Burst pipes and leak detection in Craigieburn
Find and fix a leak or burst pipe in Craigieburn: the meter test, who pays under Yarra Valley Water rules, how leaks are traced and published prices.
If a pipe has burst, turn off the water at the stop tap next to your meter, usually at the front of the property, and then arrange a plumber. If you only suspect a leak, a two-minute meter test tells you whether water is moving when every tap is off. Leaks between the meter and the house are the owner’s to fix. Leaks on the street side of the meter are Yarra Valley Water’s.
Craigieburn Plumbers does not send out plumbers of its own. It forwards enquiries to independent licensed plumbers, who decide whether to quote and then do the repair.
First steps when a pipe bursts
- Close the stop tap beside the water meter. Turn it clockwise until it stops.
- If water is near power points, light fittings or the switchboard, switch the power off at the board if it is safe to reach.
- Open a cold tap at the lowest point of the house to drain the remaining pressure.
- Take photos and video of the damage for your insurer.
- Move furniture and rugs away from the wet area.
Yarra Valley Water says the meter is usually at the front of the property beside the mains tap. Find yours before you need it.
Is there a leak at all?
Yarra Valley Water publishes a step-by-step leak test. Turn off every tap, sprinkler and water-using appliance, including evaporative coolers. On a digital meter, press the button: a blinking black triangle under the numbers means water is flowing. On a mechanical meter, write down the reading, wait two minutes and read it again. Any change points to a leak somewhere on your side.
Common hidden leak locations:
- a toilet cistern valve letting water trickle into the pan
- the hot water relief valve running constantly
- a cracked pipe under a concrete slab, often shown by a warm spot on the floor when it is a hot line
- irrigation lines and garden taps
- pipe joints inside walls behind showers, where the first sign is swelling skirting or mould
Who pays for the repair?
Yarra Valley Water’s rules say the meter and stop tap belong to it, and it repairs the pipe from the main to the meter. Everything from the meter to the house is the property owner’s responsibility. If the location is unclear, Yarra Valley Water will assess it. If you pay a plumber to diagnose a leak and it turns out to be in the authority’s pipes, Yarra Valley Water says it will reimburse reasonable diagnosis costs through its reimbursement form.
How leaks are traced
| Method | How it works | When it is used |
|---|---|---|
| Meter and isolation testing | Closing valves one section at a time to see which part loses water | First step on every job |
| Pressure testing | Pressurising a section and watching a gauge for a drop | Confirming a leak in a known run |
| Acoustic listening | Ground microphones pick up the sound of escaping water | Leaks under slabs and paths |
| Thermal imaging | Shows temperature differences in walls and floors | Hot water leaks, wet wall cavities |
| Tracer gas | A safe gas is introduced and detected at the surface | Hard-to-find leaks under concrete |
A plumber will ask for your recent water bills, the meter test result, where you have seen damp or heard running water, and whether the house has had recent renovation work.
Why pressure matters here
Yarra Valley Water states that its network has some of the highest average water pressures in the world, and that high pressure contributes to bursts and small leaks at joints. Inside the house, the BPC found in its 2026 audits that water pressure at interior outlets above 500 kPa was one of the common compliance faults. A pressure limiting valve after the meter protects tapware, flexible hoses and the hot water system. Ask the plumber to measure the pressure while they are there.
Flexible braided hoses under sinks, basins and toilets are a frequent cause of sudden floods in newer homes. They have a limited life and should be replaced when the braid is rusty, kinked or frayed.
Recycled water connections
Craigieburn West, Greenvale and Kalkallo are on Yarra Valley Water’s list of mandated recycled water areas, so many newer homes there have a separate purple pipe supply for toilets, laundry and garden use. Any repair near these pipes must keep the two supplies apart. After plumbing work, Yarra Valley Water suggests a simple check: turn off the drinking water meter tap and open the indoor cold taps. If water keeps flowing from one of them, it may be connected to recycled water, and a licensed plumber should be called straight away.
What repairs cost
A published Melbourne cost guide lists burst pipe repair at $210 to $840, an after-hours call-out visit at $260 to $735, and the after-hours labour rate at $160 to $315 per hour. Leak detection with acoustic or thermal equipment is usually quoted per visit. Cutting into a slab or tiled wall, and the patching afterwards, are extra. The plumbing price guide shows how call-out fees and labour add up.
Rules and insurance
Water supply pipework is its own plumbing class, so check the plumber is registered or licensed for water supply on the BPC register. Repairs above the BPC’s dollar threshold, including materials, need a compliance certificate. The BPC’s plumbing insurance page says that certificate confirms the work is insured for six years. Your home insurer may cover the resulting water damage but not the pipe repair itself: read your policy and keep the plumber’s report.
What a careful plumber will not do
- patch a corroded section with a clamp and leave it as a permanent repair without telling you
- connect a new pipe to a recycled water line by mistake, then skip the cross-connection check
- ignore high mains pressure that will cause the next leak
- leave without pressure testing the repaired run
Local angle
The Craigieburn suburb guide explains why the older east-side homes and the newer western estates have different leak patterns. In Kalkallo, where most houses have gone up since the 2010s, a leak in a near-new home may be a builder defect worth raising under warranty first.
What to do next
Do the meter test first. Then describe the leak or burst with the test result, photos and where the water is showing. If the leak is at a toilet or tap, the toilet and tap repairs page may cover it.
Frequently asked questions
- Does home insurance pay for a burst pipe?
Policies vary. Many cover the water damage caused by a sudden burst but not the cost of repairing the pipe itself, and a slow leak over months may be excluded. Read your policy and keep the plumber's report and photos for any claim.
- Why is my water bill suddenly high when nothing looks wet?
A leak can run under a slab, inside a wall or underground in the garden without showing on the surface. Do the meter test with all taps off. If the meter moves, a plumber can isolate sections of pipe to find where the water is going.
- Can a leak under a concrete slab be fixed without breaking the floor?
Sometimes. If the leaking pipe can be bypassed with a new line run through the roof or walls, the slab may not need cutting. Otherwise a small, targeted opening is made once the leak has been located with listening or tracer equipment.
- What is a pressure limiting valve and do I need one?
It is a valve fitted after the water meter that holds the pressure inside the house at a safe level. If a plumber measures mains pressure above what your fittings are designed for, adding one reduces strain on tapware, hoses and the hot water system.
- Will Yarra Valley Water fix a leak at my meter?
Yarra Valley Water owns the meter and stop tap and is responsible for the pipe on the street side of them, so a leak at the meter itself is reported to it. Leaks on the house side of the meter are for the owner to repair.