The first ten minutes
Water off
Turn the stop tap beside the meter clockwise until it stops. If a single fixture is leaking, its own isolating valve may be enough.
Power and water don't mix
Keep out of water near power points or the switchboard. Turn the power off only from a dry spot.
Gas smell
Energy Safe Victoria's advice: turn the gas off at the meter, or at the LPG cylinder, only if it's safe, put out any flame and leave electrical switches alone. Open doors and windows, then call the number on your gas bill from outside. For a fire, call 000.
Sewage backing up
Stop using water in the house so you don't add to it, and keep children and pets away from the overflow.
Who to call in Greater Geelong
Barwon Water
Barwon Water supplies the greater Geelong area. Council's drainage pages say broken water or sewer infrastructure causing seepage is Barwon Water's responsibility, so a burst in the street or a spill from a sewer manhole goes to them.
City of Greater Geelong
Council looks after its own pits, pipes and kerbs. A blocked or overflowing street pit is theirs to clear, and Council asks residents never to lift a stormwater lid.
Your plumber
Pipes, fittings and drains on your land are yours to fix. Council recommends a licensed plumber for private drainage problems.
Your landlord
28.0% of homes in Greater Geelong's council area were rented at the 2021 Census. If yours is one, tell the landlord or agent as soon as the water is off.
Call now, not tomorrow
- A pipe has burst, or water won't stop at a tap or valve.
- Water is coming through a ceiling or near the switchboard.
- Sewage is coming up inside, or overflowing from the gully outside.
- The hot water tank itself is leaking.
- There's a gas smell, after you've rung the gas emergency number.
What can wait for daylight
A dripping tap, a slow basin or a cistern that keeps running is annoying, not urgent. Close the isolating valve under the cistern and use another toilet. A wet patch in the yard with no rain lately may be a leak, and Council lists faulty plumbing and damaged water infrastructure among the causes of that kind of seepage. Turn the water off at night and book a leak detection specialist in the morning.
Licences don't change after dark
Urgent work still needs the right Victorian registration or licence. Only a licensed plumber can issue a compliance certificate, so if your job needs one, confirm who will sign it off. Get the plumber's full name and number, and check it with the BPC on the state's licence register when you can.
Signs to say no
- A deposit demanded at the door. Consumer Affairs Victoria's 2025 warning described deposits of usually 50% on jobs said to be complex and urgent.
- A price in the thousands before the plumber has found the fault.
- A business name that doesn't match the licence you're shown.
What we would do
Once the water or gas is off, the panic is over and you can choose well. Spend five minutes working out whether the fault is yours, Barwon Water's or Council's, because two of those three won't cost you a plumber. If it is yours, ask for a plumber who does urgent work every week and ask how they charge before they start. A temporary fix tonight and a proper repair later is often the sensible plan.