Leak Detection in Eatons Hill
The trickiest plumbing fault is the one you cannot see: a leak can quietly drain money for months before anything looks wet. Leak detection Eatons Hill homeowners can book with us starts at the meter and finishes at the exact faulty length of pipe, and every job is done by a licensed plumber.
If we're late, $100 comes off your bill
- Licensed and InsuredEvery job done by a licensed plumber. QBCC No: 15024607
- Fixed Quote FirstFlat-rate pricing, agreed before any work starts
- Lifetime Labour WarrantyBacked by our Fix-It-or-It's-Free guarantee (T&Cs apply)
- $0 Call-Out FeesNo extra charge for nights, weekends or public holidays
We work across Eatons Hill and the neighbouring suburbs, and you get a fixed quote before any work starts, with flat-rate pricing and no hidden fees.
Where Hidden Leaks Show Up in a Home
A hidden leak shows in three places: a meter that creeps with the house shut down, damp or stained plaster inside, and soggy ground outside. A bill that climbs without a change in habits is usually what first raises the alarm.
Watch for these:
The meter
numbers advancing or a dial turning while nothing in the place is using water.
Inside
a stain spreading on plaster or paint, a musty smell in a room, skirting or finishes swelling.
Underfoot
a warm patch of floor, which can mean a heated pipe underneath.
Outside
soggy ground, or a strip of lawn greener than the rest.
A leak draws water day and night, so the signs build week on week. The meter test below is the quickest way to confirm what the clues are telling you.
Concealed Leak Rules for Your Water Bill
Unitywater can reduce usage charges when a leak qualifies as concealed: invisible, on the owner's plumbing, repaired inside the deadline, and proved by an invoice from the plumber who did the work.
The conditions work like this:
- The leak has to sit where no one could reasonably have spotted it: buried, within a slab, or under the building.
- The repair has to be finished inside 30 calendar days of discovery, and it has to last rather than act as a stopgap.
- The account holder applies in writing and attaches the plumber's invoice.
- The claim has to reach Unitywater inside their application window, covers at most two billing quarters, and the usage part is claimable once per property.
- Excluded outright: water lost through dripping taps, toilet cisterns, hot water systems and similar appliances, plus irrigation, pools, spas and rainwater tanks topped up through faulty plumbing.
Landlords take note of one wrinkle: once Unitywater flags a possible leak to a tenant, the owner or the agent is considered notified, and the 30-day clock starts running.
Check Your Water Meter Before You Call
One hour settles it: switch off everything that draws water, note the meter reading, wait a minimum of one hour using nothing, then compare. Meter numbers advance only while water flows through, so any change points to a leak on your plumbing.
Here is the full routine:
The result also splits who pays. Movement after the wait puts the leak beyond the meter, and every pipe from there to your house is yours to maintain. Water pooled around the meter box itself is Unitywater's to sort out, so report that directly.
- 1
Close down every draw point
Taps and hoses, the washing machine and dishwasher, a fridge with a water connection and any irrigation all go off.
- 2
Record the reading
Photograph the display, including the red digits, and leave the tap at the meter open.
- 3
Stay dry for the hour
No flushing, no washing up, nothing that uses a drop anywhere on the property.
- 4
Compare readings
A higher number or a turning dial after the wait means a leak, and that is the point to bring in a licensed plumber.
Plumbing job in Eatons Hill?
$0 call-out fees, available 24/7, and same-day where we can.
From Meter Reading to the Exact Pipe
The method runs in a fixed order: confirm at the meter, split the line into lengths, pressure-test each length, then close in on the fault before opening anything.
How the search narrows:
Split the line
Valves divide the run into lengths, so the fault can only be in one of them.
Pressurise each length
Whichever length loses pressure is the one holding the leak.
Listen
A plumber can put an ear to the pipe where it shows and listen for the hiss of escaping water.
Moisture checks
Readings taken through plaster, flooring and subfloor timber map the water's path.
No floor or wall gets opened until the fault is pinned to one length. For a pipe that has already burst, see burst pipe repairs, and everyday water pipe repairs cover the fix once the leak is found.
Why Acreage Blocks Hide Leaks Longer
Long supply runs are why acreage leaks go unnoticed: the centre and west of the suburb hold rural-residential blocks with some of the lengthiest water lines around. Rock in that ground buries lines deeper too, so a slow weep can travel a long way before it reaches the surface.
Tank and pump set-ups add a second system to check. Homes with rainwater tank plumbing draw through their own pump and filters as well as the mains, so a pressure drop can sit in either. The meter test still settles which side the loss is on.
How a Leak Detection Visit Runs
- 1
Describe the problem
Phone (07) 3523 7121 or fill in the form with what you're seeing in Eatons Hill. The more we know, the better we can prepare.
- 2
We confirm and trace
We re-read your meter with everything switched off, then follow the line length by length. Pressure checks, moisture readings and listening where the pipe shows narrow the fault down before anything is opened.
- 3
Agree on the price
A fixed quote comes before any work starts: flat-rate pricing, no hidden fees, and your go-ahead first.
- 4
Pay on completion
Card or EFTPOS on site when everything's working, or ask us about Fix now, pay later.
Hidden Leak Questions Answered
Call (07) 3523 7121Is a leak at my meter my problem or the water utility's?
The meter's behaviour decides that. Soggy ground with a still dial is Unitywater's pipe, so report it to them. Soggy ground with a ticking dial means the draw is on your plumbing, so a licensed plumber investigates, and a meter box brimming with water goes straight to the utility too.
How much does leak detection cost in Eatons Hill?
The price is set by a fixed quote, and access, the number of pipe runs, their length and the method needed drive it. A line under a slab or inside a wall takes more tracing than one in open ground. You see the figure before any work begins.
Will Unitywater reduce my bill for a hidden leak?
Yes, when their concealed leak conditions are met. The leak has to be invisible, repaired within 30 calendar days of you finding out about it, and backed by a licensed plumber's invoice, and the fix has to last. The claim also has to reach Unitywater inside their application window.
Do leaking taps or toilets count as concealed leaks?
No, they are excluded outright. The concealed leak rules leave out water lost through taps, toilet cisterns and similar appliances, along with irrigation, pools and spas. Only a leak nobody could reasonably have noticed, such as a buried line, can qualify.
Who pays for a hidden leak on my property in Eatons Hill?
The owner does, on both counts. Whatever the meter records goes on your bill, leaks included, and the repair is yours to arrange too. The concealed leak rules are the only relief, which is why checking the meter yourself beats waiting for a bill to spike.
Call Us About the Hidden LeakWe'll call you back.
Phone (07) 3523 7121 for a licensed plumber in Eatons Hill. We work under QBCC No: 15024607, with flat-rate pricing, no hidden fees and same-day where we can.
To claim your $0 call-out fee, call (07) 3523 7121 today.