30-Minute Response Across Wellington
Water pouring through the ceiling. Toilet overflowing at 2am. Gas smell in the kitchen. When the emergency is real, you need a van that can be in your street in 30 minutes — not a call centre in Auckland running through a script.
Southern keeps vans stationed across Wellington city, the Hutt Valley, Porirua and the Kapiti Coast. Every emergency call is answered by one of our team directly — no paging service, no voicemail, no chatbot.
Call 0800 484 353 (0800 HUGE LEAK) — 24/7, every day of the year.
What Counts as a Plumbing Emergency?
If water’s going somewhere it shouldn’t, or gas is escaping, or you’ve got no water at all — that’s an emergency. Don’t wait for business hours. We handle:
- Burst pipes — copper, PEX, HDPE, PVC, old Dux QEST
- Gas leaks and no-gas situations (gasfitters on call)
- No hot water — leaking or failed cylinders
- Overflowing toilets and blocked drains backing up
- Broken water mains and no water supply
- Hidden leaks soaking walls or ceilings
- Roof leaks and spouting failures in storms
Not sure if it’s an emergency? Call and ask — we’ll tell you straight whether it can wait till morning.
Your Job On Time, Or It’s Free
Other plumbers will tell you they’re on the way and leave you waiting three hours with a bucket under the sink. We don’t. we come when we promise, or you don’t pay.
It’s Around 29,000 completed jobs since 1982, and a Master Plumbers Association membership we’ve held for 25+ years.
Before We Arrive: Quick Safety Steps
While you wait, a few minutes of the right action can save thousands in water damage:
Water leak / burst pipe:
- Find the toby (street shut-off valve) and turn it clockwise to cut the supply
- Open every cold tap in the house to drain the system and stop back-pressure
- Move electronics, rugs and timber furniture clear of the water
Gas smell:
- Don’t light any flames and don’t flip electrical switches (including lights)
- Open windows and doors to ventilate
- Turn the gas meter valve perpendicular to the pipe to shut off supply
- Leave the house if the smell is strong, then call 0800 484 353
Don’t know where the toby or gas valve is? Call us — we’ll talk you through finding it on the phone.
Open Every Day. Including Christmas.
Plumbing emergencies don’t respect office hours — and we don’t either. Southern runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Christmas morning, Easter Sunday, Waitangi Day — there’s a Southern plumber on call.
After-hours work is charged at our standard call-out rate for emergencies. We’ll tell you what that is on the phone before we leave the depot — no surprise invoice in the morning. Fixed-price quotes apply to the repair itself.
Need us now? 0800 484 353. Not an emergency? Book a free quote.
Suburbs We Reach Fast
Because we keep vans based around the region, we’re genuinely local — not driving from the other side of town when you call at midnight. Typical emergency response windows:
- Wellington city (Karori, Johnsonville, Khandallah, Island Bay, Lyall Bay) — 30 to 60 minutes
- Lower Hutt and Upper Hutt — 30 to 60 minutes
- Porirua — 30 to 60 minutes
- Paraparaumu and the wider Kapiti Coast — 45 to 90 minutes
Severe flooding or gas emergencies jump the queue — we’ll re-route the nearest van and ring you back with an ETA within minutes.
Fully Equipped for the First Visit
Our emergency vans carry the parts for the problems we see most often, so we can usually finish the job on the first visit — not leave you with a towel wrapped around a pipe while we order parts:
- Common copper and PEX pipe sizes, fittings and valves
- Toilet cistern internals, flush valves and pan connectors
- CCTV cameras and mechanical drain unblocking gear
- Electric and gas hot water cylinder parts — elements, thermostats, valves
- Gas line testing equipment and certified gasfitting tools
Rarer parts (heat pump compressors, specific mixer cartridges) we source next day — and tell you upfront so you’re not left guessing.
Frequently Asked Questions
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For genuine emergencies — burst pipes, gas leaks, flooding, no water — we aim for 30 to 60 minutes across Wellington city, Lower Hutt, Upper Hutt and Porirua. The Kapiti Coast is typically 45 to 90 minutes. We keep vans stationed around the region so you’re not waiting on someone driving across town.