A burst pipe floods a house fast, and every minute of water flowing is more damage to floors, walls and belongings. The good news is the first few steps are simple, and doing them quickly makes a real difference before we get there. Here is exactly what to do.
TL;DR
Turn the water off at the meter tap (usually at the front boundary), open a tap to drain the pressure, keep clear of any power near the water, and call. Doing those four things in the first minute saves the most damage.
What do I do right now?
- Turn off the water at the meter. Find your water meter; Central Coast Council says meters are usually in line with the front boundary. Turn the tap on the meter clockwise until it stops. This cuts the supply to the whole house. If you have an isolation valve for just the affected area, you can use that instead, but the meter tap always works.
- Drain the pressure. Open the cold taps at the lowest point in the house (an outside tap or the laundry) to let the water still in the pipes run out. This relieves pressure and slows the leak to a trickle.
- Keep clear of power. Do not touch power points, the meter box, light switches or appliances that are near the water, and do not stand in pooled water to reach a switch. If water is at or above any power fitting, or a ceiling is bulging, stay out of that room.
- Contain and protect. Mop, towel or bucket what you can, and move anything valuable up off the floor. Photos of the damage help with insurance later.
- Call us. Ring Donza Plumbing and we will get to you. Tell us where the burst is and what you have already turned off, and we will talk you through anything else while we are on the way.
Why find the meter tap before you need it?
The single biggest factor in how bad a burst gets is how quickly the water goes off. Hunter Water calls this the path tap: the tap on your water meter frame, not the garden tap at the front of the property. Some have a normal tap handle, some have a lever, and some have no handle at all. If yours is an older Hunter Water meter with no handle, Hunter Water says you may need a licensed plumber to fit one, so sort that out on a calm day, not during a burst.
Keep the meter clear too. Central Coast Council asks owners to keep 300 mm clear around and below the meter and 1200 mm above it, free of shrubs, soil and other obstructions, and Hunter Water recommends checking regularly that plants or soil have not buried it. Make sure everyone in the house knows where it is. In an emergency you do not want to be hunting for it while water pours through the ceiling.
Is the burst mine or the water authority’s?
It depends on which side of the connection point the water is coming from.
| Where the water is coming from | Who fixes it | Who to call |
|---|---|---|
| The water meter, the meter tap, or the pipe from the meter out to the main | The water authority (Central Coast Council or Hunter Water) | The water authority |
| Any pipe or fitting on the property side of the connection point | The property owner | A licensed plumber |
Hunter Water tells owners they are responsible for all usage charges, so a leak on your side costs you in water as well as damage. If you rent, tell your agent or landlord straight away. On the Central Coast, managing a leak is the owner’s responsibility, but Council’s Concealed Leak Policy can help customers in financial hardship who have had a hidden leak. For a leak you cannot see, read about finding a hidden leak.
How do I stop the next one?
You cannot stop every burst, but most preventable ones share a cause:
- High mains pressure. Pressure above the recommended limit stresses pipes, joints and fittings. A pressure-limiting valve at the meter protects the whole house and is a cheap insurance.
- Ageing or corroded pipe. Old galvanised steel pipe corrodes from the inside and eventually fails. If yours is original and you are getting repeat leaks, it is worth a plan to replace it section by section.
- Patched-over leaks. A weeping joint or a pinhole that keeps coming back is telling you something. Get it looked at properly rather than patched again. For a dripping tap or a toilet that will not stop running, see repair or replace.
If you are dealing with a burst pipe now, get the water off at the meter first, then request a callback or call and Josh will talk you through it and book the emergency plumbing repair in.