Turn off the water when a leak is uncontrolled, spreading beyond the fixture or likely to damage the property. Use a clearly identified local isolation valve first if it is accessible and moves normally. If that does not stop the flow, use the whole-property stop valve where it is safe to reach and identify.
Never force, dismantle or add leverage to a stuck valve. If water is near electricity, a switchboard or a sagging ceiling, keep clear and deal with that immediate hazard before trying to reach an isolation point.
Check for hazards before approaching the leak
Keep people and pets away from the wet area. A bucket or towels can limit damage only when you can place them without standing in water, touching electrical equipment or passing under damaged ceiling material.
If a tap or other metal fitting gives a shock or tingle, the Queensland Electrical Safety Office says to contact the electricity distributor immediately, stay clear and warn others. Do not touch the switchboard, meter box, appliances or metal fittings until the property has been made safe.
Leave a room if the ceiling is bulging, sagging, cracking or shedding material. Do not walk underneath it to reach a valve. Water involving sewage, flood contamination, gas equipment or very hot water also needs a separate safety response rather than routine leak containment.
Use the nearest safe isolation point
- Identify the affected supply. Check whether the leak is from a tap, toilet, appliance, exposed pipe or hot-water connection. Do not operate an unlabelled valve simply because it is nearby.
- Try the local isolation valve. A basin or mixer tap may have separate hot and cold valves beneath it. Appliances and toilets can have their own valves. Close the clearly identified valve gently using normal hand pressure.
- Stop if it resists. Corrosion, leakage, a seized handle or abnormal resistance are reasons to stop. Extra leverage can break the valve and increase the escape of water.
- Use the property stop valve if needed. When the local valve does not stop an uncontrolled leak, close the property supply at the meter only if it is clearly identified and safely accessible.
- Check the result. Observe whether the leak is reducing. A branch can release water already held downstream of the valve, but steady undiminished flow means the isolation may be incomplete, failed or from a different supply.
Read our guide to finding and operating a tap isolation valve before an emergency makes the job harder. If the local valve is inaccessible or not obvious, do not dismantle cabinetry, pipework or the fitting to find it.
How to use the property stop valve safely
The property isolation valve is commonly at the water meter near the front boundary, but its position and handle design vary. Units and townhouses can have individual meters, central meter cabinets or shared isolation arrangements. Our guide to finding the mains water isolation explains what to locate before a leak occurs.
Queensland Urban Utilities advises customers to keep the meter accessible and contact its faults team if the isolation valve cannot be operated. Its stop-valve guidance says to turn the valve gently and not force it when resistance is reached.
Do not assume that closing the property valve isolates every water source. Tanks, pumps, stored hot water and shared-building supplies can change the result. Tell the plumber which valve you operated and whether the flow slowed, stopped or remained steady.
What if the local valve will not close?
A valve that will not turn, leaks around its body, closes without reducing flow or cannot be positively identified needs professional attention. Do not remove its handle, loosen fittings or attempt to repair it while the pipe is pressurised.
If the whole-property supply can be closed safely, leave it isolated until a licensed plumber has repaired the private-side fault. The QBCC classifies repair of broken or damaged pipe as regulated plumbing work for a licensed plumber or drainer.
When isolation is impossible and water is still escaping, move possessions only from safe areas and arrange urgent assistance. Describe the leak location, water temperature, flow, valve condition, electrical risks, ceiling condition and property type. The distinction between a smaller leak and a major escape is covered in our guide to pipe leaks, bursts and warning signs.
Who handles a failed valve at the water meter?
Responsibility depends on which component has failed and the relevant water provider's asset boundary. Do not dismantle or arrange private work on a meter assembly until the provider confirms responsibility.
Queensland Urban Utilities states in its Residential Customer Charter that it maintains supply to the property connection point, while customers maintain private fittings and pipes and engage a licensed plumber for leaks on their side of the meter. Other Queensland providers publish their own boundaries and fault contacts. Report a meter-valve or network-side problem to the provider shown on the water account.
Apartments and shared water supplies
Do not operate an unidentified valve in a meter room, riser or common area. It may isolate another lot or the whole building. Use the labelled unit valve where one exists, then contact the building manager, body corporate or emergency plumber if the arrangement is unclear.
Tell the manager whether water is entering another lot or common property. Access and isolation can require coordinated entry to a locked service area, so keep the response focused on containing safe areas rather than experimenting with shared valves.
When water and electricity meet
Keep away from water touching power points, lights, appliances, switchboards or damaged wiring. Do not approach a wet switchboard to turn off power. Electrical Safety Office guidance says not to touch a water-damaged switchboard and to have water-affected installations checked by a licensed electrician.
Solar panels, batteries and incoming supply cables can remain live even when a main switch is off. Call Triple Zero for an immediate threat to life, the electricity distributor for a shock, tingle or supply hazard, and a licensed electrician for water-affected private wiring or equipment.
Information to give the plumber or provider
- the exact leak location and whether the water is hot or cold
- whether flow is dripping, spraying, pooling or entering a wall or ceiling
- which local and property valves were tried
- whether each valve moved normally and changed the flow
- the meter location and whether the problem appears before, at or after it
- any tank, pump, hot-water or shared-building supply
- electrical, ceiling-collapse, contamination or access hazards
Do not restore the supply simply to test a damaged fitting or pipe. Have the responsible water provider deal with its asset; for private-side plumbing, use our emergency plumbing service to arrange repair and testing before water is restored. If the leak is uncontrolled or creating an electrical, structural or contamination hazard, treat it as urgent and keep the area isolated.