NSW Plumbing Licence 456767C
Sewer Pump Services operates under a current NSW plumbing contractor licence — licensed plumbing and drainage work, on record.
🔧 Brand specialists · DAB
DAB pumps — installation, repairs & service, Sydney
When a property sits well below the sewer line and the waste has a long climb ahead of it, DAB is the brand we reach for. We install, repair and service DAB sewer systems across Sydney — sized to the real head, not the label.
HIGH HEADOur pick for long, steep rising mains
SIZEDDuty point measured, not guessed
TESTEDMegger & amp readings every visit
High-head sewer is core work
Waterfront & below-main specialists
Megger & amp testing every visit
Pump specialists since 1985
The high-head sewer specialist
Plenty of Sydney homes can't drain to the sewer by gravity — waterfront blocks down at the water's edge, battle-axe properties at the bottom of a driveway, houses cut into a slope with the main far above them. On those sites the pump isn't lifting waste over a small hump; it's pushing it up a long or steep rising main, every cycle, for years. That's the duty where we keep coming back to DAB.
To be clear about where DAB sits for us: our default install is a Davey, and for most Sydney homes that's the right pump. We reach for DAB on the high-head jobs — the properties where the lift or the rising main is beyond what the Davey range can comfortably do. An ordinary submersible put on a job like that runs flat out at the wrong end of its curve and wears out early; a DAB selected for the actual lift gets on with it quietly, year after year.
Every DAB visit gets the same treatment as the rest of our repair work: megger test on the windings, amp reading at the panel, floats cycled, valve checked — and a price agreed on the day before any work starts.
What goes wrong with DAB pumps
The faults are familiar submersible territory — but on a high-head system, a few of them bite harder.
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Float switch fouling
High-head or not, the float is still where most callouts start. Grease and wipes in a sewer pit gum it up, or it snags on the discharge pipework and never tells the pump to run. We swap floats on the spot and set the switching levels before we leave.
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Impeller jammed by wipes
Rag and so-called flushable wipes will lock up a DAB the same as anything else in the pit. We pull the pump, free the impeller, check it for chips and wear, then run the system through a full pump-down to prove it.
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Seal wear showing on the megger
A high-head pump works its shaft seal harder than most. Once moisture starts creeping past it, the motor's insulation reading drops — and our megger picks that up on a routine visit, well before the morning the pump won't start.
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Motor at end of life
Humming but not pumping on a high-head system usually means the motor's done — working near the top of its curve every cycle is a hard life. We megger-test it on the spot; when the windings are gone, a new pump on the same pit is the better money.
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Non-return valve failure
On a long or steep rising main there's a serious column of waste sitting above the valve. When the flap fails, all of it drains back into the pit and the pump ends up moving the same sewage twice. We fit new valves and pressure-check the line as part of the repair.
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Undersized for the actual head
The fault we see most on below-sewer-line properties: a pump that was never selected for the real lift and pipe run. It runs long, runs hot and dies young. We measure the actual head and either re-spec the pump or tell you the one you've got is fine.
Alarm going off right now? See our pump alarm guide — or just call, we answer 24/7.
DAB pump struggling uphill? Most repairs are a single visit.
📞 0415 210 267Why call a pump specialist for a DAB
On a below-sewer-line property, the pump is the only thing standing between your bathroom and a very bad week. That's not a job for whoever happens to be free. From new installations to scheduled servicing, here's what a specialist brings to it:
- High-head sewer duty is where we most often specify DAB — waterfront blocks, steep sites and long rising mains
- Duty point worked out from the real lift and pipe run, not read off the box
- Megger and amp-draw testing on every visit — repair decisions made on numbers, not guesses
- Pump-side electrical handled in-house under our Restricted Electrical (Motors) endorsement
- Floats and non-return valves carried on the van — replacement units a same-day pickup
- Straight advice — if a cheaper pump would do your duty, or your DAB is at end of life, we'll say so
The credentials behind the work
Pump work touches licensed plumbing, restricted electrical and confined-space entry — here's what backs every DAB job we sign off.
AS/NZS 3500 standards
Plumbing and drainage work is carried out to the AS/NZS 3500 standard family — the benchmark for compliant work across Sydney.
Restricted Electrical Licence — Motors
Issued by NSW Fair Trading under the disconnect/reconnect framework (UEERL0004). We connect the pump and alarm, set up the control panel and fit the overload protection ourselves; your electrician runs the supply.
Confined Space Entry certified
Statement of Attainment from Pinnacle Safety and Training (RTO 40496). Deep pits and confined spaces are part of the trade — most residential pits never need it, but when one does, we're set up for it.
Fully insured
Public liability and workers compensation cover in place across all work, with certificates of currency available on request.
Specialist focus since 1985
A plumbing trade since 1985, pumps-only since 2010. You deal with the same operators from first call through to commissioning.
DAB pump FAQs
Straight answers about DAB pump installation, repairs and servicing in Sydney.
Do you install new DAB pumps?
Yes — though usually only for high-head properties. Our default install is a Davey; DAB is what we reach for when a property sits well below the sewer line and the head is beyond what the Davey range can do. We work out the true head from the lift and pipe run, supply and install the right unit, then commission the pump, floats, non-return valve, panel and alarm as one job. Our sewer pump installation page walks through the full process.
Do you repair DAB sewer pumps?
Yes — we repair and service DAB submersible sewer and drainage pumps across Sydney, single and dual setups, plus the floats, valves and control gear around them. Megger and amp testing comes first, the quote comes before any work starts, and most faults are sorted in one visit.
My pump can't push uphill anymore — it takes ages to empty the pit. Why?
Two usual suspects. A worn impeller loses its bite, so the pump still runs but can no longer make the head it once did — output drops and run times stretch out. Or the pump was never matched to the duty in the first place and has been struggling since day one. An amp reading and a timed pump-down tell us which one it is, and whether the answer is a repair or a properly sized replacement.
Can you replace my old pump with a DAB on the existing pit?
In most cases, yes — a DAB will usually drop onto your existing pit and pipework with at most a change of fittings. We confirm the duty point first, because a replacement is the cheapest moment to fix an undersizing problem you may have been living with for years. If your old brand still suits the duty, we're just as happy to fit like-for-like.
Do you service DAB pumps as well?
Yes — and on a high-head system servicing earns its keep, because the pump is working near the top of its curve every cycle. An annual visit catches falling megger readings, rising amps, tired floats and a sticking non-return valve before any of them becomes a backed-up pit. See our pump servicing & maintenance page for what a visit covers.
Prefer we call you back?
Send your name, number and what's going on — we'll get back to you the same business day. For active flooding or sewage backup, please call instead.
Urgent? Call 0415 210 267 — 24/7.
DAB pump to install, repair or service?
Tell us about the property — how far below the sewer line it sits and what the pump's doing. High-head systems are our bread and butter, quoted before we start.