Burst Pipes
Burst Pipe Repair In Perth
Bursts pipes are another common Plumbing job that occurs in Perth – Sometimes due to the poor soil conditions that eat away at the copper pipes, poorly installed pipes or plastic pipe that breaks down over time. However, there are many causes of burst pipes and some can be quite tricky to repair, depending on where they are, how hard they are to access and the size of the pipe or pipes. Usually on a domestic house, the hot water piping will usually be the most common pipe to leak – due to the pipe expand and contracting with the heat it often rubs against other pipes and fittings, causing it to burst. The picture on the left is a hot water pipe that has burst, as you can see the quality of the copper is poor, as the acidic conditions in the dirt causes the external pipe to break down, as the hot water running through the pipe causes its to semi anneal and become weak – Fittings can also fail and cause major damage to your home!
Another very common burst pipe is flexible hoses, they often connect your toilet, basin and sink from hard piping, either copper or plastic to the fixture / taps themselves. The quality of flexible hoses installed in new housing is very poor, and the rubber internals perish very quickly, and if the hose is kicked or squashed during installation this increases the chances of premature bursts. All rubber internal braided hoses should be replaced within 5 years of installation, as per the warranty on the hose. Horatio Plumbing Services always uses pex flexible hoses that come with a 20 year warranty / burst proof. Pictured to the left is a burst flexible hose on a sink mixer. Having your flexible hose burst can be a very expensive exercise – as it usually causes significant damage to your home, its very important to either inspect them yourself, or have a Plumber inspect them for you.
Plastic pipes can also burst – As they are softer than copper, they are more susceptible to cuts, nicks and abrasion leaks. They can also burst due to poor compaction, being crushed or poor installation. There is also a type of piping system that was on the market called HEP2O or Hepworth – Which was widely installed in WA during the 80’s and 90’s – it’s easily to identify as its a light grey colour, has large mechanical fittings and brass ringed crimp fittings over black plastic bodies. This system usually fails on the fittings, which snap and perish over time.
from Leak Detection: Try these steps!
- Make sure you turn off all your taps, ensure your reticulation is off and toilets are full, make sure dishwasher/washing machine isn't running.
- Turn off your water meter (Meter's are usually located on the RHS or LHS of your property). Wait for 10 minutes and turn on the meter, if the dial keeps ticking around, you have a water leak.
- Try locate the leak, if you can hear water running through your pipes and there isn't any visible leaks inside, there's a good chance is an underground leak. The noises can sound like whistling, sometimes you can even hear your water meter ticking inside your house.
- Turn off the isolation valve to your hot water unit. If you turn off this valve, and the noises stop and the water meter stops, you have a leak on your hot water line (Please Note, you must turn off the power or gas to your unit being isolating incoming water supply).
- If you still have a leak and it doesn't stop when you isolate your hot water unit, you have a leak on your cold water lines (Or possibly both).
- Find your irrigation connection (If you have one). This is a common place for leaks If you cannot find it there, its more than likely under paving, concrete or bitumen.
PRICING
| Description | Price |
|---|---|
| Dependent on size of damage and required work. | POA ($145 - $350) |