Almost 90% of burst water pipes in Perth are hot water pipes.

Have you ever heard a weird humming or hissing noise in your house?

I am a plumber since 1982 and active in Perth Western Australia since 2003.

Most of the time when I receive a phone call about something is running somewhere, it is a hot water pipe which is buried in the soil or sand outside in the backyard.

The soil in the Perth area is high in acidity. This reacts mainly to the hot water pipes and seldom the cold water pipes.

When the consumer turns on the hot water tap, the hot water pipe in the soil which contains cold water initially until hot water pushes through, the pipe then will get hot and condensation or moisture forms outside on the copper pipe.

This causes then the acid in the soil to chemically react with the copper hot water pipe. And over a certain period of time it will then corrode and start leaking.

In new builds, the hot water pipe will be installed inside walls and ceilings, rather than through the soil.

If there is no other option than running the pipe through the soil, then it must be insulated not only for heat loss, as well to prevent contact with the surrounding elements.

We at Allsound Plumbing and Gas are specialised in this type of work.