First steps, in this order
Stop the water
Icon Water says every household meter, usually in the front yard near the boundary, has an isolation valve that turns the supply off in an emergency. Close it.
Make the power safe
If water is near power points or the switchboard, switch off at the switchboard only if you can reach it from somewhere dry.
Work out where sewage is coming from
An overflowing sewer access chamber cover, or an outdoor grate that keeps overflowing with nothing running inside, goes straight to Icon Water's 24-hour line.
Call a plumber for your side
A burst pipe, failed hot water or blocked drain inside your boundary is yours to fix, with a licensed plumber.
Canberra emergencies: what's local
Frost season
At Canberra Airport, June averages 12.9 days at or below 0°C, July 15.8 and August 12.0. A split pipe often shows itself only when the ice thaws and water starts running.
Icon Water's side
In most cases Icon Water maintains the pipe from the main to the meter, the meter and its isolation valve. Plumbers aren't authorised to work on its network, so a fault there is Icon Water's to fix.
The gully as a warning
An overflow relief gully spilling in the yard means the sewer is blocked further down. Icon Water says that's its purpose: sewage escapes there rather than inside the house.
What can wait until business hours
A dripping tap, a slow drain that still empties or a running toilet can usually wait if you can live with it. Turn off the small valve under a leaking fixture if there is one.
A frozen pipe that hasn't split may thaw as the day warms. Never use a flame on it. If it splits, close the isolation valve at the meter and book a plumber.
If you smell gas
Get everyone outside, don't touch light switches, and call the gas emergency number on your bill from outside the house. Our gas leaks page has the full safety steps. A licensed gasfitter handles the repair once the area is safe.
The rules still apply at 2am
Urgent work is still licensed work. Plumbers, drainers and gasfitters hold separate ACT classes, so ask which one the person at your door holds, and check it on Access Canberra's register afterwards. Get a written invoice that describes the work.
If the fault turns out to be in Icon Water's network, that invoice and an Icon Water job reference number are what a reimbursement claim needs.
What we would do
Walk out to the front yard this week and find the meter and its isolation valve, and check you can turn it by hand. Lag any pipes that sit outside or under the house before winter. When something does go wrong, stop the water first, then decide whose problem it is: Icon Water for the meter, the main and overflowing chambers, a licensed plumber for everything on your side.