For a major burst or an emergency on the street side, call South East Water’s Faults and Emergencies team on 132 812 (24/7); a smaller leak before the meter can be reported online. If the leak is on your side of the meter, the pipes are yours, and the property owner arranges the repair with a licensed plumber.
General information, not advice. For your own property, check with South East Water or a licensed plumber. You can check a plumber’s licence with the Building and Plumbing Commission.
Which corporation serves South Yarra
Metropolitan Melbourne has three water corporations that supply homes and businesses: Greater Western Water, South East Water and Yarra Valley Water. Melbourne Water sits behind them as the wholesaler.
South Yarra is in South East Water’s area. The corporation describes its region as running from Port Melbourne to Portsea and about 30 kilometres east of Pakenham, and South Yarra falls inside the boundary on the service-region map it publishes. It is a state-owned corporation, and the Department of Health regulates it for drinking water quality.
Where is the water coming from?
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Is it a major burst, a sewer problem or an emergency?
Call South East Water’s Faults and Emergencies team on 132 812. The line is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
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Not an emergency? Find which side of the meter it is on.
South East Water is responsible for the meter and the pipes from the street to it. The property owner is responsible for the pipes from the meter to the house, and that includes the garden tap.
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Before the meter, on the street side?
Report it online and the corporation will investigate. If its crew needs to come onto your property to repair it, it asks that pets are safely secured.
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After the meter, on your side?
Contact a licensed plumber as soon as possible. While you wait, South East Water suggests turning off the supply at the stop tap near the meter, and turning it back on only when you need it.
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In a block of units?
Where units have their own check meters, South East Water is responsible only for the physical meter, not the pipes or stop taps on that network. It directs those leaks to the owners corporation.
Finding a leak you cannot see
Not every leak sprays. South East Water’s test uses the meter itself.
- Find the meter and write down the numbers.
- Turn off all taps and water-using appliances, leaving on only the stop tap beside the meter and the toilet.
- Wait 20 minutes, and make sure nobody uses any water in that time.
- Read the meter again. If the numbers have changed or the wheel has moved, you may have a leak. Repeat the test to be sure.
The usual suspects
- Toilets. Put a piece of toilet paper at the back of a dry bowl (waiting 30 minutes after the last flush is best) and leave it a few minutes with nobody using the toilet. If it is wet or torn, you may have a leak. A toilet can also leak at the base if its seal is broken.
- Taps. A dripping tap can waste up to 20,000 litres a year, and the most likely cause is a worn washer.
- The hot water unit. The most common fault is the pressure temperature relief valve releasing water. Look at the unit for water running out of its pipe; because these units usually sit down the side of a house, the leak can go unnoticed for a long time.
- Garden and pool. Unexplained wet patches, or parts of a lawn growing faster, can point to an irrigation leak, and automatic top-ups on tanks and pools can overflow without anyone noticing.
If none of these explains it, the leak may be under the house or the garden, which is work for a licensed plumber.
After the water stops
If the house was damaged
Where a burst water pipe or a sewer spill has damaged your property, South East Water recommends contacting your insurance company immediately; the insurer may be able to help arrange clean-up and repairs, and is responsible for producing a damage report. Without insurance, the corporation says it may consider financial assistance, assessed case by case.
If the bill jumped
After a repaired leak, South East Water may review a higher-than-expected bill under its guideline for unexplained high usage and undetected leaks. It lists three conditions:
- the leak was repaired within 2 weeks of you being told about it or finding it;
- your request reaches the corporation within 90 days of its notice about unusual usage, or of the due date of the bill showing the increase;
- the property has not had a high usage review in the past 5 years.
It asks for the plumber’s report confirming the leak and repair, and a photo of the current meter reading, and says it will reply with the outcome within 10 business days. The details are on its checking for leaks page.
Choosing who fixes it
South East Water’s advice for a leak on your side is a licensed plumber. In Victoria, plumbing work may only be done by a plumber with a current registration or licence, or by an apprentice, and the Building and Plumbing Commission’s public search shows whether a plumber’s registration or licence is current. Sheet 02 shows how to check.
If the repair costs more than $750 all up, counting materials, appliances, labour and GST, the licensed plumber must give you a compliance certificate. Sheet 03 explains what that is.