Icon Water's overnight meter test
Turn everything off
Make sure the washing machine, dishwasher and any irrigation are off, and that nobody will use water overnight.
Read it at night
Find the meter, usually in the front yard close to the boundary, and write down the numbers last thing at night.
Read it again in the morning
Before anyone turns on a tap, read it again. If the numbers have changed, you may have a leak.
Check the easy suspects
Look for dripping taps, a cistern that keeps running and damp patches on walls before you book anyone.
Leak facts for Canberra homes
Whose pipe is leaking
In most cases Icon Water maintains the pipe from the main to the meter, plus the meter itself. Everything on the house side is yours, and plumbers aren't authorised to work on Icon Water's network.
Bill relief for hidden leaks
Icon Water may make a one-off adjustment to consumption charges, up to $2,500, for a leak that couldn't be seen. You'll need your licensed plumber's statement or invoice.
Frost-split pipes
Canberra Airport averages 58.8 days a year at or below 0°C. A pipe that splits in a frost under the house or in a wall can keep leaking out of sight after the thaw.
Before anyone digs
If the leak is underground between the meter and the house, ask the plumber to confirm the pipe's route first. Two ACT rules can apply. Works near a stormwater easement need approval, and ACTmapi shows where easements run. Groundwork in a protected tree's protection zone needs approval as well, and that zone extends 2 metres past the canopy's edge.
A plumber who traces leaks can often narrow the spot down far enough to keep the digging small. Our hidden leaks guide explains the methods.
Paperwork that pays off later
Icon Water's undetected leak adjustment asks for a statement or invoice from your licensed plumber giving the date the leak was found and repaired, how it was detected, its nature and location, and where the water was escaping to.
Ask for those details on the invoice from the start. A leak you could have seen, such as a dripping tap or a damp patch, isn't what the adjustment is for.
Questions for a Canberra leak specialist
- Is the leak on my side of the meter or Icon Water's?
- How will you find it without opening walls you don't need to?
- Will the invoice include everything Icon Water asks for in a leak adjustment claim?
- Is there an easement or a protected tree where you'd need to dig?
What we would do
Do the overnight meter test twice, on different nights, before you pay anyone. If it shows a leak and you can't find it, book a leak specialist and ask for the invoice to cover Icon Water's adjustment questions. Then read your meter at about the same time each month, as Icon Water suggests, so the next leak shows up in weeks rather than on the bill.