How to keep your home's pipes safe during extended travel

Australians love their long getaways, whether chasing winter sun in Bali, skiing the Japanese powder season, or driving the Gibb River Road in a four-wheel-drive. Before locking the front door and waving the neighbours goodbye, the plumbing system at home deserves a careful once-over. An unattended leak can ruin floorboards, warp cabinetry, and quietly inflate a water bill before anyone notices. With a bit of preparation, the pipes will hold steady until the keys come out of the pocket again.

The reality is that most home insurance policies require owners to take reasonable steps to prevent damage while the property is unoccupied. A burst flexi hose behind a washing machine or a cracked copper line under the kitchen sink can pour out hundreds of litres overnight, and insurers will look closely at whether basic precautions were taken. A pre-departure plumbing routine is money well spent.

Inspect every tap, toilet, and visible pipe

A walk-through of the home before departure takes about twenty minutes and uncovers most lurking problems. Start in the bathrooms and work methodically around the property. Look for greenish patina on copper fittings, white mineral crusting at threaded joints, and any slow drips from taps or showerheads. These small signs often point to seals that are on the way out.

Toilets deserve particular attention. A worn flapper valve or a tired inlet valve can let water pass silently from the cistern into the bowl for weeks. Add a few drops of food colouring to the cistern tank; if the colour appears in the bowl within ten minutes without flushing, the seal needs replacing. In older Brisbane and Sydney homes with original ceramic cisterns, this test catches problems that would otherwise go unnoticed until the water bill arrives.

Under sinks, run a hand along the P-trap and supply lines to feel for moisture. Pests in suburban Adelaide and Perth homes sometimes chew on flexible hose covers, and a quick visual check picks up any exposed inner tubing. While in the cabinet, confirm that the dishwasher and refrigerator water lines are fully closed at the saddle valve.

Shut off the water at the main

Closing the main stop tap is the single most effective step a traveller can take. In Australian homes, the mains isolation valve is typically located at the front boundary near the water meter, often under a small metal cover stamped with the local water authority logo. Sydney Water, Melbourne Water, Yarra Valley Water, and Water Corporation customers each have slightly different meter layouts, but the principle is the same: turn the valve clockwise until it stops.

After closing the mains, open every tap in the house and flush each toilet once. This relieves pressure from the internal pipework and drains the lines down to the fixtures. Many homeowners forget the outdoor taps; garden hose lines can hold several litres of water that will expand and contract with temperature swings, sometimes cracking fittings in uninsulated garden walls. Disconnect any hoses from external bibs before leaving.

For homes with rainwater tanks plumbed into the laundry or toilets, remember that tank-fed lines operate on a separate pressure system. Switching off the mains does not stop a leaking tank pump or a stuck pressure controller. Either isolate the pump at its dedicated switch or fit a manual isolation valve on the tank-to-house line if one is not already in place. This is a common oversight in rural Victorian and Tasmanian properties that rely on tank water for part of the household supply.

Drain the system if you are heading into winter

Emptying the pipes entirely is overkill for a two-week holiday in Cairns, but for owners heading away during a southern Australian winter, it pays to consider partial drainage. Melbourne, Canberra, and Hobart regularly record overnight frosts between June and August, and pipes routed through uninsulated roof spaces or external walls can freeze and split while nobody is home.

The standard approach is to shut the mains, open all taps and drain valves, and then leave the taps open with the plugs out. The toilet cisterns should be emptied by holding the flush lever down and sponge-drying the residual water. Pour a cup of propylene glycol-based antifreeze, the non-toxic variety sold for caravan water systems, into each toilet bowl, the shower waste, and the laundry floor waste. This protects the trap seals from evaporating during a long, dry winter.

For properties in alpine areas around Bright, Jindabyne, or the Blue Mountains, a full system drain carried out by a licensed plumber is the safer option. The cost is modest compared with re-plastering ceilings after a split pipe lets go during a cold snap. Plumbers can also tag the mains valve so the cleaner or house-sitter does not accidentally turn it back on during a routine visit.

