A broken or burst pipe can cause serious damage to your property, and fast. Water pooling under your floor, a saturated patch in your garden, or a sudden spike in your water bill all point to the same thing: a pipe that needs attention, and it needs it now.
Our team carries out broken pipe repairs across the Sapphire Coast, including Merimbula, Bega, Eden, Pambula and all the towns in between. We use CCTV drain cameras to find the exact problem before we start work, so you’re never paying for repairs you don’t need.
Burst or Broken Pipe? We’re available 24/7
Signs You Have a Broken Pipe
Your pipes will often begin to break down slowly before they completely give out, so the signs aren’t always dramatic.
- A sudden drop in water pressure across your whole property.
- Wet patches in your walls, roof or yard without any obvious reason behind them are worth investigating straight away.
- Water from a broken pipe will find the path of least resistance through your structure.
- Discoloured or foul-smelling water from your taps can signal a cracked pipe drawing in soil or allowing bacterial growth.
- An unexplained spike on your water bill, one that doesn’t match any change in your usage.
- You might also hear running water inside your walls or under your floor when every tap is turned off.
None of these symptoms should be left alone. Got a burst pipe that’s actively flooding your property? Find your main water shutoff valve and turn it off; it’s usually near your water meter at the front of your property. Once the water is off, call us on 02 6430 7104. The faster you can contain it, the less damage you have to deal with.
What Causes Broken Pipes on the Sapphire Coast?
Knowing what caused the problem helps us fix it properly and stops it from happening again. These are the most common causes we see in Merimbula and the surrounding region.
Tree Root
Intrusion
Root systems from native eucalypts and paperbarks follow moisture through the soil. They force their way into even small cracks in clay or PVC pipe, then expand until the pipe splits apart. This is the most common cause we see on the Sapphire Coast.
Ground Movement
& Soil Shifting
Reactive clay soils in the Bega Valley expand and contract with moisture. That places pressure on underground pipes over time, cracking them or pulling them apart at the joints, often with no surface sign until the damage is well advanced.
Corrosion in
Older Pipes
Many homes and commercial buildings on the Sapphire Coast still have original galvanised iron or copper supply lines decades old. These corrode from the inside out, thinning the pipe wall until it fails. Salt air and humidity in coastal areas like Eden and Merimbula can speed this up.
Joint Failures and Age-Related Deterioration
The rubber seals at pipe joints dry out and shrink over many years. This lets groundwater in and wastewater out. Particularly common in drainage systems installed before modern pipe materials became standard.
Accidental Damage
During Excavation
Digging for garden beds, fencing, decking, a new pool or new construction can clip underground lines that were not clearly marked. If you have had recent groundwork and are now seeing signs of a pipe problem, raise it with us when you call.
How we Diagnose the Problem
We use CCTV drain camera inspection to locate breaks accurately before we start any repair work. A flexible camera is fed into the pipe from an accessible point, giving us a live feed of the pipe’s interior. We can see exactly where the break is, how severe it is, and what caused it.
This matters because it removes the guesswork. Without a camera, the only way to find a broken pipe is to dig until you find it, which is time-consuming, expensive and disruptive. With a camera, we know the precise location and depth of the problem before we pick up a shovel. It also tells us the full picture: a single failure point reads very differently from a pipe that has deteriorated along several metres, and the repair recommendation changes accordingly. In most cases we can carry out the inspection and give you a recommendation on the same visit.
Your Broken Pipe Repair Options
Pipe Relining
Pipe relining is a no-dig repair method that fixes a broken pipe from the inside without excavation. A flexible liner saturated with a structural resin is inserted into the damaged pipe and inflated against the pipe wall. Once the resin cures, it forms a new pipe within the old one: fully sealed, smooth-walled and rated to last 50 years or longer. It’s the method we use for most broken drain and sewer pipes on the Sapphire Coast, and it’s the service we’re known for. Read more about the pipe relining process.
Relining works particularly well where excavation would be damaging or impractical: homes with established gardens, concreted driveways, tiled areas, or pipes that run beneath structures.
