What makes leak hunting in Cairns harder
Months of very wet weather
Cairns Aero averages 404.8 mm in January, 436.1 mm in February and 424.3 mm in March. Rain driven into walls, roofs and slabs can look a lot like a leaking pipe.
Humid mornings
Mean 9am humidity at the airport is 78% from February to April (1942 to 2010 records). A damp smell alone doesn't prove a plumbing leak.
Leaks in the council's network too
Cairns Regional Council recorded 527 water main breaks, bursts and leaks in its 2025 figures to the state. Water seeping up in the street or footpath belongs with the council, not a plumber.
The meter test, before anyone is booked
Turn everything off
All taps, the washing machine, dishwasher, irrigation and any pool top-up. Make sure no toilet is still filling.
Read the meter
Write down the numbers or take a photo, including the small dial that measures litres.
Wait, then read again
Leave it unused for an hour or more, or overnight if you can. If the reading has moved, water is going somewhere.
Narrow it down
If your property has an isolating valve for the house, close it and see if the meter stops. If it still turns, the leak may be in the pipe between the meter and the house.
What a leak detection plumber does
A plumber will start with the meter and pressure tests to confirm there's a leak and which section it's in. Listening gear picks up the sound of water escaping under pressure, and a thermal camera can show a hot water pipe leaking under a slab or behind tiles.
In a Cairns wet season, ask them to rule out rain and condensation as well. A good leak specialist will say plainly if the meter test shows no leak and the problem is a roof, a window seal or ventilation, which isn't plumbing.
Our national leak detection page covers where leaks tend to hide, and hidden leaks goes further on slabs and walls.
Whose pipe is it?
Cairns Regional Council supplies the water and runs the mains. We couldn't read the council's own rule on exactly where its responsibility ends at your meter, so ask the council when you report a leak near the boundary.
What the Queensland Government does say applies everywhere in the state: water customers keep the plumbing on their own property in good condition, and can ask their provider to test a meter they think is reading wrong. The provider may charge for that test.
In a unit block, a leak in a shared pipe may be a body corporate matter. Tell the building manager what you've found before booking a plumber for common property.
You can check, a plumber should find
You can
- Run the meter test above, more than once if the result is borderline.
- Look for a toilet that trickles into the bowl long after flushing.
- Check outside taps, irrigation lines and the hot water relief valve for drips.
- Compare your water bills over the year for a jump you can't explain.
Leave to a licensed plumber
- Pressure testing sections of pipe.
- Acoustic and thermal leak location.
- Cutting into walls, tiles or slab to reach a pipe.
- Repairing or rerouting a leaking pipe, and any notifiable work registration with the QBCC.
What we would do
Do the meter test first, ideally overnight and in a dry spell if you can wait. If the meter moves with everything off, book a leak detection specialist rather than a general plumber with a jackhammer: finding the exact spot is what saves your floor. If the meter doesn't move, spend the money on the roof or windows instead. And if water is coming up in the street, leave it to the council.