Category: What’s Wrong With My Home?

Black mould on bathroom grout responds to a baking soda paste or diluted bleach spray left for 30–60 minutes — most stains lift with a stiff brush and no professional help. Pink mould (Serratia bacteria) needs the same treatment.

A constantly running toilet is almost always caused by a faulty flapper valve, float set too high, or a worn fill valve — all fixable yourself for $10–$50 in parts.

Most blocked drains in Melbourne homes can be cleared DIY using a plunger ($15–$25), a drain snake ($20–$80), or a boiling water and bicarb flush — for zero cost.

An air conditioner leaking water indoors is almost always caused by a blocked condensate drain, a dirty air filter, or a frozen evaporator coil. Most causes are DIY-fixable in 30–60 minutes for little to no cost.

A dripping tap is almost always caused by a worn washer or a failed ceramic cartridge — and you can fix either in under an hour for $5–$40 in parts.

Replace your hot water system’s anode rod every 3–5 years in most Melbourne homes, or sooner if your water smells like rotten eggs, you hear unusual rumbling, or you can see white flakes in the hot water.

A sticking sliding door or window in Melbourne homes is most commonly caused by clay soil movement shifting the frame, dirty or damaged tracks, worn rollers, or swollen timber. Most fixes cost $0–$80 in materials and take 1–2 hours.

Fixing holes and cracks in plasterboard walls is a straightforward DIY job for most Melbourne homeowners. Small nail holes take 5 minutes with filler and a putty knife; fist-sized holes need a patch kit or backing board and take 1–2 hours including drying time.

Hot water running out too quickly in a Melbourne home usually points to one of five causes: undersized tank, failed heating element (electric), thermostat fault, sediment build-up reducing capacity, or high simultaneous demand.

Re-grouting a shower yourself costs $60–$150 in materials and takes about 4–5 hours of work, plus 24 hours for the grout to cure before the shower can be used.

Occasional flickering when a large appliance starts is usually harmless — a momentary voltage dip as the motor draws startup current. Persistent, random, or whole-house flickering is a serious electrical fault that needs a licensed electrician urgently.

Water hammer is a loud banging or thudding noise in pipes that occurs when water flow is abruptly stopped — typically when a tap is turned off quickly, a solenoid valve closes, or a dishwasher or washing machine finishes filling.