Burst Pipe Repair Gold Coast

If you're reading this with water actively pouring out somewhere, stop reading and turn off the water main. The rest of this page can wait. Every minute the water stays on, more is coming through.

Your water main is in one of three places:

• Near the front fence or footpath, small green or black box, often labelled WATER
• Against an outside wall of the house, usually on the street-facing side
• In a concrete or plastic meter pit flush with the ground

Open the lid. Find the tap or lever. Turn it 90° clockwise (or until it stops). Water to the whole property is off.

If you can't find it, call us, we'll talk you through it on the call. 0472 657 042.

Tell us where you are and what you can see. We'll give you an ETA on the call. While we drive over, we'll talk you through anything else that limits damage:

• Turn off the hot water system (it can keep running dry and damage the tank)
• Kill the breaker to any electrical near the wet zone
• Pull rugs, lift anything off wet carpet
• Open windows and external doors for airflow (less mould later)
• Photograph everything, for your insurance claim

Standard sequence on a burst pipe callout:

1. Find the burst. Sometimes obvious (visible water), sometimes hidden (under a slab, in a wall cavity, under the floor).
2. Isolate the affected section. Usually we can isolate just one section so the rest of the house has water back on within minutes.
3. Quote the repair in writing before starting work.
4. Repair properly. Cut out the damaged section, install new pipe and fittings, pressure-test before re-burying or closing up.
5. Test the system. Run all taps, check pressure, confirm no other leaks.
6. Mould-risk briefing. If insulation, plaster or floors are wet, we'll tell you what to dry out (and how fast) to avoid a mould problem.
7. Document and invoice. Photos of the fault, photos of the repair, written invoice. Useful for insurance claims.

The five most common causes of burst pipes on the Gold Coast:

• Old copper pipe corroded through. Most homes 30+ years old will see this, copper goes thin from the inside and a pinhole pops. Cold water lines fail first (hotter water actually slows the corrosion).
• Tree roots cracking a pipe. Roots find moisture, grow into joints, expand and split the pipe over years.
• Burst flex hose, flexible braided hoses under toilets, basins, behind washing machines. 5-10 year lifespan. Past 7 years they start failing.
• Pressure spike, failed pressure-limiting valve at the meter, or a council pressure event in the street. Old fittings give first.
• Water hammer fatigue. The loud "thunk" in your walls when you turn a tap off quickly. Stresses pipe joints over years.

If you don't have a pressure-limiting valve at your meter, install one. Cheap insurance against future bursts.

Not every burst is dramatic. Some leak slowly somewhere you can't see:

• Under-slab leak, slow flow of water under the concrete slab. Symptoms: unexplained wet spot on the floor, water bill going up, area of tile warmer or cooler than the rest. We use acoustic leak detection and thermal imaging to locate. Repair usually means saw-cutting the slab.
• Wall cavity leak, pipe in a wall develops a slow leak. Symptoms: damp patch on plaster, paint bubbling, musty smell. Cut out the affected wall section, repair, patch.
• Underground supply line leak, pipe from the meter to the house has a leak. Symptoms: unexplained green patch on the lawn, water bill up despite no use change, hissing sound at the meter even when all taps are off. We trace and dig to repair.

If your water bill has jumped with no change in usage, get it checked. Sometimes a slow leak runs for months before anyone notices.

Easy diagnostic you can do yourself:

1. Make sure no taps are running, no toilets cycling, no washing machine on.
2. Find your water meter (front fence or outside wall).
3. Note the meter reading exactly. Take a photo.
4. Don't use any water for 2 hours.
5. Check the meter again.

If the meter has moved at all, you have a leak somewhere. Most common: a running toilet (listen for it), a dripping tap, a hot water pressure relief valve stuck open (visible drip from a small pipe outside), or an underground supply line.

If the meter shows movement and you can't find an obvious tap leak, ring us. Leak detection is one of our specialties.

Most home insurance policies cover "sudden and unforeseen escape of liquid", burst pipe damage to building and contents. The pipe repair itself is usually not covered ("wear and tear"), but the damage from the water is.

For a successful claim:

• Photograph everything before we touch it, burst location, affected rooms, damaged contents, time on a clock
• Don't dispose of anything until the assessor inspects (or photographs)
• Get the repair done fast, insurers expect you to mitigate further damage
• Keep our invoice, describes the cause as "sudden burst pipe failure" if applicable

We can write the repair description specifically for your insurance claim if you want. Just ask when you call.

• Install a pressure-limiting valve if your home doesn't have one (or yours is 10+ years old). Set to 500 kPa.
• Replace flex hoses every 5-7 years, toilets, basins, behind washing machines. About $20-40 a hose at trade.
• Replace ageing copper pipework as you reno, if you're opening a wall anyway, it's cheap to upgrade old copper at the same time.
• Insulate exposed pipework in unheated spaces (rare on the Gold Coast but applies in the hinterland in winter).
• Watch for warning signs, damp ceiling spots, unexplained water-bill spikes, sound of running water when nothing's on.
• Get a plumbing health check if you've just moved into an older home. We'll go through it and flag what's likely to fail.