Burst pipe. Toilet overflowing. Sewer backing up through the floor. Flooding from a failed washing machine connection. These are the calls that come in at all hours — and the thing that consistently separates a minor repair bill from a major one is what the homeowner did in the first ten minutes.

Here's the exact sequence. Read it now, before you need it.

Before Anything Else: Know Where Your Main Shutoff Is

This is the thing most people don't do — and then they're searching for it while water is actively flooding the laundry.

Your main water shutoff valve cuts all water coming into your property. In most Queensland homes, it's one of these locations:

At the water meter — usually in a small box set into the ground near the street or your front boundary fence
Outside the house near the meter box — sometimes on an external wall
Under the kitchen sink — for kitchen-specific issues only

Go find yours right now. Make sure it operates. Some older valves in Yeppoon and Rockhampton homes haven't been turned in 20 years and can be stiff or corroded — better to find that out now than under pressure.

If you live with other people, make sure they know where it is too.

Step 1: Turn Off the Water

The moment water is going somewhere it shouldn't — turn off the main supply. Every second you wait is more water entering the property and more damage being done.

The valve is usually a tap style (quarter-turn ball valve) or a round handle (gate valve). Turn it clockwise to close (right to tighten).

Once it's off, the active part of the problem stops. Everything after this is management and repair.

Step 2: Electricity First If Water Is Near Power

If water has reached power points, electrical appliances, or your switchboard — turn off the electricity at the main breaker before anything else. Wet switchboards and submerged appliances are electrocution risks.

Your main breaker is in your switchboard, typically on an external wall or in the garage.

If you have an electric hot water system, turn it off at the switchboard as well. An electric hot water element running without water in the tank will burn out in minutes.

Step 3: Open the Lowest Taps to Drain the System

After turning off the main supply, open taps at the lowest points of the house — laundry tub, outdoor tap, garden tap. This drains residual water from the pipes and reduces pressure. Less pressure means less water coming through any failure point.

Step 4: Manage the Water You Already Have

Don't wait for a plumber to arrive before dealing with water that's already on the floor:

Towels, buckets, and mops to manage pooling water
Move anything electrical, valuable, or porous (rugs, documents, furniture) away from the affected area
If water is bulging through your ceiling — indicating it has pooled above — put a bucket directly beneath and carefully pierce the lowest point of the bulge to release the water in a controlled stream. This prevents a larger, uncontrolled ceiling collapse

Step 5: Call a Licensed Plumber

Once the immediate situation is contained, call a licensed plumber. Give them:

What happened (burst pipe, blocked sewer, flooding from an appliance, no hot water)
Where in the house (bathroom, under kitchen sink, yard, ceiling)
Whether you've turned off the water and electricity

A local plumber who knows Yeppoon and Rockhampton will get to you significantly faster than a company dispatching from a call centre. When you call LTH Plumbing, you speak directly to Luke.

The Most Common Plumbing Emergencies — What to Do

Burst pipe: Turn off the main supply immediately. Drain the system. Call a plumber.

Overflowing toilet: Turn off the individual supply valve behind the toilet (a small lever or round tap on the wall or floor). If you can't find it, use the main supply shutoff. Do not keep flushing.

Blocked main sewer: Stop using all water in the house — toilets, taps, dishwasher. Running more water into a fully blocked sewer backs it up through your floor drains. Call a plumber the same day.

Hot water system leaking: Turn off the system at the switchboard. If there's active flooding, turn off the main supply too. A puddle under a hot water system usually means a failed pressure relief valve or a tank failure.

Flooding from a washing machine or dishwasher: Turn off the appliance, then turn off its water supply (the taps behind or underneath it). If you can't find the individual supply, use the main shutoff.

What Not to Do

Don't try to repair burst pipes yourself. In Queensland, all plumbing repairs must be done by a QBCC licensed plumber. You can turn off the supply and manage water damage, but the repair itself needs a licensed tradesperson.

Don't ignore a slow-growing problem. If water is slowly spreading across the floor from an unknown source, don't wait to see if it stops. Turn off the supply and call a plumber.

Don't run more water into a blocked sewer. This is the one that causes the most expensive secondary damage. If multiple drains are blocked or backing up, stop all water use until a plumber has cleared the line.

Will Insurance Cover It?

Most home insurance policies cover sudden and accidental water damage from a burst pipe or failed appliance. They generally don't cover gradual leaks, maintenance-related failures, or damage from unlicensed plumbing work.

The practical implication: always use a QBCC licensed plumber for any repair, and report the claim promptly. Get the plumber to document the cause of the failure if possible — insurance companies will ask.

Plumbing emergency in Yeppoon or Rockhampton? See our emergency plumbing service. Call LTH Plumbing on 0455 869 383. Luke responds to emergency callouts across the Capricorn Coast.

What to Do in a Plumbing Emergency: A Step-by-Step Guide for Yeppoon and Rockhampton Homeowners