Skip to content 
If a pipe has burst, do three things in this order: turn the water off at your water meter tap, keep away from anything wet that is near power, then call a licensed plumber. Everything else, including mopping up and calling your insurer, comes after the water is off. In Queensland the pipework on your side of the water meter is yours to repair, so the sooner the tap is closed, the smaller the damage and the bill.
A burst pipe is one of the few plumbing problems that gets worse by the minute. Below is what to do in the first ten minutes, how to work out whether the pipe is your responsibility or your water provider’s, and who to call after hours across Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Logan and Ipswich.
First 10 minutes: what to do right now
- Turn the water off at the meter. Find your water meter, usually in a box near the front boundary of the property. There is a tap next to it. Turn it clockwise until it stops. That shuts water to the whole property and the flooding stops.
- Stay away from wet electrics. If water is running near a switchboard, power point or appliance, do not touch it and do not wade through standing water to reach the switchboard. Water carries electricity and a wet switchboard can give you a fatal shock.
- Call 000 if there is smoke, sparking or fire. If the property has flooded and mains power is still on, contact Energex to arrange disconnection rather than trying to isolate it yourself.
- Open the lowest taps in the house. With the mains off, running a downstairs or outdoor tap drains the pressure and the water still sitting in the pipes, so less of it ends up on your floor.
- Call a licensed plumber. Burst pipe repair is regulated plumbing work in Queensland. It has to be done by a QBCC licensed plumber, and a proper repair is what lets you turn the water back on safely.
- Photograph everything before you clean up. Take pictures of the burst, the water, and any damaged flooring, walls or contents. Insurers assess on evidence, and once you have mopped and dried, the evidence is gone.
- Move what you can. Lift rugs, electronics, boxes and anything on the floor out of the wet area while you wait.
If you cannot find the meter tap or it will not budge, say so when you call the plumber, because it changes what they bring and how fast they need to get there.
Whose pipe is it? Your side vs the water provider’s side
This decides who pays. In Queensland the dividing line is the water meter. You are responsible for repairing and maintaining all the private plumbing up to and including the point where it connects into the meter. The water provider owns and repairs the network side, including the meter itself.
| Your responsibility | Your water provider’s responsibility |
|---|---|
| Pipes inside the house, in walls and under the slab | The water main in the street |
| Pipes between the meter and the house, including under the yard and driveway | The water meter itself and its connection |
| Flexible hoses under sinks and vanities, taps and fittings | Leaks and bursts on the network side of the meter |
| Hot water pipework and the relief valve line | Pressure and supply issues coming off the main |
The practical test: if water is coming up in the street, from the footpath, or out of the meter box itself, report it to your water provider. If it is anywhere past the meter, on your land or in your building, it is a job for a plumber.
Who your provider is depends on where you live. Brisbane and Ipswich are served by Urban Utilities, who take fault reports on 13 23 64, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. On the Gold Coast and in Logan the council is the water provider, so use your council’s own fault line. Where a leak on the provider’s own meter has pushed your consumption up, Urban Utilities adjusts the affected account, which is another reason to report a meter-box leak rather than ignore it.
What actually causes burst pipes in South East Queensland
We rarely get the frozen-pipe bursts that dominate overseas advice. In Brisbane and the surrounding south east, the usual causes look like this:
- Failed flexible braided hoses. The short braided hoses under kitchen sinks, laundry tubs and bathroom vanities are the single most common cause of sudden indoor flooding in Australian homes.
- Corroded old galvanised or copper pipework. Common in pre-1980s homes across the inner Brisbane suburbs, where decades of internal corrosion thin the pipe until it splits.
- Tree roots and ground movement. Reactive clay soils shift with our wet and dry cycles, and mature roots wrap and crush older pipes running under yards and driveways.
- Water pressure that is too high. Excess mains pressure stresses joints, fittings and hoses until one lets go, usually the weakest one.
- Impact damage. Fence posts, star pickets, landscaping and excavation work put through a buried line.
- Hot water system failure. A tank at the end of its life, or a relief valve line that has corroded through.
The flexi hose problem is bigger than most people think
Suncorp reviewed more than 22,000 home water damage claims from 2024 and found burst flexible hoses behind one in ten of them, with the average claim costing more than $27,500. Insurer IAG has put braided hoses behind more than one in five water damage claims. These hoses sit hidden inside a vanity or under a sink, they fail without warning, and they can run at full mains pressure for hours before anyone is home to notice.
The check takes about ten minutes. Twice a year, open the cupboard under every sink, basin and laundry tub and look at each braided hose for fraying strands, rust, corrosion, kinks or twists. If a hose looks anything other than clean and straight, get it dealt with before it goes. If you are heading away on holidays, turn the water off at the meter before you leave. More on this on our page about burst flexi pipes.
Burst pipe or hidden leak? Why it matters for insurance
Not every burst announces itself. A pipe inside a wall or under a slab can leak for weeks. The signs are a water bill that jumps for no reason, damp patches or bubbling paint on a wall, the sound of running water when every tap is off, a warm patch on the floor, or a meter that keeps ticking over when nothing in the house is on.
