The most important thing to note is that you can never completely negate the risk of a flood happening. However, there are plenty of steps you can take to reduce that risk and make it extremely unlikely.

Annual Inspection

The first thing you should do is find a reputable Sydney plumber and get them to inspect your plumbing system.

They will be able to assess the quality of your pipes and identify any potential issues. You may even already have a leak that you don’t know about!

It is worth noting that you can check for water leaks by reading your water meter and not using any water for an hour. Recheck the meter, if the reading has changed you have a leak, although you may need the plumber to trace it for you.

The inspection should not be a one-off, water and metal tend to cause corrosion and rust, your pipes need to be inspected and checked annually. At the same time, you’re building a relationship that will help if you need a plumber in an emergency.

Visual Inspections

The annual inspection is important but this needs to be followed up with regular visual inspections by yourself. A pipe that seems fine during an annual inspection could start to leak eleven months later, before the plumber returns for the next annual inspection.

Visually inspecting the pipes will help you to spot issues.

Of course, should you or your plumber spot an issue it must be rectified as quickly as possible.

Know Your Valves

This step won’t prevent a leak from happening but it will reduce the effects of a leak. You need to know exactly where your main stop valve is and where any more localized ones are. This allows you to quickly turn the water off and minimize the amount entering your home. A plumber can then fix the issue before you turn the water back on.

It’s inconvenient but it will save your home from getting flooded.

Insulation

One problem that causes pipes to burst is freezing weather. As the temperature drops the water in your pipes can freeze. This means the water expands and creates additional pressure on the pipes. It can burst. When the water defrosts t will come out of the hole in the pipe and potentially flood your home.

Insulating the pipes by covering them with foam, or even old blankets will reduce the likelihood of them freezing in winter and bursting.

Turn It Off

You should also consider turning off the water supply to your home if you are going away for more than a few days. This will prevent a small issue from becoming a larger one while you’re away and a nasty shock on your return.

You should also be aware that you can fit a flood alarm which will trigger an alarm if water is detected. You simply choose where to put it and how to be notified of the issue. Again, it won’t stop the flood but it will allow you to react quickly and stop it from getting worse.