Forest district
Plumber in Frenchs Forest
Blocked drains, sewer repairs, hot water and roofing across Frenchs Forest, for family homes on big bush blocks and the businesses around them.
- Since 2007 on the North Shore
- No charge for a site visit
- Upfront pricing, agreed before we start
- Our own licenced team, not subbies
What we get called out to in Frenchs Forest
- Stormwater on sloping blocks. Water under the house or through the garage after heavy rain, fixed at the cause.
- Roots in sewer lines. Big native trees and older pipework are a common pairing here.
- Ageing hot water systems. Replaced with the right size and type, including heat pumps.
- Gutters full of leaves. Overflowing gutters are one of the most common causes of leaks inside.
- Commercial premises. Offices and businesses, with work booked around trading hours.
Frenchs Forest is at the edge of our patch, and still a local job for us.
In more detail
The three we get called about most
Stormwater and drainage
Big blocks, a slope and heavy rain are a bad combination when the drainage was put in decades ago and has not been looked at since.
We find where the water is actually going, clear what is blocked, and put in the pits and lines it needs so it stops ending up under the house or through the garage.
Drainage and stormwaterHot water
A lot of Frenchs Forest houses are on a tank sized for a family that has since grown, or one that was old when the current owners moved in.
We repair where a repair makes sense and replace where it does not. Gas, electric and heat pump, sized for the house rather than for whatever was there before, with the old unit taken away.
Hot waterGutters and roofs
Gum leaves fill gutters fast out here, and a gutter that overflows every storm will eventually show up as a wet patch inside.
We clear and repair gutters, valleys and downpipes, replace the rusted sections, and trace a roof leak back to the actual cause rather than sealing the nearest likely spot.
Roofing and guttersIt’s an emergency! I’d better ring STS.
Old fashioned service. Modern day plumbing.
Since 2007
How we work with you
What happens from the first phone call
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You get in touch
Ring the office, send the form or email us. For anything urgent, ring — we will tell you what it usually means and what to do while we are on the way, like where your water meter is.
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We come and look
For anything bigger than a straightforward repair we come and look at it properly first, and there is no charge for that visit. Guessing at a price over the phone helps nobody.
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You get the price in writing
The job priced, not an hourly rate ticking over. If there is more than one sensible way to do it, you get both options and the difference between them explained.
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We do the work
Our own licenced plumbers, on the day we said. Drop sheets down, the mess taken away, and a phone call rather than silence if we are running behind.
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You see what we found
Photos, camera footage where we used it, and a plain explanation of what was actually wrong. If something is not right afterwards, ring us and we come back and put it right at our cost.
A job we did here
A hidden leak behind a Frenchs Forest living room wall
The problem
A family in Frenchs Forest watched a damp patch on the living room wall get bigger over a few weeks. Nothing was visibly leaking, which is usually the point at which people start pulling things apart looking for it.
What we did
We booked a site visit the same day and used leak detection gear to pin down exactly where the water was coming from, rather than opening up wall until we found it. It was a burst section of pipe behind the wall. We cut one opening, replaced the damaged run, and checked the rest of the line while we had access.
The result
The repair took a few hours and one patch instead of half a wall. Because it was found early, the framing and the flooring were still dry and there was nothing structural to put right.
Out of the van
What the work actually looks like
Our photos, off our own jobs. Not a stock library.
About the suburb
Plumbing in Frenchs Forest
Frenchs Forest, postcode 2086, is the big suburb on the ridge above Middle Harbour, with Warringah Road and Forest Way crossing in the middle, the Northern Beaches Hospital on one side and bush reserves on most of the others. The houses are mostly brick homes from the 1960s, 70s and 80s on large blocks, with newer townhouses and apartments going up around the hospital and the business park along Rodborough Road.
Houses of that age are coming due for their first big plumbing work. The sewers are early PVC or earthenware with roots in the joints, the water services are the first copper or galvanised, and the hot water system has been replaced once already and is due again. With bush all around and big gums in every garden, a blocked drain in Frenchs Forest is nearly always roots. We clear it, camera it to find where they're getting in, and reline it so they stay out.
