The four numbers worth saving now
000 if anyone is trapped, injured or in danger. Jemena 131 909 for gas. Sydney Water 13 20 90 for water in the street or at the meter. NSW SES 132 500 for storm damage, a leaking roof or flooding. Ausgrid 13 13 88 for powerlines.
Anything inside your boundary, after the meter, is a plumber. Call R&G on 0461 330 531, 24 hours, $0 call-out fee.
Knowing who to call in a plumbing emergency comes down to one question: is the problem on your side of the water meter or theirs?
Everything after the meter is yours and needs a licensed plumber. Everything before it belongs to Sydney Water. Gas, storms and powerlines each have their own number, and all of them are free to call.
The Whole Thing in One Table
| What is happening | Who to call |
|---|---|
| Anyone trapped, injured, or a fire | 000 |
| Smell of gas, anywhere | Jemena 131 909, from outside |
| Water running in the street, or at the meter | Sydney Water 13 20 90 |
| Roof leaking in a storm, or a tree about to come down | NSW SES 132 500 |
| Powerline down, leaning pole, exposed cable | Ausgrid 13 13 88, stay 8m clear |
| Burst pipe, blocked drain, no hot water, sewage inside | A licensed plumber |
| Blocked street gutter or stormwater pit in the road | Your local council |
| Someone has interfered with your meter or pipework | Police Assistance Line 131 444 |
Save the four you are most likely to need. The worst version of any of these is standing in the dark searching for a phone number.
Water: Sydney Water’s Problem or Yours
Sydney Water owns the main under the street and the meter at your property. Everything after that meter, the pipe into the house and all the plumbing inside, is the owner’s.
There is one exception, and it is worth knowing precisely. Sydney Water may repair the pipe between its main and your meter for free as a courtesy, but only where that pipe sits less than one metre inside your property boundary. Past a metre, it is yours.
So water bubbling up in the street or pooling at the meter box is 13 20 90, answered 24 hours a day, and it costs nothing. A blocked drain, a burst pipe under the slab or sewage coming back into the house is a plumber, every time.
For a meter test or an unexplained bill rather than an emergency, the number is 13 20 92, weekdays 8 am to5:30 pmm.
Storm and Roof: What the SES Actually Does
The SES attends storm and flood damage, and that includes a damaged or leaking roof, a tree that has fallen across access, a tree that looks like it is about to come down, and a property flooded or in danger of flooding. The number is 132 500.
What they do is make it safe. A tarp over a roof, a tree cleared off a driveway, sandbags before water reaches a door. They do not do the permanent repair, and they do not do plumbing.
They are also volunteer-based, ed and they prioritise by risk, so in a widespread storm the jobs with people at risk go first and a leaking roof can wait a while. That is the right way for them to work, and it is also why calling a roof plumber is often the faster route to a dry ceiling once the weather has passed.
Rain coming through a ceiling is not always the roof, either. Blocked gutters, a blocked downpipe or a stormwater system that cannot cope will all put water where a roof leak would. That version is plumbing from the start, and it is the same mechanism behind backyard flooding after rain.
On the SES’s own guidance, water on your own property is a job for a licensed plumber. Water in a public area goes to the water provider. That split is theirs, not ours.
Gas: Network First, Then a Gas Fitter
Gas is the one case where the order is not negotiable, and where a plumber is the second call rather than the first.
If you can smell gas, get everyone outside without touching a single switch, and call Jemena on 131 909 from outside the building. They attend 24 hours and do not charge to make the network side safe. If there is a fire risk or anyone feels unwell, 000 comes first.
Jemena will confirm gas is escaping and isolate it. They will not repair your internal pipework or your appliances. That is licensed gas fitting work, and it is what the second call is for.
Outside Sydney, parts of regional NSW sit with Australian Gas Networks on 1800 427 532. Your network’s emergency number is printed on your gas bill.
If You Live in a Unit or Townhouse
The boundary moves, and this is where most people lose time.
Anything serving more than one dwelling- the common pipework, the shared stack, the roof, the stormwater- is usually the owners corporation’s responsibility and goes through strata or the building manager. Anything inside your own lot is generally yours.
Two things are worth doing before you need them. Find out whether your building has an after-hours emergency contact, because many strata managers have one and it is not the office number. And find the isolation valve for your own unit, usually in a service cupboard or riser, because turning the water off at the street shuts down every apartment in the block.
In a genuine emergency, stopping the water comes first and sorting out who pays comes second. Nobody has ever been penalised for calling a plumber at 1 am to stop a ceiling coming down.
Not sure whose problem it is
Call us and describe it. If it turns out to be Sydney Water’s, the SES’s or the gas network’s, we will tell you and give you the number, because sending you to the right place costs us nothing and guessing costs you a lot. R&G on 0461 330 531, 24 hours, $0 call-out fee.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I call Sydney Water or a plumber for a burst pipe?
A plumber, if the pipe is on your side of the water meter, which covers everything from the meter into the house and all the plumbing inside it. Call Sydney Water on 13 20 90 if water is coming up in the street or at the meter box itself. They own the main and the meter; the owner owns everything after it.
Does the SES fix a leaking roof?
They make it safe rather than repair it, usually with a tarp, and their guidance covers a damaged or leaking roof on 132 500. They do not do the permanent repair,r and they do not do plumbing. They are also volunteers who prioritise by risk, so in a big storm a roof leak may wait. A roof plumber does the actual fix.
Is it free to call Sydney Water, the SES or the gas network?
Yes. All three attend at no charge for what they are responsible for, and the gas network does not charge to make the network side safe. What you pay for is work on your own pipes, appliances and roof, which is where a licensed plumber comes in.
Who do I call if water is near electricity?
If water has reached a powerpoint, light fitting or switchboard, switch the power off at the board if you can do it safely and do not touch either until you have. Call 000 if anyone is at risk. For a fallen or arcing powerline, a leaning pole or an exposed cable, call Ausgrid on 13 13 88 and stay at least 8 metres clear, about two car lengths.
Who pays for an emergency plumber in an apartment?
It depends on which pipe failed. Common pipework serving more than one dwelling is usually the owners corporation’s, through strata, while anything inside your own lot is generally yours. Stop the water first and settle that afterwards, and find your unit’s isolation valve before you need it, because the street valve shuts down the whole block.
When it is on your side of the meter
We attend burst pipes, blocked drains, sewage, hot water and gas across the Upper North Shore, the Hills District and the Parramatta and Ryde corridor, 24 hours. Licensed for plumbing and gas, fixed price before anything starts, and no call-out fee. See emergency plumbing.
