Burst Pipe: What to Do Right Now
Stop the water, keep clear of electrics, and record the damage.
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THE SHORT ANSWER
In short
Turn the water off at the meter tap straight away: it is usually beside the water meter, just inside the front boundary. Open the lowest tap in the house to drain the pipes, keep clear of water near electrics, and photograph the damage. Then call us on 0420 102 394: a licensed plumber onsite in 30 minutes, guaranteed.
DO THIS FIRST
Do this first
1
Turn the water off
At the meter tap beside the water meter, usually just inside the front boundary. Find your water meter
2
Drain the pipes
Open the lowest tap in the house, such as a laundry or garden tap, to let the pressure and water out.
3
Keep clear of electrics
If water is near power points or lights, switch off at the switchboard only if you can do it without standing in water.
4
Record it
Photos and video of the leak and the damage before you clean up.
5
Call us
0420 102 394, any hour.
SOURCES
Where this advice comes from
WHAT IS HAPPENING
Why pipes burst, and why every minute counts
A burst pipe is a water pipe that has split, cracked or pulled apart at a joint while under mains pressure. A drain only carries water when you use a fixture, but a water service pipe is full and pressurised day and night, so a split keeps pouring until the supply is shut. That is why the meter tap comes before anything else: nothing can be repaired, and the damage keeps spreading, while the pipe is still live.
In Sydney homes the pipe that lets go is often older copper or galvanised steel that has thinned from the inside, a joint that has worked loose, a pipe nicked by a nail or screw during renovations, or a pipe under a slab or path that has shifted with the ground. Flexi hoses and hot water connections fail too, and have their own pages: burst flexi hose and leaking hot water system.
Escaping water travels. It runs along joists and inside wall cavities, soaks into plasterboard, timber floors and carpet underlay, and in an apartment it can reach the ceiling below within minutes. Shutting the water off quickly is the biggest single thing you can do to keep both the repair and any insurance claim small.
IS IT URGENT?
How serious is it?
| What you can see | How urgent | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Water spraying or pouring, and you can’t find or turn the meter tap | Emergency: call now | Call us on 0420 102 394; we talk you through finding the tap while a plumber is on the way |
| Water near power points, lights or the switchboard, or coming through a ceiling | Emergency: call now | Keep clear, switch off at the switchboard only if dry and safe, then call us |
| Water off at the meter, but the house has no water and a baby, an elderly or unwell person needs it | Urgent: same day | Call us; a plumber can often cap off the broken section so the rest of the house has water again |
| Water off, and the leak is outside in the garden or under a path, with nothing inside affected | Urgent, but it can be booked | Leave the water off and book the first available repair |
| Water bubbling up in the footpath or street, or at the meter itself | Sydney Water’s side | Call Sydney Water on 13 20 90, 24/7 |
| A damp patch, or a meter that moves with every tap off, but no visible burst | A hidden leak, not a burst | Leak detection finds it before it gets worse |
DO NOT
Don’t make it worse
- Don’t wrap tape, putty or a clamp around a pipe that is still under pressure. Turn the water off first: a patch on a live pipe rarely holds, and it uses up the minutes that matter.
- Don’t touch switches, power points or appliances while you are standing in water, and never reach into a wet switchboard.
- Don’t turn the water back on to "see where it is coming from". We find the break with the water off, then test the repair under pressure.
- Don’t leave rugs, cardboard boxes and furniture standing in the water. Lift what you can: the longer timber and plaster stay wet, the more of them has to be replaced.
- Don’t throw out damaged belongings or the broken piece of pipe until your insurer has seen photos, or says you can.
WHY IT HAPPENED
What makes a pipe burst
Our plumbers have recorded a burst water pipe as the cause on 399 general plumbing jobs and 40 hot water jobs since 2019. These are the reasons we usually find behind them.
| Likely cause | Tell-tale signs | The usual fix |
|---|---|---|
| Old copper or galvanised pipe | Pinhole leaks, green or rusty staining on the pipe, falling pressure, discoloured water | Replace the failed length, and plan a re-pipe if it keeps happening |
| A failed joint or fitting | Water at an elbow, tee or union, often after water hammer (a bang in the pipes when a tap or appliance shuts off) | Remake or replace the fitting |
| A nail or screw through the pipe | A leak that starts days or weeks after new shelves, skirting or a renovation | Open up at the point of damage and replace that section |
| Ground movement or tree roots | A wet strip in the lawn or path, or a meter that never stops turning | Locate it with acoustic listening, then repair or re-route the line |
| High water pressure | Banging pipes, taps that spit, repeat failures in different places | Measure the pressure and fit a pressure limiting valve if it is needed |
WHEN WE ARRIVE
What we do when we get there
1
Confirm the water is off
We check the meter tap has fully closed, and take over if it is seized or leaking.
2
Make it safe
Electrics kept clear of the water, and wet ceilings and floors checked before we work near them.
3
Find the break
We open up only where the pipe has failed, using thermal imaging or acoustic listening when it is hidden in a wall or slab.
4
Fixed price, then repair
You approve a fixed price before the repair starts. If we find something the quote didn’t cover, we stop and give you a revised fixed price before continuing.
5
Test and record
The repair tested under full pressure, with photos and a written report of the cause for your insurer, agent or strata manager.
WHAT IT COSTS
What a burst pipe repair costs
Half of our 33 priced burst pipe call-outs since 2019 cost between $385 and $862, including GST, with a median of $495.
What moves the price: where the pipe is (an exposed pipe under a sink is quick to reach; one inside a tiled wall or under a slab takes longer), what it is made of, how much has to be opened up, and the time of day.
$0 call-out Monday to Friday, 7:00am to 5:00pm. After hours a call-out fee of $199 to $399 applies, confirmed by text before we dispatch.
Our written scope says exactly what the fixed price includes, so you know whether restoring plaster, tiles or flooring is part of it. How our pricing works
WHO IS RESPONSIBLE
Who is responsible?
In a house you own, the pipes from the meter to the house are yours; the meter and everything on the street side are Sydney Water’s. In a rental, a burst water service is on the NSW list of urgent repairs, so the landlord arranges and pays for it unless the tenant caused the damage: tell your agent straight away (tenants: what to do).
In an apartment, a burst in a pipe serving only your lot is usually yours, while one in a boundary wall, under the floor or in a shared riser is usually the owners corporation’s (strata: who pays). Still not sure? Try Who pays?.
INSURANCE
Burst pipes and your insurance
Most home policies treat a sudden burst as "escape of liquid". That usually covers the damage the water did, such as ceilings, floors and contents, but not repairing the pipe itself. Leaks that were left to get worse over time are usually excluded, which is one more reason to act and record everything on the day.
Ring your insurer’s claims line once the water is off, ask before authorising anything beyond making it safe, and keep the photos you took before cleaning up. Our report says what failed and why. How to make a claim
NEXT TIME
Prevent it next time
- Find your meter tap now, and turn it once a year so it never seizes when you need it
- Listen for water hammer: a bang when a tap or appliance shuts off means pressure spikes that strain every joint
- Check for pipes before drilling or nailing into walls behind kitchens, bathrooms and laundries
- If your home still has galvanised steel water pipes, plan to replace them before they fail
- Insulate exposed pipes on outside walls, in the roof space and under raised floors
QUESTIONS
Burst pipe questions
WHAT TO DO RIGHT NOW
Other plumbing emergencies
MORE HELP
Emergency help
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