10 ways to protect your home from water damage.
Most plumbing disasters start quietly — a drip behind a wall, a hose past its use-by date, a gutter that never gets checked. Here are the ten things that actually prevent them, from the team that’s fixed the aftermath in thousands of North-West Tasmanian homes.
Know where your water shut-off is — today
When a pipe lets go, every minute costs you. Find your main stop valve now (usually at the water meter, near the front boundary), make sure it turns, and show everyone in the house. If it’s stiff or seized, get it replaced — a valve you can’t turn is not a valve.
Check your flexi hoses every six months
Those braided hoses under your sinks, toilets and laundry taps cause more home flooding in Australia than almost anything else. Look for rust spots, fraying or bulging. They have a lifespan of 5–10 years — if you don’t know how old yours are, they’re due.
Watch your water meter for silent leaks
Turn off every tap and appliance, then watch the meter for two minutes. If it’s still ticking over, water is going somewhere it shouldn’t — often under the slab or behind a wall where you won’t see it until the damage is done.
Don’t ignore the small drip
A dripping tap or a toilet that runs isn’t just annoying — it’s a warning. Seals and valves that fail small tend to fail big, and the water bill tells the story either way. Small fixes are cheap; water damage isn’t.
Clear your gutters before winter, not after
North-West winters find every blocked downpipe. Overflowing gutters push water into eaves, walls and foundations. Get them cleared in autumn, and check that downpipes actually discharge away from the house.
Give your hot water system a birthday
Find the manufacture date on the cylinder sticker. Past eight years, it deserves an annual check — a failed cylinder doesn’t just cost you hot water, it dumps its entire contents into your laundry or roof space.
Re-seal your wet areas
Cracked grout and perished silicone around showers and baths let water into the wall cavity a little at a time. If the silicone is dark, lifting or missing in spots, it’s overdue — rot and mould are far more expensive than a re-seal.
Turn off the washing machine taps when you go away
Going away for more than a weekend? Turn off the washing machine taps (and ideally the house main). Most burst-hose floods happen when nobody’s home to hear them.
Read your water bill like a report card
A jump in usage with no change in habits is a leak announcing itself politely. Compare each bill to the same quarter last year — it’s the cheapest leak detector you own.
Get the whole system checked once a year
Pipes, valves, hoses, hot water, drains, roof plumbing — one annual inspection catches the wear you can’t see. It’s the difference between planning a small repair and mopping up a big one.
The pattern behind every flood we’ve cleaned up after
It’s almost never a surprise. It’s a warning sign that got ignored — a hose past its lifespan, a valve that wouldn’t turn, a drip that “we’d been meaning to get looked at”. The homes that avoid water damage aren’t lucky. They’re checked.
Want us to check all ten for you?
Our Plumbing Health Check covers every item in this guide — every system inspected, and a written plain-English report on what’s healthy, what’s wearing, and what needs attention.
Book a Plumbing Health Check Or talk to a real person(03) 6431 6992