Finding a broken pipe can be stressful, especially when water is going somewhere it’s not supposed to be. The good news is that acting quick enough usually makes a massive difference to how much damage you end up having to deal with.
What “Broken Pipe” actually means
A broken or cracked pipe is any pipe that has split, fractured, or collapsed enough to cause a leak or blockage. It can happen to pipes inside your walls, under your house, or out in the ground beneath your garden. Tree roots, ground movement, old age, and corrosion are the usual culprits on the Sapphire Coast.
There’s a good chance you might not even notice you have a broken pipe until you get soggy patches in your lawn, a sudden drop in water pressure, gurgling drains, or an unexplained spike in your water bill.
The first thing to do
Turn off your water mains. In most homes, the main shutoff valve will be near your water meter, which is usually at the front of your property close to the street. Turning it off stops the flow and limits how much water ends up where it shouldn’t.
Once you have turned the water off, we recommend you:
Document Everything
Take photos and short videos of any damage done to your property, including any wet areas or affected rooms. You’ll need this when you go to make an insurance claim, and it helps your plumber understand the situation before they arrive on-site.
Organise
Access
If the affected area is under a sink, behind a locked door, under an appliance, under your house or near storage, move things out of the way as best you can and organise any access requirements for the plumber.
Call a Local
Plumber
The sooner someone has eyes on it, the sooner you'll know exactly what you're dealing with and the sooner you can get the problem fixed.
How do I know it's a broken pipe?
Not every plumbing problem turns out to be a broken pipe. Here’s a quick guide to telling the difference:
| Symptom | Likely Cause |
|---|---|
| Wet patches on your ceiling or wall | Broken pipe behind the surface |
| Water is pooling in the yard with no rain | Underground pipe leak |
| Slow or gurgling drains | Blocked drain or partial blockage |
| Low water pressure throughout your house | Broken supply pipe or pressure issue |
| Higher water bills with no visible leaks | Underground pipe leak |
| Sewage smells inside your house | Cracked sewer pipe |
If you’re unsure, a CCTV camera inspection is the fastest way to know for certain. Our plumbers can run a camera through your pipe and show you exactly what’s going on underground. No guesswork, no unnecessary digging.
What to expect at the repair appointment
There’s no need to over-prepare. Here’s what a typical job looks like:
- Assessment: We do a visual inspection and, for underground issues, run a CCTV camera through the affected pipe to pinpoint the damage.
- Quote: Once we’ve seen what’s going on, we’ll walk you through the options and give you a clear quote before any work starts.
- Repair: Most jobs in Bega and Merimbula can be completed in a single visit, depending on the location and severity of the damage.
- Check: We test the repair before we leave to make sure everything is flowing correctly.
Why pipe relining is often the fix
In the past, repairing a broken underground pipe meant digging. Breaking concrete, ripping up garden beds, or cutting through a driveway. That’s expensive, disruptive, and takes days to sort out.
Pipe relining changes that. A flexible liner is inserted into the damaged pipe and cured in place, forming a smooth, new pipe inside the old one. The result:
- No excavation: your garden, driveway, and slab stay intact
- Faster repair: most relining jobs are done in a day
- Long-lasting: relined pipes typically come with a manufacturer’s warranty
- Stronger than the original: the cured liner is more resistant to root intrusion and corrosion
Pipe relining works well on cracked pipes, tree root damage, and pipes that have partially collapsed. It’s suitable for most residential and commercial underground pipe repairs across the Sapphire Coast.
Get it sorted by a local plumber
If you’ve found a broken or cracked pipe in Bega, Merimbula, or anywhere on the Sapphire Coast, Keogh Plumbing can help. We carry out CCTV inspections, broken pipe repairs, and no-dig pipe relining across the region.