The most common questions about how to fix a water leak in your house or unit in Sydney

A water leak from a tap is the most common household problem any property owner will face. There are millions of tap hardware choices but they all have a common structure which is a series of seals, washers and rubbers. Over time these can either become loose, corode or perish due to age and the amount of use it gets. What the actual cause is will depend on the make, model and age of the tap fixture. 

Sink drain leaks are most likely due to the age of the sink and the seals or washers that have perished. It could be something simpler like nuts that need tightening or fittings that have corroded and need replacement.

Similar to drains, kitchen sinks can start to have water leaks due to the age of the sink and the water proof seals around the edge where it meets the bench. There could also be movement in the kitchen cabinets that has caused the piping to be dislodged or small gaps created in the seals.

Leaking pipes can mean there are lots of different things causing water to leak from what should be a sealed ‘system’ to either deliver water or get waste away from your property. It’s true that some people might get some high strength tape to solve the issue or try putting putty or filler on the leak. Although these are not only dangerous but may not really solve the problem, it could just move it to another location as water makes its way elsewhere depending on the gradient or location of the pipe. What might look like a problem solved could simply be ‘a problem created elsewhere’ and you don’t realise it until weeks or months later.

For pipes that have water leaks, you need to get a licensed plumber to do an inspection to determine the correct cause and remedy of the problem.

A leaking toilet could be from the base, around the seating area, the waste pipes, the inlet tap or the cistern. There are so many different connections that get water into and wastage out of your toilet. If there are leaks around the base it means the seal and footing may have been damaged. This can cause leaks and potential odours to enter the property.

Leaks from other parts of the toilet could be due to corroded connections, seals or washers, so best to have a licensed plumber inspect your toilet to work out the problem and suitable remedies.

Water leaks from property foundations or slabs can sometimes be seen as water appearing on a pathway or driveway like a slow stream. At other times it could be soft, mushy, grass areas. In worse case scenarios you can’t see it and it begins causing small cracks in walls as the ground underneath becomes soft and can’t hold the weight of the building.

In either scenario you must call a licensed plumber to work out the cause of the issue.

Water leaks that you can’t see are obviously one of the hardest to remedy. We have professional leak detection equipment that can scan floors, walls and ceilings to identify the source of a leak. What makes this process difficult is that the actual leak may not be at the location where the water is seen. Sometimes a leak could be further up the piping in a different spot, but water is moving to a lower part of the property and gathering.

Using our expertise and plumbing equipment we can detect these issues to work out the best way to approach leak repairs.

For shower plumbing we can normally do a special dye test where we put a colour in the water to work out where or how it is flowing.  Water leaks that you can’t see are obviously one of the hardest to remedy. We have professional leak detection equipment that can scan floors, walls and ceilings to identify the source of a leak. What makes this process difficult is that the actual leak may not be at the location where the water is seen. Sometimes a leak could be further up the piping in a different spot, but water is moving to a lower part of the property and gathering.

Using our expertise and plumbing equipment we can detect these issues to work out the best way to approach leak repairs.

The cost of fix a leaking tap is between $100 and $500 depending on the type of tap, how hard access is and what the actual cause of the leak is. It is impossible to really know until we can inspect the tap be wary of these things happening;

1. Some plumbers might replace your tap with a cheap unit, so the problem is solved short term but the cheaper hardware fails later on.
2. Be careful of fixed quote tap repairs. Without knowing the brand of tap, seeing what the problem is how could it be possible to know exactly the time it will take to fix? What some plumbers might do is offer a fixed price but then make up some other issues to recoup the money they lost if the job took longer than expected.

Fixing a leaky pipe isn’t a straight black and white answer. Sometimes it could be a simple as replacing part of the pipe if it is exposed and we can get to it. Other times the pipe may be underground or in a roof so we have to get to it first that could mean excavating the ground etc.

Once we have determined the cause of the leak, found where the pipe is then we will typically organise new materials, fittings, plumbing tapes, sealants etc to then get started and fix the leaky pipe.

We use special equipment to do the testing and leak finding at a property. The equipment is designed to be used on houses, units or apartment blocks to test and find leaks.

If all of your gas appliances are off and the meter is still ticking then you have a hidden leak somewhere that is releasing gas. We can do pressure testing and other steps to identify the cause of the leak and repair it.