A burst pipe is one of the few plumbing problems where minutes actually matter. The damage isn't just the leak itself — it's everything the water touches while it's running. Here's the exact order of steps to follow.

1. Shut off your water at the mains

Every property should have a main shut-off valve — know where yours is before you need it. It's usually near the water meter at the property boundary, or at an internal stopcock if the home has one. Turning this off stops the leak at the source, immediately, regardless of which pipe has failed.

2. Turn off your geyser

If your geyser (electric or gas) is still running with no water flowing through it, it can overheat and fail. Switch off the electrical isolator or gas supply to the geyser right after shutting off the mains.

3. Open taps to drain remaining pressure

With the mains off, open a few taps around the house, starting with the lowest point in the property. This relieves pressure still in the pipes and helps stop the leak from continuing to run out whatever water remains in the system.

4. Contain and remove standing water

Move anything valuable away from the water, and start removing standing water with towels, a mop, or a wet-vac if you have one. Water sitting on timber flooring, skirting, or in wall cavities for hours does far more damage than the same amount cleared quickly.

5. Photograph the damage

Before you start major clean-up, take photos of the affected area and the source of the leak if visible. This matters for insurance claims and helps your plumber understand what happened before they arrive.

6. Call your plumber — and tell them this

  • Whether you've already shut off the mains
  • Roughly where the burst is (which wall, which room, or outside)
  • Whether water is still visibly running or has stopped
  • If it's affecting a neighbouring property, in the case of shared walls or complexes

What causes pipes to burst in the first place

In our service area, the most common causes are ageing galvanised steel pipework corroding from the inside (common in older George homes), ground movement affecting buried pipes in sandy coastal soil around Wilderness and Sedgefield, and sudden pressure spikes in systems without a working pressure-reducing valve.

Know your mains shut-off location today, not during the emergency. It's the single most useful thing you can do before a burst pipe happens.