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Working together
to prevent leaks
AAdripping
dripping
tap
tapcan
canwaste
waste
more
morethan
than
2,000
2,000litres
litresofof
water
a
water amonth
month
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Sydney Water delivers essential
and sustainable water services for
the benefit of the community.
When it comes to maintaining the
systems that deliver these services,
the responsibility is shared between
Sydney Water and our customers.
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Leaks – what we do
Sydney Water maintains and repairs the water
filtration plants, pipes and pumping stations
that supply water. Sydney Water has had an
extensive program to improve leaks in place
for several years. It is the largest program in
Australia.
We have reduced leaks significantly through:
• active leak detection and repair
• reducing pressure in the pipes
• improving response times to
main breaks
• placing meters on the pipe system
to detect leaks.
In 2008-09 we have:
• inspected 21,000 km of pipes
equivalent to our entire network
for hidden leaks
• replaced over 100 km of water mains.
How you can help
You can play your part in reducing leaks, by
maintaining your property’s water service and
making sure the plumber follows all plumbing
regulations when working on your plumbing.
You can also help by reporting leaks and
breaks in our systems. We have crews available
24 hours a day, seven days a week.
If you see a leak or break, call Sydney Water
on 13 20 90.
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Maintaining the water
service
As a property owner you are responsible
for all the pipes and fittings between the
Sydney Water main and the buildings and
taps on your property. (Easements are also
considered part of your property.)
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Sydney Water will repair pipes from the water
main to the water meter (up to one metre inside
your property). If you prefer, you can arrange a
plumber to do this instead at your own cost.
You must engage a licensed plumber to fix
problems more than a metre inside your
property. The plumber must follow plumbing
regulations.
To know more see the Sydney Water Customer
Contract, at www.sydneywater.com.au
Keep your access points clear
Water meters, hydrants and concrete
maintenance covers on your property must be
kept clear. Please do not bury them, build walls
near them, concrete over them, or disguise
them in any way. Keeping these areas clear,
means we can repair or maintain your services
more quickly and the fire brigade can find
water in an emergency.
Water service
120 cm clear above meter
30 cm clearance
around the water
meter and pipe
work
To house
Water service pipe
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How to check for leaks
Leaking pipes, taps and toilets not
only waste water but can add to
your water bill.
Take a look around your property to check for
leaks. Make sure:
• there’s no damp or extra green
patches on the lawn
• there’s no damp patches on the
walls where pipes are installed
• taps and other appliances such
as hot water systems are not
dripping
• the toilet cistern isn’t leaking.
Put some food colouring in the
cistern. Don’t flush. Return an hour
later and if the colour is in the toilet
bowl the cistern is leaking
• your swimming pool isn’t leaking
• tree roots aren’t invading pipes
• pipes and joints aren’t rusty
or damaged.
You can also use the water meter to check
for leaks. Record the reading on the water
meter when no water will be used for a
few hours, eg overnight but make sure
your hot water system is not filling. Any
movement on the water meter shows
there may be a leak.
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I’ve got a leak. What do I do?
Engage a licensed plumber to repair any major
leaks. You may change a tap washer to fix a leaky
tap, by following these steps:
1. Turn off the water using the tap at the
water meter.
2. Turn on a tap in your property to drain
the water out of the pipes. (Use the
water on your garden!) If it’s a hot
water leak and you have gravity fed
hot water from a tank in the roof, drain
the hot water using a hot water tap.
3. Remove the handle screw, handle and
cover plates from the leaky tap and
unscrew the spindle.
4. Replace the washer with the same size
and style.
5. Reassemble the tap and make sure it’s
turned off!
6. Return to the water meter and slowly
turn the water back on.
7. Turn on the taps in your house slowly
to let trapped air escape.
If your tap keeps leaking, call a licensed plumber.
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Use the water meter to
check for leaks
One of the best ways to check for leaks
is to keep an eye on your water use by
reading the water meter regularly. If there’s
a sudden change in how much you use, for
no obvious reason, there may be a leak.
How to read your water meter
A water meter measures how much water each
property uses so we can calculate your bill. There
are many types of water meters. Two common
ones are shown opposite.
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Both the meters shown below have
the same reading of 1,234 kilolitres
and 567.8 litres:
If the water meter on your property looks like
the one below, read the numbers left to right.
The black numbers show how many kilolitres
(1,000 litres) have been used. The red numbers
show how many litres have been used. Only the
kilolitres used are shown on your bill.
12345678
1 kilolitre or
1,000 litres
100 litres
0.1 litres
1 litres
10 litres
If the water meter looks like the one below,
the numbers show the kilolitres while the
dials show the litres. The dials are read from
right to left. When a pointer is between two
numbers read the lower number. This meter also
has a gauge that shows flow through the meter –
if you turn off all your taps and there is movement
in this gauge you may have a leak.
Leak detection:
Turn off all taps.
Movement
indicates a leak.
0 1 2 3 4
RMC
▼
Meter reading:
1,234 kilolitres
plus
567.8 litres
▼
▼ ▼
kilolitres
▼ ▼
8
7
8
7
9 0 1
6 54
<
2
3
8
7
9 0 1
6 54
2
3
8
7
9 0 1
6 54
2
3
9 0 1
6 54
2
3
<
<
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Work out your daily
water use
15 Jan
20 Feb
22 Mar
17 Apr
5,164
5,187
5,204
5,214
23
17
10
36
30
26
.638
.566
.384
Step 1
Work out how many kilolitres you’ve
used by subtracting the latest
meter reading from the one before,
eg 5,187 – 5,164 = 23 kL.
Step 2
Work out how many kilolitres you use
each day by counting the number of days
from your last reading. In this example
15 Jan to 20 Feb = 36 days. Divide the
number of kilolitres by the number of days
eg 23 kL/36 = .638 kL/day (638 litres a day).
Here is a blank form to record your water use.
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Water use record
Date
Meter
reading
Water use
(kilolitres)
Days
Daily
average
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Contact us
Visit www.sydneywater.com.au
Enquiries
Call 13 20 92
Service difficulties and emergencies
Call 13 20 90
Postal address
Sydney Water
PO Box 399
Parramatta NSW 2124
SW365 05/09
Printed on recycled paper
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