Hot Water Systems
Gas storage, continuous flow, electric, solar and heat pump systems across the Perth metro.
Learn more →Stop the water first
Every minute the main is open is more water into the wall, the ceiling or the slab. The meter isolating tap at the front boundary shuts the whole property. If the burst is clearly on a hot water line, the isolating valve at the hot water unit will stop that side without killing the cold supply to the toilets.
If the water is coming through a ceiling, get out from under it. Wet plasterboard fails suddenly and a saturated ceiling sheet holds a lot of weight.
What fails, and where
Copper pin-holing. The commonest failure in Perth houses from the 1970s through the 1990s. A tiny hole in an otherwise sound-looking pipe, usually on a hot run, spraying a fine mist that soaks a wall cavity for weeks before anyone notices. The telltale is a damp patch on a wall with no obvious source and a water bill that has crept up.
Poly joint failures. Older polybutylene and early poly systems used crimped or barbed fittings that become brittle. The failure is at the fitting, not in the middle of the pipe.
Slab leaks. Pipes cast into or run under the concrete slab. These are the expensive ones because access is the problem, not the repair.
Mains and service line breaks. Between the meter and the house. In sandy ground these can run for a long time without surfacing because the water simply drains away — which is exactly why the first symptom is a bill rather than a puddle.
Ground movement and root pressure. Less common in sand than in reactive clay, but tree roots do displace shallow service lines over time.
The repair
A single accessible burst is a short job: isolate, cut out the failed section, sleeve or replace it, pressure test, make good. A pin hole in copper is often a sign to look harder at the rest of that run, because the conditions that produced one produce more.
Where the failure is in a wall or under the slab, the sequence is different. Locate it precisely first — see leak detection — then decide between repairing in place and abandoning the run in favour of a reroute. On a slab leak, a reroute through the roof space is frequently cheaper and less destructive than opening the floor, particularly in a tiled bathroom you do not want to re-tile.
Sandy soil cuts both ways
Excavation on the Swan Coastal Plain is easy. The sand digs quickly, needs little in the way of breaking out, and backfills cleanly, so an external service line repair here is genuinely a shorter job than the equivalent in clay.
The flip side is that a leaking underground line in sand does not announce itself. There is no soft spot in the lawn and no pooling water — it drains straight down. Underground leaks in Perth are usually found on the meter, not with your eyes.
After the water is off
Dry the structure properly. Wet insulation in a wall cavity and saturated bottom plates cause more expense than the pipe did. Get air moving, lift wet carpet, and if the volume was significant, get a dryer in rather than hoping.
Related: if the water is dirty rather than clean, look at blocked drains. If it is at the hot water unit, start with hot water repairs. For general work around the house, see the plumbing services page.
More services
Explore our other services
Hot Water Installation
Like-for-like swaps, relocations and changeovers between gas, electric and heat pump.
Learn more →Hot Water Repairs
Elements, thermostats, thermocouples, anodes and tempering valves — repaired where repair is honest.
Learn more →Emergency Hot Water Replacement
Same-day changeover when a cylinder splits or an old unit stops for good.
Learn more →Blocked Drains
Jetting, electric eel and CCTV for sewer, stormwater and kitchen waste blockages.
Learn more →Leak Detection
Finding the leak behind a rising Water Corporation bill before anyone digs.
Learn more →Gas Fitting
Bayonets, cooktops, gas points and appliance connections on mains gas or LPG.
Learn more →Gas Leak Repairs
Smell gas? Isolate at the meter, get outside, then call. Pressure testing and repair.
Learn more →Taps and Toilets
Dripping taps, running cisterns, mixer cartridges and toilet suite replacements.
Learn more →Backflow Prevention
Testable backflow devices installed and tested to keep your supply separate from the main.
Learn more →General Plumbing
The everyday work — renovations, relocations, roof plumbing and maintenance.
Learn more →
FAQs
Frequently asked questions
Where is my water meter and how do I turn it off?
In most Perth properties the meter sits in a green or black box near the front boundary, often close to the verge or driveway. The isolating tap is beside the meter itself. Turn it clockwise until it stops. If the box is full of sand, which happens often here, clear it enough to get a hand in before the day you actually need it.
Why do copper pipes develop pin holes?
Pitting corrosion. Small defects in the internal surface of the pipe, water chemistry, velocity and temperature combine to eat through the wall from the inside at a single point. It shows up most often on hot water lines because heat accelerates it. Once one pin hole appears in a run, others in the same run commonly follow within a year or two.
Can a leak under the concrete slab be fixed without breaking the floor?
Sometimes. If the leaking section can be abandoned and a new line rerouted through the roof space or around the perimeter, the slab stays intact. If the pipe must be repaired in place, the slab has to be opened at that point. Locating the leak precisely first is what keeps the opening to a small patch rather than a trench.
Will my insurance cover a burst pipe?
Many home policies cover the resulting water damage but not the cost of repairing the failed pipe itself, and some exclude gradual leaks entirely. Policies differ enormously. Photograph everything before repairs start, keep the invoice, and read the wording rather than taking anyone's word for it — including ours.
Free, no-obligation