Unitywater's meter test
Turn off everything that uses water
Taps, hose, washing machine, dishwasher, plumbed fridge, irrigation. Leave the tap at the meter on.
Photograph the meter
Make sure the red numbers are in the shot too.
Wait at least an hour
Use no water anywhere on the property in that time.
Compare
If the numbers or dial have moved, water is going somewhere. Unitywater's advice is to get a licensed plumber to investigate.
Sunshine Coast leaks: whose and where
Everything past the meter is yours
Unitywater says all water pipes and fittings from the meter onto private property are the owner's to maintain, and all leaks on private property, concealed ones included, are the owner's to investigate and repair.
Leaks at the meter are Unitywater's
The meter is Unitywater's property. A full meter box, or soggy ground with the meter not ticking over, should be reported to Unitywater rather than a plumber.
Soft water and pipes
Unitywater describes Sunshine Coast water as generally soft, under 100 mg/L, and says soft water may lead to greater pipe corrosion, depending on pH, alkalinity and dissolved oxygen.
Tanks on town water
Unitywater suggests checking that a rainwater tank isn't being topped up automatically from town water, and that a faulty solenoid isn't the cause if it's connected.
Check the usual suspects
Toilets. Tint the cistern water with a few drops of food colouring, then wait without flushing. If colour reaches the bowl, it's leaking. No food colouring? A sheet of dry toilet paper stuck to the back of the bowl, above the water, should stay dry.
Pools. Stand a bucket of pool water on a step so the water levels match, mark both, and leave the pool unused for 24 hours. If the pool drops further than the bucket, it's more than evaporation. More on our pool leaks page.
The rest. Dripping garden taps, missing irrigation caps, the plumbed fridge and the hot water system are all worth a look.
Unitywater's Concealed Leak Allowance
If a hidden leak has been repaired on your property, you may be eligible for a Concealed Leak Allowance under Unitywater's Concealed Leaks Policy. It's assessed against that policy, and not every customer qualifies.
Two limits matter. Unitywater doesn't give allowances for other types of leaks, and it doesn't cover the plumber's repair bill for any leak. Read the policy before the repair, so you know what records to keep.
What a leak specialist does
A plumber will confirm the leak on the meter, then shut off sections of the system to narrow it down. Acoustic listening gear and a thermal camera help pinpoint it under concrete or behind tiles, so only one spot gets opened. Our national leak detection page explains the methods.
Questions for the leak plumber
- Is the leak in the underground pipe, inside the house, or in a fixture?
- Can you show me the readings before and after the repair?
- Will your invoice say where the leak was and what you fixed?
- Is anything else on my system likely to fail the same way?
What we would do
Run the meter test first, then the toilet test, because Unitywater says cistern leaks are common and easy to check. If the meter still moves with every fixture checked, book a leak specialist rather than a general call-out: finding the leak is the hard part. Keep your meter photos and the plumber's invoice in case you apply for Unitywater's allowance. And if the leak is at the meter itself, don't pay a plumber to touch it. Report it to Unitywater.