Mind the hot water system

Hot water units are the most expensive plumbing appliance in most homes, and they are also the one most likely to cause damage while the house is empty. Storage tank units, whether gas, electric, or heat pump, hold between 135 and 400 litres of water at temperatures that can exceed sixty degrees. If the pressure relief valve fails while the family is in Tokyo, the result is a flooded laundry and a hefty replacement bill.

Set the system to its holiday or minimum mode if one is available. Continuous-flow gas units can simply be switched off at the electrical isolation switch, while electric storage systems should be turned off at the switchboard. Heat pump systems, common in Brisbane and Perth installations of the last decade, often have a dedicated isolation switch near the outdoor unit.

Drain the expansion relief line if the home is in a frost-prone area. This thin copper line usually runs from the side of the tank down toward a floor waste. Letting a little water out before departure confirms the valve is operating and prevents water sitting in the line from freezing. For solar hot water systems, which are widespread in regional South Australia and far north Queensland, ensure the booster switch is off so the system does not try to heat water that has already drained from the collectors.

Local climate, strata rules, and house-sitters

Australian conditions vary enormously, and pipe protection strategies should reflect the local environment. In cyclone-prone parts of northern Queensland, the priority before a wet-season trip is making sure storm water cannot back up into the household drainage. Check that gutters are clear and that any backflow prevention devices on outdoor gully traps are seated correctly. Strata-titled apartments in Sydney and Melbourne have body corporate rules about leaving balconies and air-conditioning condensate lines unattended, and many committees now require owners to disclose extended absences.

Coastal homes from the Mornington Peninsula to the Gold Coast face accelerated corrosion of copper and brass fittings because of salt-laden air. A quick spray of corrosion inhibitor on exposed pipework in the subfloor or garage adds months of life and reduces the chance of a pinhole leak developing while the property is shut up. Inland areas with hard water, particularly parts of western Sydney and the Barossa Valley, see scale build-up that can seize isolation valves; a few turns of the mains tap before departure keeps the internal spindle free.

Bushfire-prone suburbs in the Adelaide Hills, the Perth foothills, and around Canberra's rural fringes need an extra layer of planning. If the trip coincides with fire season, ensure external taps remain accessible for any attending firefighters. Standard practice in many of these areas is to leave a hose connected and rolled out, with the gate valve clearly marked.

For longer absences, a house-sitter or pet-sitting arrangement can double as a passive plumbing watch. Brief the sitter on the location of the mains valve, what to do if a tap will not shut off, and how to silence a leaking toilet inlet valve by lifting the float arm. A laminated card taped inside the pantry door with emergency numbers and valve locations saves a panicked phone call late at night. Smart water leak detectors are now a sensible add-on for frequent travellers, sending a mobile alert the moment moisture appears under a sink or beside the hot water unit.

Sump pumps and basement-grade spaces

Homes with basements, split-level subfloor areas, or below-grade laundries benefit from a sump pump that runs continuously while the house is occupied. These pumps sit in a basin at the lowest point of the space and push rising ground water out to the stormwater line. A pump that fails during a long absence can turn a tidy storage room into a swimming pool within days.

Before leaving, test the pump by pouring a bucket of water into the basin and watching for the float to trigger the motor. If the pump is more than seven years old, it is worth considering a replacement with a modern cast-iron unit that has a higher duty cycle. Battery backup models keep working through power outages, which are common in regional South Australia and during severe summer storms along the east coast. A quick guide to choosing the right pump for a sub-floor space can be found in this sump pump selection overview.

Clean the inlet screen, confirm the check valve is seated, and ensure the discharge line discharges well away from the foundations. A discharge that empties too close to the wall simply sends the water back down to the pump and shortens its life.

Practical pre-departure steps

Even with all the inspections and precautions outlined above, a brief checklist keeps the most important items in one place. Each line addresses a common cause of water damage in unattended homes and can be completed quickly, even when the departure is rushed.

Running through these tasks in the hour before leaving takes only a few minutes and gives the rest of the trip real peace of mind. Working through the list in order keeps the routine consistent.

A final walk-through should include a last check of the outdoor taps, the hot water unit, and the meter box for any sign of moisture. Knowing the plumbing is sound before a long trip is worth the half hour of preparation. Owners who would prefer a professional once-over can review current seasonal offers and arrange a pre-departure inspection with a licensed local plumber familiar with Australian water systems.