point of supply is generally 20m to 60m of static head, with flow above 15 litres a minute. Ask the council and it will tell you where the toby sits on your section.
Whanganui facts that change a job
Gas heating is common
At the 2023 Census, 25.7% of Whanganui homes used a fixed gas heater as a main heater, against 9.5% nationally, and only 50.1% a heat pump. Fixed gas pipes and appliances need an authorised gasfitter.
Brown or cloudy water
Brown or yellow water is usually sediment stirred up in the pipes. Run the outside tap for 10 to 15 minutes; if it doesn't clear, ring the council's 24-hour line on (06) 349-0001. Cloudy, milky water is usually trapped air, and clears if left to stand.
A new company is planned
Whanganui and Ruapehu plan a two-council water company, due to be operating by July 2027. Until then, the council's rules apply.
Is the plumber licensed?
A plumber's licence is personal and renewed every year. Ask to see it, then search the person's first and last name on the PGDB register. A current licence shows a tick or green; an old entry on its own proves nothing. If they're supervised, check the supervisor. Here's how.
What we would do
With a blockage, don't wait for the council: in Whanganui, the owner rings the plumber, and the plumber works out where the problem is. Ask them to note exactly where they found it, because if it's in the council's lateral, the council is invoiced. And never lift a manhole lid; nobody is allowed to. For the plumber, tell us the problem and an authorised Whanganui specialist can take the job.