Erina in four facts
Owned outright
45.6% of occupied homes in the suburb of Erina were owned outright at the 2021 Census, and only 17.7% were rented.
Houses and villas
75.4% were separate houses and 20.2% semis, terraces or townhouses. Flats were 4.3%.
A creek with its own studies
Central Coast Council names Erina Creek as an example of a waterway with its own flood studies and flood risk management plans.
Council runs the pipes
Central Coast Council is also the water authority. On its side sit the meter and the pipes to it; past the meter, and past the sewer connection point, the pipes are yours.
Rusty, blue or smelly water
Council says galvanised pipes, usually found in homes built before the mid-1960s, tend to rust inside as they age. If water comes out clear and turns rusty or black within a few minutes, the house's own plumbing may be corroded. Council recommends replacing old corroded pipe with copper, stainless steel or polyethylene.
Blue staining is common where the hot water cylinder is copper. A rotten egg smell from the hot tap alone points to the hot water system. If the smell is strong from hot and cold taps when first turned on, contact Council instead.
A bill that jumped
Hidden leaks in underground pipes or faulty fixtures, such as a toilet that keeps running, can go unnoticed for a long time. Council says some waste more than 2000 litres a day.
Your meter tells you. Black digits count kilolitres and red digits single litres. The meter test Sydney Water describes works the same way here: turn everything off, note the reading, use no water for an hour, then look again. If it moved, book a leak specialist before you start digging up the garden.
Fixing leaks is the owner's job, but Council can help customers in financial hardship who have had a concealed leak, under its Concealed Leak Policy.
What we would do
If the water runs brown and then clears, note when it happens and whether it's the hot tap, the cold or both. That tells the plumber whether to look at the hot water system or the pipes. For a suspected hidden leak, do the meter test first, then get a leak specialist with locating gear rather than someone who digs to guess. Keep their report in case you apply to Council for hardship help.