The distinction matters at claim time. Home insurers cover a sudden, accidental burst. Gradual leaks are treated differently: roughly a fifth of insurers exclude them outright, and the rest generally only cover them where the leak was genuinely hidden and a reasonable person would not have spotted it. Damage from leaks that trace back to poor maintenance is excluded. That is the practical argument for acting on a small leak rather than living with it, and for getting a hidden leak found properly with leak detection rather than opening walls to look. If you suspect the problem is inside a wall cavity, see our page on leaking pipes in walls.
Can I repair it myself?
No, and not because of the difficulty. Most plumbing work in Queensland is regulated and has to be carried out by a QBCC licensed plumber or drainer. Repairing a burst water pipe sits inside that regulated work. Unlicensed plumbing work carries penalties on a sliding scale up to 350 penalty units or a year’s imprisonment for repeat or grossly defective work, and it is not covered by the Queensland Home Warranty Scheme, so you carry the loss if it fails again.
A short list of tasks is unregulated. You can replace a shower head, a domestic water filter cartridge, a jumper valve or washer in a tap, and certain toilet cistern washers without a licence. A burst pipe is not on that list.
What you can and should do is the emergency response above: shut the water off at the meter, stay clear of wet electrics, drain the lines, document the damage, and get a licensed plumber out. Taping or clamping a split pipe as a stopgap is fine as a way to buy an hour, but it is not a repair and the water should stay off until a plumber has been.
What a burst pipe repair costs
There is no single price. The job depends on the pipe. A split flexi hose under a vanity and a burst main under a concrete driveway are different pieces of work. The things that move the cost:
| Cost driver | Why it changes the job |
|---|---|
| Where the pipe is | An exposed pipe under a sink is quick. Under a slab, in a wall cavity or under a driveway means locating it first and reinstating afterwards. |
| How the leak is found | A visible burst needs no detection. A hidden one needs acoustic or thermal leak detection before anything is opened up. |
| Pipe material and age | Old galvanised or degraded copper often means replacing a section rather than patching a point, because the next weak spot is close behind. |
| Access and excavation | Digging, concrete cutting, or working in a tight roof or subfloor space adds time and equipment. |
| Time of day | After-hours and weekend emergency callouts are charged differently to a booked weekday job. |
| Making good | Patching plaster, reinstating concrete or replacing damaged flooring may be part of the scope or a separate trade. |
For general context on plumbing rates in this market, see our guide to what a plumber costs in Brisbane. For your specific burst, the honest answer is a quote once someone has seen it.
Who to call for a burst pipe after hours in Brisbane
A burst pipe at 11pm is an emergency callout, not a next-morning booking. Once the water is off at the meter the flooding stops, but the property has no water until the repair is done, which is why most people want someone out the same night.
Call The Plumber Now runs emergency plumbing across Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Logan and Ipswich, including after hours, with QBCC licensed plumbers. When you call, have three things ready: where the burst is, whether you managed to get the water off at the meter, and whether any water has reached power points, appliances or the switchboard. That last one changes how the job is approached before anyone walks in.
For the broader version of this, covering gas, sewage, hot water and storm damage as well as burst pipes, read our guide on what to do in a plumbing emergency before the plumber arrives. If the pipe is cracked rather than fully burst, our page on cracked pipes covers how those are repaired.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I do first if a pipe bursts?
Turn the water off at your water meter tap, which is usually in a box near the front boundary. Turn it clockwise until it stops. Then stay away from any water near power points, appliances or the switchboard, open the lowest tap in the house to drain the remaining water, and call a licensed plumber.
Who is responsible for a burst pipe in Queensland, me or the water provider?
You are responsible for all private plumbing up to and including where it connects into the water meter. The water provider is responsible for its own infrastructure, including the meter and the main in the street. If water is surfacing in the street or in the meter box, report it to your provider. If it is past the meter, it is a plumber’s job.
Can I repair a burst pipe myself in Queensland?
No. Repairing a burst pipe is regulated plumbing work that must be done by a QBCC licensed plumber or drainer. Unlicensed plumbing work carries penalties and is not covered by the Queensland Home Warranty Scheme. Only a short list of tasks, such as replacing a shower head or a tap washer, is unregulated.
Does home insurance cover a burst pipe?
Insurers generally cover a sudden, accidental burst. Gradual leaks are treated differently: some policies exclude them entirely, and others cover them only where the leak was hidden and would not reasonably have been noticed. Damage caused by poor maintenance is excluded. Photograph the damage before you clean up and check your own policy wording.
Who can I call for a burst pipe in Brisbane after hours?
Call an emergency plumber who works after hours. Call The Plumber Now covers Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Logan and Ipswich with QBCC licensed plumbers for after-hours burst pipes. If the burst is on the network side of your meter or out in the street, report it to your water provider instead. In Brisbane and Ipswich that is Urban Utilities on 13 23 64, 24 hours a day.
Burst pipe now? Get a licensed plumber out
Water off at the meter, away from anything wet and electrical, then get someone out. Call The Plumber Now handles burst pipes, hidden leaks and after-hours emergencies across Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Logan and Ipswich, and every job is done by a QBCC licensed plumber. Get a quote or read more about our emergency plumbing services.
