Water leaks

Property owners are responsible for the repair of any leaks in their homes and businesses and private supply pipes (the pipe from the Council water service to the house and out-buildings like garages and sleepouts).

This means that all water that passes through the water meter will become part of your costs.

Leaking toilets, taps and more particularly, leaking underground pipes can waste a lot of water, leading to high water bills. For example, a tap that drips once every second will waste up to 33 litres per day. In comparison, a leaking underground water pipe can waste thousands of litres per day and not be visible.

Checking for leaks regularly and repairing them quickly is a simple way to save water and money.

Household water leaks usually come in two forms, slow or large. A slow leak could be from a fixture – toilet, shower or tap. A large leak could be from the hot water cylinder or leaking pipes.

To check for leaks, please follow these steps:

1. Turn off all taps and water using appliances in and around your premises.
2. Check your water meter and take a meter reading. If the dials on your water meter are moving there could be a leak. If there is no movement on the dials, there may still be a slow leak.
3. To check further for leaks, do not use any water for at least one hour, then take another reading. If the meter reading has changed, there may be a slow leak.
4. To fix the leak, check all fixtures and fittings and/or call a licensed plumber.

Sometimes visual clues can help find the location of a leak outside the building, such as green grass patches when other areas are looking brown.  Inside a building you may see brown spots or mould that could indicate a slow leak inside the walls/roof.  However, if pipes are installed in sandy ground, the leaks can be much harder to detect without appropriate technology for leak detection.

Early leak detection will assist in saving costs for repairs and reduce water loss. As water consumers, we can all play our part in looking for leaks.

Sometimes you may notice some water in your water meter. Condensation does occur inside the plastic box, but this doesn’t necessarily mean there’s a leak. There may be a leak if water at the bottom of the box is over a centimetre, and its moving. Contact Council if you’re concerned.