Right now
Shut the stop tap
It's on or next to your water meter. Turn it clockwise until it stops, and the whole property is off.
Stay away from wet power
Water near the switchboard, power points or ceiling lights is dangerous. If you can't reach the switchboard from a dry spot, leave it and keep everyone out of that area.
Drain what's left
Open the lowest cold tap in the house, often the laundry or an outside tap, so the water still in the pipes runs out there instead of through the split.
Hot pipe? Turn the heater off
If hot water is spraying, switch an electric system off at the switchboard, or turn a gas one off at its control.
Record the damage
Take photos of the burst and anything wet before you clean up. Your insurer may ask for them.
How to tell a pipe has burst
- Water spraying, dripping or pooling where it shouldn't be.
- A sudden drop in pressure at every tap.
- A wet patch on a ceiling or wall that keeps growing.
- The sound of running water when nothing is on.
- A soggy strip of lawn between the meter and the house.
- Your water meter turning with every tap closed.
Your pipe or the water company's?
It depends on where the burst is and who supplies your water. The company's name is on your water bill, and each one draws the line in its own place.
Sydney Water, for example, says property owners own the drinking water pipes "from where they connect to our water system to the buildings and/or taps", but it may repair the pipe between its system and the meter, up to one metre inside your boundary. TasWater says "The connection point is the meter or the first valve that is closest to the property boundary." Hunter Water says it may maintain the pipe up to and including the path tap and the meter, but only up to one metre along it inside your boundary.
If the water is coming up in the footpath or the nature strip, ring your water company before you book a plumber.
What a plumber will do
A plumber will find the exact break, cut out the damaged length and join in new pipe, then turn the water back on slowly and check every join. If the pipe has failed in more than one place, they may suggest replacing the whole run instead of patching it twice.
Then ask why it burst. Pressure that's too high, banging pipes, corrosion in old pipe, ground movement and tree roots are common causes, and each has a different fix. High pressure is covered on our water pressure page, and banging pipes on water hammer.
What changes the job
Access is the big one. A split under the sink is a short job; a pipe inside a wall, under a slab or under the driveway means opening things up and making good afterwards. The pipe material, its age, how much of it is damaged, and whether you need the cause in writing for an insurer all change the work too.
While you wait for the plumber
You can
- Keep the stop tap off and the low cold tap open.
- Wrap a towel around a small split and stand a bucket under it.
- Mop up, and move furniture, rugs and boxes out of the wet.
- Find any plans or old invoices that show where the pipes run.
Leave to a licensed plumber
- Cutting, joining or replacing any water pipe after the meter.
- Fitting or adjusting a pressure reducing valve.
- Opening walls or floors to reach a pipe, and the pressure test after.
- Any work on the hot water system or its valves.
Rules for the repair
Pipe repairs are work for a licensed plumber. In WA, repairing or replacing existing pipework counts as "minor work": it needs a record, but not a certificate of compliance. In South Australia, where a certificate of compliance applies, plumbers must give it to you within 7 days of finishing, so ask whether your repair needs one.
Check the plumber holds a current licence before they start. Our guide to checking a plumber's licence shows where to look in your state.
Questions to ask the plumber
- Why did this pipe burst, and could it happen again nearby?
- Is the rest of this pipe in good condition?
- Is our water pressure too high?
- Is this a temporary repair or the permanent one?
- Can you put the cause in writing for my insurer?
What we would do
Get the water off and keep people away from anything electrical, then slow down. Ask the plumber why the pipe burst, not just where, because a pipe that split from high pressure or old age can split again a little further along. Fixing the cause once beats patching the same run twice, and a plumber who specialises in leaks and burst pipes will look for it.