A water bill that jumped, a meter that ticks over with every tap off, or a damp patch that keeps growing? We track it down with a thermal camera, an acoustic listener and a pressure test, open only the spot it's in, and fix it while we're there.
NSW plumbing, drainage and gasfitting Lic. 000000C (demo)
Sample review
Pipe burst in the garage at 10pm. Someone actually answered, talked me through turning the water off at the meter, and was here first thing to fix it.
Sample review · Wattlewater Plumbing is a fictional business
What's involved
The worst leaks are the ones you can't see: a pipe weeping inside a wall, under a slab or under the lawn. By the time it shows up as a stain or a bill, it has usually been running for weeks. Finding it fast, without pulling half the bathroom apart, is what water leak detection is for.
Turn off every tap, the washing machine and the dishwasher, then look at the water meter, usually in a box near the front boundary. Write down the reading or watch the small red dial for ten minutes. If it moves with nothing on, you have a leak. Ring us with that, and we'll know where to start.
When we know where it is, we open the smallest area we can to reach it, fix it, and show you the old pipe. You get a written report of what we found, which is what Hunter Water and your insurer will ask for.
A burst pipe is an emergency. Turn the water off at the meter, then ring us at any hour. Turn off an electric hot water system too, and if the burst is at the tank itself, it usually means hot water system replacement rather than a repair. We stop the water, repair the pipe and check the line on either side of it, because a pipe old enough to burst in one spot is often thin in the next.
On a block that runs on tank water, the line from the tank to the house can be a long way underground, and a leak in it shows up as a pump that keeps cycling and a tank that drops faster than it should. Around Greta and out toward Branxton, we find these with the same acoustic gear and pressure tests, one section at a time.
Not every leak is hidden. A dripping tap, a toilet cistern that trickles into the bowl, or a weeping washing-machine hose all add up on the bill. Leaking tap repair is usually quick, and if you have a few small jobs we'll do them on one visit. A cistern that trickles into the bowl usually needs a new inlet valve or flush seal, a small part and a short visit.
Everything on this page is about water. If you smell gas, don't go looking for it: get out of the house and ring from outside. Our post on what to do about a gas leak covers the first five minutes.
If the leak is in a sewer pipe rather than a water pipe, it won't show on the meter: a wet patch that smells, or a drain that keeps blocking, is a job for our blocked drains camera instead.
If the leak was under a shower, the waterproofing has usually failed too. We'll tell you straight whether the shower needs resealing or relining, and what that involves, before anything is booked.
Questions
Turn off every tap and appliance that uses water, then watch the meter for ten minutes. If the dial still moves, water is going somewhere. Other signs are a water bill much higher than usual, damp patches or bubbling paint, a musty smell, or a patch of lawn that stays green when the rest is dry.
With three tools. A thermal camera shows the cold trail of water inside a wall or floor. An acoustic listener picks up the hiss of water escaping a pressurised pipe underground. A pressure test isolates which section of pipe is losing water. Together they usually narrow it down to the spot before we open anything.
Hunter Water can give an allowance on a bill affected by a concealed leak once it has been repaired by a licensed plumber. We give you a written report and the repair invoice, which is what you need to apply. Check Hunter Water's current rules for what qualifies.
Turn the water off at the meter straight away. It's usually in a box near the front boundary, and the tap turns clockwise to close. Turn off the hot water system too if it's electric, then ring us. Burst pipes are an emergency callout, 24 hours a day.
Yes. A dripping tap usually needs a new washer, a cartridge or a seat, and it's usually a quick job. A dripping tap wastes thousands of litres a year, so it's worth doing, and if you have a few small jobs, we do them on one visit.
Many policies cover the cost of finding a hidden leak and repairing the damage it caused, though not the worn-out pipe itself. Check your policy. Our written report shows where the leak was and what caused it, which is what your insurer will ask for.