Taking it all in his stride
FOR THIS INTREPID CAIRNS TRADIE, THE CORONAVIRUS CRISIS IS NOT AN IMPEDIMENT, AND HE SEES PLENTY OF OPPORTUNITY TO TURN THE ENFORCED CLOSURE OF BUSINESSES INTO POSITIVES, WRITES ALICIA NALLY.
LIAM Downes knows how to roll with the punches.
The owner of LJ’s Plumbing and Gas has been in business for the past 10 years under his own steam.
In 2012, the father of two fell off the balcony of his home while in the middle of renovating the property.
He broke two vertebrae in his spine and is now classified as a tetraplegic, without any control of his body below the neck.
He was in an induced coma for days and intensive care for weeks.
With so much trauma in his life, a looming lockdown and government enforced closures of businesses is something Mr Downes is trying to turn into a positive.
And the likeable tradie certainly knows just what the city can achieve.
After his accident, the Cairns community rallied to create a wheelchair-friendly home for Mr Downes.
Tradesman Michael Moore, led the charge and received hundreds of donations from local residents and companies eager to pitch in with building supplies and labour.
With four plumbers on his
THE OWNER OF LJ’S PLUMBING AND GAS HAS BEEN IN BUSINESS FOR THE PAST 10 YEARS UNDER HIS OWN STEAM.
team, he and partner Meaghan Confait, were trying to “be a bit savvy and adapt”.
“I’ve definitely noticed there’s a change in the city, in the tempo of the place,” Mr Downes said.
“I’m confident we will all pull through this though.
“I’ve had people come in and talk about new tapware – they’re spending more time at home so they’d like to see some changes around the place.
“They might also be getting excess water bills and want to do something about it.
“Lockdown or quarantine might have many limitations, but it is a great opportunity to check your household plumbing.
“As a guide, if you have a dripping tap and can fill a mug in five minutes, then you’re wasting over 30,000 litres of water a year which can get extremely costly over time as you’re literally pouring money down the drain.
“Maintaining good working plumbing fixtures can help reduce water wastage and prevent the unexpected from happening.
‘’We see it all too often when people are away at work – flexi hoses burst, and hot water units fail. This can cause major damage to other areas of the home, often requiring the inconvenience of replacing entire kitchens, sections of walls and carpets that have become water damaged.”
Perhaps unsurprisingly, and
rather humorously, with the recent frenzy buying of toilet paper, leaving shelves bare and resulting in a shortage of supply, Mr Downes has noticed a spike in call-outs from customers experiencing blocked toilets.
“Most commonly, the cause of this is non-flushable items such as baby wipes, paper towels and of course the flushable wipes. While these are marketed as ‘flushable’, they are similar to baby wipes and don’t belong in the toilet,” he explained.
“They don’t break down as easily and it doesn’t take long
LOCKDOWN OR QUARANTINE MIGHT HAVE MANY LIMITATIONS, BUT IT IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO CHECK YOUR HOUSEHOLD PLUMBING. LIAM DOWNES
for them to build up and block the sewer lines. The only thing suitable to flush down the loo, is toilet paper.
“And, toilet leaks are not always easy to spot, so they can waste an incredible amount of water. If you have a faulty cistern, you may be able to hear a faint hissing sound as it is constantly refilling.
“Another way to check is to dry the back of the toilet bowl before placing a piece of dry toilet paper (if you can spare a piece!) on it. You’ll soon see the toilet paper get wet if water is trickling from the toilet from the cistern.
“Also, check your hot water unit for visible rust stains or water leaking from the pipe or tank themselves.”
In his career, Mr Downes has seen it all and said the trend to install bathroom and toilet fittings to turn a home into somewhat of a hotel was popular all over the Far North.
“People are getting creative and hooking up sprinklers and hoses or ‘bum guns’ to their toilets,” he said.
“If these items are not installed properly by a licensed professional with backflow prevention, you could end up flooding your house with sewerage or contaminating the drinking water.
“A bidet is a sensible option but will need to be installed by a licensed plumber and electrician for powered models,” he said.