Short answer: a general plumber installs and repairs water-supply systems and fixtures (taps, toilets, hot water units, pipework inside the house). A drainage plumber specialises in the drainage side – sewer, stormwater, blocked drains, pipe repair and relining. Both are licensed, but the licences cover different scopes. For any blocked drain, root ingress, or sewer problem beyond the fixture, you want a drainage specialist.
I am Matty from Drain Masters Plumbing. I hold both a Queensland plumbing licence (15036450) and a New South Wales plumbing licence (383340C), with drainage endorsements on both. I spend most of my days on drainage work rather than general plumbing because that is where the specialist equipment and experience actually matter.
What a general plumber does
A general plumber (also called a water plumber or roof plumber in some jurisdictions) is licensed to work on:
- Hot and cold water supply pipework inside and outside the house
- Taps, mixers, toilets, basins, showers, baths and other fixtures
- Hot water systems (gas, electric, solar, heat pump)
- Gas pipework (if separately gas-licensed)
- Roof plumbing – gutters, downpipes, flashings (if roof-licensed)
General plumbers are the right call for a dripping tap, a leaking hot water system, a toilet install, or a kitchen renovation. If you call one for a blocked main sewer, there is a decent chance they will sub-contract the job out to a drainage specialist (and the sub-contract fee adds to your bill).
What a drainage plumber does
A drainage plumber specialises in the pipework that takes water away from your property:
- Sanitary drainage (sewer from fixture to boundary / main)
- Stormwater drainage (roof water, surface water, subsoil)
- Blocked drain diagnosis and clearing (snake, hydrojet, CCTV)
- Pipe repair, replacement, no-dig relining
- Grease traps and disconnector gullies on commercial sites
- Council and water-authority liaison for boundary / main faults
Drainage plumbers carry equipment general plumbers usually do not – industrial hydrojets, high-resolution CCTV cameras with locators, pipe-fusion machines, excavation tools and relining rigs. The gear alone is 10-20 times the investment of a standard plumbing kit.
Why the distinction matters for blocked drains
When you call “the plumber” for a blocked drain, three things can happen:
- They are also drainage-endorsed and come with the right gear – problem solved on the first visit
- They are a general plumber with a snake – they clear the immediate blockage but cannot diagnose the underlying cause (roots, crack, collapse). You get a callback in weeks or months.
- They sub-contract to a drainage specialist – you pay the general plumber’s call-out plus the specialist’s full job price
Calling a drainage specialist directly cuts out the middle step. Our Bundall kitchen waste 20-years-no-maintenance job is a good example – a general plumber had snaked the line twice without a CCTV; by the time we were called, the pipe needed a full hydrojet clean and a repair quote.
Licensing: the actual rules in NSW and QLD
In New South Wales, drainage work is covered under the Plumbing and Drainage Act 2011. A fully-qualified plumber can do drainage work if their licence has the drainage endorsement. Not all do.
In Queensland, the Plumbing and Drainage Act 2018 separates plumbing and drainage licences. Many plumbers hold both; many only hold one. The QBCC (Queensland Building and Construction Commission) publishes the licence class on their public register.
Before you book anyone for drainage work, you can check their licence number on the NSW Service register or the QBCC register directly. Ours are NSW 383340C and QLD 15036450.
The specialist equipment general plumbers do not carry
| Equipment | What it does | Why generalists do not have it |
|---|---|---|
| Industrial hydrojet | Clears tree roots, fat, scale, sediment at 3,000-5,000 psi | $15k-40k gear, needs training to use safely |
| CCTV camera with locator | Shows what is inside the pipe + marks the position above ground | $8k-20k gear, used daily on drainage work, rarely on general plumbing |
| Pipe-fusion / electrofusion machine | Joins HDPE pipe without compression fittings | Only needed on drainage repair / replacement |
| Vacuum excavation gear | Non-destructive digging around existing services | Specialist excavation tool for drainage repair |
| Pipe relining rig | Installs epoxy liner inside existing pipe (no-dig) | $80k+ setup, specialist training |
When to call which one
| Problem | Who to call |
|---|---|
| Dripping tap, leaking mixer | General plumber |
| Hot water system not working | General plumber (or hot water specialist) |
| Toilet install, bathroom reno | General plumber |
| Burst water pipe inside the house | General plumber (urgent) |
| Blocked toilet / sink / basin | Either – but drainage specialist if it is recurring |
| Blocked main sewer | Drainage specialist |
| Tree root ingress | Drainage specialist |
| Stormwater not draining in heavy rain | Drainage specialist |
| Smelly drain / sewer odour outside | Drainage specialist |
| Pipe repair or relining | Drainage specialist |
| Council boundary / main investigation | Drainage specialist |
FAQ
What is the difference between a plumber and a drainage plumber?
A general plumber handles water supply, fixtures and hot water. A drainage plumber specialises in the drainage side – sewer, stormwater, blocked drains, pipe repair and relining. Many tradespeople hold both licences, but the equipment and daily experience are different.
Do I need a drainage plumber for a blocked drain?
For a one-off soft clog near the fixture, any licensed plumber can clear it with a snake. For anything recurring, anything in the main sewer, anything with tree root involvement, or anything requiring a camera inspection – yes, call a drainage specialist.
Can a general plumber do drainage work in NSW?
Only if their licence has the drainage endorsement. Check the licence number on the NSW licence register before you book.
Why is a drainage specialist more expensive?
They often are not – calling a generalist who sub-contracts to a specialist usually costs more than calling the specialist direct. And a specialist tends to solve the problem on the first visit instead of leaving you with a callback in a month.
Does a drainage plumber also do blocked toilets?
Yes. A blocked toilet is a drainage problem the moment it is more than a fixture-level clog. We handle them routinely.
Call Matty on 0447 188 394. Dual NSW + QLD licensed. Drainage specialist with the hydrojet, camera and locator on the truck for every job. Same-day response across Tweed Heads, Kingscliff, Byron, Gold Coast and Brisbane.