Pipe Replacement
Sometimes relining isn’t the right answer. If a pipe has completely collapsed or been crushed to the point where a liner can’t be inserted, replacement is necessary. The same goes when a pipe has deteriorated along its full length and the structural integrity is gone.
Replacement is also the right call for some supply line repairs, where the pipe carries pressurised drinking water rather than gravity-fed drainage. We carry out both methods and will always recommend the one that solves your problem properly at the best price for your budget.
Pipe Relining vs Pipe Replacement: What's the difference?
| Pipe relining | Pipe replacement | |
|---|---|---|
| Method | A new liner is inserted inside the existing pipe | The damaged section is removed and replaced |
| Excavation required? | No (in most cases) | Yes |
| Disruption to your yard? | Minimal | Significant |
| Best for | Cracked, corroded or root-damaged pipes that are still intact | Collapsed, crushed or severely deteriorated pipes |
| Typical timeframe | Often the same day | One to several days, depending on access |
Why Choose Keogh Plumbing?
Fully Licensed & Insured
Local Experts Based
Transparent, Upfront Pricing
Efficient Workmanship
We know this area well. We understand how the reactive clay soils in the Bega Valley behave, which tree species cause the most root intrusion in local suburbs, and what the older housing in towns like Eden and Pambula typically looks like underground. That local knowledge makes a real difference to the accuracy of our diagnosis and the quality of the repair.
Broken Pipe Repairs Across the Sapphire Coast
We’re based locally and cover the full Sapphire Coast region. Same-day response in most cases.
Ready to get your broken pipe sorted?
Call us any time, day or night. We’ll diagnose the problem accurately and fix it the right way.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I do if I have a burst pipe?
Turn off your main water shutoff valve immediately. It’s usually at your water meter near the front boundary of your property. Once the water is off, open a tap to release any remaining pressure in the lines, then mop up or contain standing water if it’s safe to do so, then call us on 02 6430 7104. We’re available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more advice, see our emergency plumbing page.
How much does broken pipe repair cost?
It depends on the location of the break, the type of pipe, the repair method and how easy the pipe is to access. A straightforward relining job on an accessible drain costs less than a complex job like a collapsed pipe under a concrete slab. We give you a clear quote after the CCTV inspection, so there are no surprises.
Can a broken pipe be relined instead of replaced?
In most situations, yes. Relining works on cracked, fractured, root-invaded or corroded pipes that still hold their basic shape. If the pipe has completely collapsed or is severely crushed, we’ll need to replace it instead. The CCTV inspection tells us which applies before we commit to anything. See our pipe relining page for more detail.
How long does a broken pipe repair take?
A standard relining job on a residential drain is usually completed in a single day. A full replacement tends to take longer, from one to several days, depending on how much excavation is required and how accessible the pipe is. We’ll give you a realistic timeframe with your quote.
Will my insurance cover a broken pipe?
It depends on your policy, and every insurer handles it differently. Contact your insurer as soon as you discover the problem and photograph the damage before work begins. If they need documentation, we can provide a written report of our findings.
Can tree roots really break pipes?
Yes, and it’s one of the most common causes of broken drainage pipes we see on the Sapphire Coast. Roots follow moisture in the soil and enter pipes through the smallest crack or joint gap, then expand and split the pipe apart. Relining is particularly effective here because the new liner seals all entry points. For more, see our blog post on tree roots in pipes.
What is the difference between a broken drain pipe and a broken water pipe?
A broken drain pipe carries wastewater away from your property under gravity. A broken water pipe carries pressurised drinking water from the mains to your taps. The symptoms overlap, but a broken water pipe shows up faster because the pressure forces water out at a higher rate. If you have a burst pressurised water pipe, turn off the mains and call us straight away on 02 6430 7104.
Do I need council approval for pipe repairs?
Most relining and pipe repair work on private property doesn’t require a formal development approval, but all plumbing work in NSW must be carried out by a licensed plumber and reported to your water utility where required. We handle the compliance paperwork as part of the job. If your repair involves a public easement or a connection to the council drainage system, we’ll let you know what approvals apply.