Your latest Water bill arrives and it’s double what it should be. You haven’t filled any pools, watered any new gardens, or changed your routine. Yet somehow you’ve used 50,000 litres more than usual. For Canberra homeowners, this scenario plays out hundreds of times each month, usually indicating hidden leaks wasting water 24/7.
Icon Water charges approximately $2.46 per kilolitre (1,000 litres) for water, plus $1.04 for sewerage. A hidden leak losing just 10 litres per hour costs you $300 annually. But most hidden leaks are far worse – a running toilet can waste 60 litres per hour, while a underground pipe leak might lose 100+ litres hourly.
One Gungahlin family recently discovered their quarterly bill had jumped from $280 to $1,400. The culprit? A split pipe under their driveway had been leaking for eight weeks. They’d noticed the driveway stayed damp but assumed it was drainage from recent rain.
Your water meter is the quickest way to confirm hidden leaks. Here’s the test every Canberra homeowner should know:
If the reading has changed, you’ve got a leak somewhere. The meter’s small red triangle or dial should also be completely still when no water’s being used – any movement indicates water flow.
Under the concrete slab Modern Canberra homes built on slabs have water pipes running through or under concrete. When these leak, water has nowhere to go except up through cracks or out to edges. Watch for unexplained damp patches on floors, carpet that won’t dry, or hot spots on the floor (indicating hot water pipe leaks).
Inside walls Listen for dripping sounds at night when the house is quiet. Check for paint bubbling, wallpaper peeling, or musty smells. Wall leaks often start small but cause massive damage over time. If you need professional leak detection services, these require special equipment to locate without destroying walls.
Underground service lines The pipe from your meter to your house runs underground. Leaks here often go unnoticed for months. Signs include patches of extra-green grass, soggy ground when it hasn’t rained, or cracks in paths and driveways. Theodore and Banks residents should be particularly vigilant – homes built in the early 1980s are hitting that 40-year mark where original copper services start failing.
Toilets are Canberra’s biggest water wasters, and the leaks are often silent. Here’s a simple test:
Add a few drops of food colouring to the cistern (the tank behind the bowl). Don’t flush. Wait 20 minutes. If colour appears in the bowl, your toilet’s leaking internally. This invisible leak can waste 260 litres daily – about $350 yearly on Canberra water rates.
Dual-flush toilets, standard in water-conscious Canberra homes, are particularly prone to internal leaks after 10-15 years. The rubber seals deteriorate in our chlorinated water, creating gaps water constantly trickles through.
Walk outside and check your hot water system’s relief valve drain pipe (the copper pipe running from the tank to the ground). If water’s dripping constantly, the valve’s failed and you’re losing heated water 24/7. This double-hit of water and gas/electricity costs can add $50-100 monthly to your bills.
Hot water system leaks are particularly expensive because you’re paying to heat water that immediately drains away. One Belconnen property lost $900 over winter from a faulty relief valve the owners thought was “normal drainage.”
Canberra’s extreme temperature swings create unique leak patterns:
Winter: Pipes contract in sub-zero temperatures, stressing joints. Frozen pipes in uninsulated areas can split. July and August see spike in burst pipes, especially in older suburbs like Reid and Campbell.
Summer: Heat causes pipes to expand, while dry soil shifts and cracks, stressing underground pipes. December and January bring more underground service leaks, particularly in suburbs with reactive clay soils like Gowrie and Isabella Plains.
Document everything if you find a leak: take photos, keep receipts, note when you first noticed issues. Insurance assessors want evidence the damage was sudden, not gradual deterioration you ignored.
Some signs indicate serious leaks requiring urgent professional attention:
These situations worsen exponentially. What starts as a $400 repair becomes a $15,000 renovation if left too long. If you notice any of these signs, contact our emergency team immediately – we provide 24/7 leak detection across Canberra with guaranteed 30-minute response times.
Annual plumbing inspections catch problems before they become disasters. For $150-200, a plumber can:
Properties over 25 years old should consider pipe condition assessments. Canberra homes built in the 1980s-90s often used copper pipes now reaching end-of-life. Planned replacement costs far less than emergency repairs.
Check your water meter this weekend. Test your toilets with food colouring. Walk around and actually look at your hot water system. These simple checks take 30 minutes but could save thousands.
If you discover a leak, don’t panic but don’t delay. Water damage compounds daily. A small leak today becomes structural damage tomorrow. Book an inspection online and save 10% on leak detection services.
Remember, that high water bill isn’t just expensive – it’s your house telling you something’s wrong. Listen to it before a hidden leak becomes a visible disaster.
Need help finding a hidden leak? Our licensed leak detection specialists are available 24/7 across Canberra. Call 0421 55 77 00 for immediate assistance or book online for 10% off leak detection services.
We are here to provide you with the best possible all-in-one-service
