Burst pipes and water leaks in Melbourne

A burst pipe: turn off the water first

Turn the water off at the stop tap, the tap next to your water meter. Then call a licensed plumber. If water is near power points, lights or the switchboard, keep away and treat it as an electrical danger. Move what you can out of the water's way, and take photos for your insurer.

If the burst is in the street or on the water corporation's side of the meter, call your water corporation's faults line instead; it's on your bill.

Whose pipe is it?

Yarra Valley Water owns the water meter and stop tap, and generally repairs everything on the street side of the meter. It and South East Water both say the pipe from the meter to the house, and everything inside, is the property owner's to fix. If you're with Greater Western Water, check its rules.

If it isn't clear where a leak is, Yarra Valley Water says it will assess who's responsible, and if a plumber's diagnosis shows the leak was in its pipes, it will pay back the reasonable cost of the diagnosis. Ask the plumber to write down where the leak was.

Check for a hidden leak with your meter

South East Water's test: write down the meter reading, turn off every tap and water-using appliance (but not the stop tap), and use no water for 20 minutes. If the numbers have changed or the little wheel has moved, you may have a leak. Repeat it to be sure.

To test a toilet, put a piece of toilet paper at the back of the bowl and leave it for a few minutes without flushing. If it's wet or torn, the cistern is leaking into the pan.

Dripping taps, running toilets and the hot water valve

A dripping tap is most often a worn washer. A toilet that keeps running wastes water around the clock. Water dripping from the pipe beside a hot water unit can come from its pressure and temperature relief valve, which South East Water lists as a common source of leaks when it malfunctions. Have a plumber look at a valve that keeps running, and at any leak from the tank itself. See hot water.

A high water bill from a leak

Water corporations have a process for bills inflated by a leak. South East Water, for example, will review high usage if the leak was fixed within two weeks of being found, you ask within 90 days, and the property hasn't had a review in the past five years, with a plumber's report and a photo of the meter reading. Check your own water corporation's conditions, and keep the plumber's invoice and report.

Renting?

A burst water service is an urgent repair in a Victorian rental, and so is an appliance, fitting or fixture that isn't working and wastes a lot of water. Tell your rental provider or agent straight away. If you've told them and they haven't responded promptly, you can arrange the repair yourself, up to $2,500, and claim it back. See rental repairs.

What the plumber's quote should cover

• Call-out fee, and any after-hours rate
• Finding the leak: listening, thermal or pressure testing, or a camera, and the cost if it takes longer than expected
• The repair itself, priced separately from finding it
• Opening walls, floors or paths to reach the pipe, and who puts them back. See plaster repairs
• A compliance certificate for plumbing work worth more than $750

Example brief

“Water meter keeps moving with everything turned off; there's a damp patch on the driveway between the meter and the house. House in Oakleigh, about 30 years old. Please quote finding the leak and the repair, including reinstating the concrete if you have to dig.”

Before booking a plumber

• Water off at the stop tap beside the meter
• Meter side or your side, and who pays
• Finding the leak priced separately from the repair
• The plumber's report kept for a high bill review
• Renters: a burst water service is an urgent repair

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