Case Study – Burst Pipe at Moonee Ponds Primary School

Richard, our Plumbing Operations Manager and Estimator, received an email from the Moonee Ponds Primary School, an existing client. The email stated their water meter indicated they were losing 100 litres of water per hour, so there was no time to waste.

We differentiate from other plumbing companies because we allocate operations managers to specific sites, this allows them to gain extensive site knowledge over time and provides one point of contact. This reduces the time it takes to respond to plumbing problems and provide solutions to fix the plumbing fault, saving our clients time and money.

Pre-Work Documentation

Richard responded immediately and allocated a licensed plumber to carry out leak detection to locate the position of the burst pipe and how deep the pipe was.

The job was logged onto the dial before you dig service as excavation needed to occur and all plans were emailed to Richard, locating all services and assets in the area.

Now that the pre-work documentation was complete, it was time to find the leak and repair it.

Requirements to Work At A School

When working in Melbourne schools, there are compliance obligations you must meet to be able to work on the school grounds. All employees must have the following:

• A current and approved Working with Children check
• A Police check
• Completed site specific inductions

The business must have current and appropriate levels of insurance such as public liability, workers compensation & product liability before any site work can commence.  Additionally, a Safe Work Method Statement must be completed and signed off by Essendon Plumbing Services team members and reviewed by our clients to reduce the risk of injury to our team, our clients and the general public.

Finding the Leak

Ben and Thomas were allocated the job and quickly determined the burst was on the domestic water supply, not the fire protection service. They then proceeded to carry out leak detection on the domestic water feed to find the exact location and depth of the pipe before carrying out excavation works. They identified the location and depth of the pipe ready for excavation the following day.

Repairing the Leaking Pipe

Lee and David, licensed plumbers and experts at repairing burst pipes, were allocated the job to repair the leaking pipe. They first barricaded off the area and installed safety signage to prevent any children entering the worksite.

The SWMS was signed off on and excavation was ready to commence. The burst pipe was located approx. 700mm deep. What they found was an old copper joint that had been formed by squashing one pipe around another, then silver soldering them together rather than installing a welded copper fitting or correctly expanding the pipe.

David and Lee needed to cut out the old failed copper pipe and install a new section.

Updating the School Principal

They spoke with the Principal to discuss what they had found, how they were going to repair the burst pipe and how long the water would need to be turned off to the school. The principal could then advise them of the best time to fix the burst pipe to reduce the impact on school operations.

A time was scheduled for the same day, David and Lee then prefabricated the new copper pipework to reduce the time the water needed to be turned off for.

Then at the allocated time, they turned the water off and removed the damaged and leaking section of pipe. The new prefabricated section was installed, and the water was turned back on.

Testing for Leaks & Backfilling

The job was inspected for leaks, but everything was dry, so the trench was ready to backfill.  Once the trench was backfilled, the site was cleaned, and the School Principal was asked to inspect the area before giving the OK to open the area up again to the kids.

Locating Water Leaks in Melbourne

Locating leaking and burst water pipes is a process of elimination and engaging an experienced local plumber to find and fix your leaking pipes, without causing unnecessary damage to your home is a must. Essendon Plumbing Services has a team of dedicated licensed plumbers experienced in locating and repairing water leaks, so if you suspect you have a leak then give us a call, where here to help.

Do you need a Moonee Ponds Plumber?

Essendon Plumbing Services is your expert Moonee Ponds plumber and we’re here to support you, 24/7, 365 days of the year. Call us now on 1300 193 298 or book online.