The blocks are big and they slope, so the stormwater has a long way to run and the sewer has a long way to go to the main. Storms come through hard up here. Gutters and downpipes that were fine for thirty years fill with leaves and overflow into a ceiling or against a wall. Roof plumbing, box gutters and stormwater drainage are part of what we do, and we'd rather replace a gutter than repair a ceiling.
A lot of Frenchs Forest houses have been extended, had a second bathroom or a granny flat added, or had a pool put in. The drains for those were sometimes tied in badly, and where they were is usually where the trouble is now. We find those joins with the camera and fix them, and we do the plumbing for a new extension or flat properly from the start.
The business park along Rodborough Road and the shops around Forest Way and Warringah Road have trade waste, grease traps, backflow devices that need annual testing and amenities that get hard use. Those jobs get planned around the business, and we do the maintenance as well as the call-outs.
Frenchs Forest is at the edge of our patch and still a local job for us. STS has been based in Lane Cove since 2016, a straight run out along Eastern Valley Way and Warringah Road. Ring us for anything urgent, or ask us to come and look at a bigger job. There's no charge for the site visit.
The STS Guarantee
Five things we promise on every job
- Licenced and insured. Plumbing, gas fitting and drainage, to the Australian Standards. NSW licence 227192C.
- You get the price before we start. Agreed upfront and in writing. No hourly rate ticking over while you wonder what it is going to come to.
- We turn up when we said we would. And if we are running behind, you get a phone call rather than silence.
- We clean up after ourselves. Drop sheets down, mess taken away, and the ground or brickwork put back the way we found it.
- Our workmanship is warranted. If something is not right after we have left, ring us and we will come back and put it right at our cost.
Who we work for in Frenchs Forest
- Homeowners. Everything from a leaking tap to a full bathroom, with the price agreed before we start.
- Strata and building managers. Stacks, common drains and hot water plant, with photos and a written finding you can take to a committee.
- Builders and renovators. Rough-in and fit-off booked to your programme, and we turn up on the day we said.
- Agents and landlords. Repairs organised with the tenant directly and reported back to you.
What our customers say
Ewan did what 3 other roof plumbers failed to achieve and sealed a leak in our roof! He and his co-worker completed the work in a timely and efficient manner and the final price was exactly what he quoted. We will definitely use them again, highly recommended.
Glenn Crouch, Google reviewQuestions we get asked in Frenchs Forest
What does a plumber in Frenchs Forest cost?
It depends on the job, which is why we price the job rather than run an hourly rate. For anything bigger than a straightforward repair we come and look at it first, at no charge, and you get the price in writing before we start.
Are your plumbers licenced and insured?
Yes. STS Plumbing Co Pty Ltd holds NSW licence 227192C and carries insurance, and the blokes who turn up are our own team, not subcontracted labour.
How quickly can you get here?
Our office is open Monday to Friday, 7am to 5pm, and we call back within 24 hours, guaranteed. For anything urgent, ring rather than fill in the form and we will tell you what it usually means and when we can be there.
Do you work on units and commercial buildings?
Yes. A good share of our work is strata and commercial across the North Shore, and it comes with photos and a written finding a building manager or committee can act on.
How do you find a leak without pulling the house apart?
Acoustic gear, thermal imaging and a pressure test on the line, which between them narrow it down to a small area. Then we open one spot rather than chasing it along a wall. On an older house that is usually the difference between a few hours of work and a fortnight of repairs.
Do you warrant your work?
Yes. If something is not right after we have left, ring us and we will come back and put it right at our cost. That is part of the STS Guarantee above.
Where we work around Frenchs Forest
Frenchs Forest is at the edge of our patch and still a local job for us.
Need a plumber in Frenchs Forest?
Ring us for anything urgent and we will tell you what it usually means before we get there. For a bathroom, a roof or a sewer repair, ask us to come and look at it properly. There is no charge for the visit.
Office hours: Monday to Friday, 7am to 5pm.