Pipe freezing a leaking meter tap, Maroubra

The customer got in touch about a leak at their water meter and sent through a video of it. The leak was at the meter tap, the tap beside the meter that controls the water supply to the whole property. That made it a slightly awkward job, because the tap you would normally use to stop the water was the part that was failing.

The fix was pipe freezing. We froze a short section of the incoming copper until the water inside turned into a solid ice plug. With the plug holding back the mains, we cut out the leaking meter tap and replaced it. While the water was stopped, we also raised the meter out of the garden bed it had been buried in.

Why a leaking meter tap needs pipe freezing

On most Sydney houses, the meter tap is the first shut-off on your side of the water main. Everything after it can be isolated by turning it off. But when the meter tap itself is leaking, or will not close, there is nothing on the property to stop the water before the part that needs replacing.

Pipe freezing solves that. It stops the water right at the pipe, at the exact spot it is needed, so the tap can be replaced with the service still connected to the main.

How pipe freezing works

A pipe freezing kit clamps onto a short section of pipe and chills it until the water inside freezes solid. The ice plug is strong enough to hold back mains pressure, so the pipe downstream can be cut open and worked on without water coming through. When the work is done the kit comes off, the plug thaws and the water flows again. Then every new joint gets checked under full pressure.

That fog in the photos is the freezing kit working on the copper riser. It looks dramatic, but it is a controlled, everyday tool for exactly this kind of job.

Who is responsible for a leaking meter tap

This catches a lot of people out. Sydney Water owns the meter itself, but Sydney Water's meter maintenance page is clear that the meter tap is part of the private pipework. You can pay a licensed plumber to repair it, or Sydney Water can fix it for free under certain conditions within 10 working days. If the tap is leaking steadily, or you also want the meter raised or moved while the water is off, a plumber is usually the quicker path.

Raising the water meter while the water was off

The leak was not the only problem. The meter had ended up flush with the soil in a garden bed beside the gas meter, with pebbles and mulch built up around the risers. Sydney Water's water meter installation guide says the inlet and outlet risers should be 300 mm from the ground for residential meters, and the meter has to sit somewhere Sydney Water can regularly reach. They also ask for at least 30 centimetres of clear space around it.

With the pipe already frozen, it made sense to do both jobs at once. We fitted new copper risers, raised the meter to 300 mm and put the new meter tap in at the new height.

Why Maroubra water meters end up buried

A lot of Maroubra houses have their meter down a narrow side passage or in a front garden bed. It was set at a sensible height when the service went in, then decades of landscaping built up around it. Pebble borders, mulch and raised garden edges all lift the ground a little at a time, but the meter stays where it is. A buried meter tap is hard to reach in an emergency, and a leak there soaks into the soil instead of showing up where anyone would notice it.

Signs your meter tap needs attention

• It drips, or the ground around the meter is damp when it has not rained. A leak at the meter usually soaks away rather than pooling.
• It is stiff, seized or will not fully close. You only find that out when you need it, which is usually during a burst pipe.
• You cannot reach it without digging soil or pebbles away.
• Your water bill has jumped and nothing in the house has changed. Check the meter with every tap turned off. If the numbers keep moving, water is going somewhere.
• The fittings are green, crusty or corroded where they come out of the ground.

How to reach Norton Plumbing

Norton Plumbing has worked in Maroubra and across the Eastern Suburbs since 2019, on leak detection, burst pipes, pipe freezing, water meters and meter taps, hot water, blocked drains and gas fitting. I hold NSW plumbing licence 397768C. The team works out of 10/11a-15 Berwick St, Coogee. If your meter tap is leaking or will not turn off, see our leak detection page, our Maroubra plumber page, or call 0477 858 951. Quotes are free across the Eastern Suburbs.