Winter plumbing checklist for Traralgon homes

Before the first frosts, a Traralgon household should find and test the main stop tap, wrap any exposed water pipes, check the hot water relief valve in the way the manual describes, clear the gutters, downpipes and overflow relief gully, and make sure septic and tank pump alarms work. Each of these takes minutes and can be done by the owner. Anything that fails a check is a job for a licensed plumber, and each item below links the page that explains that job.

Why does a Traralgon winter put pressure on household plumbing?

Two things happen in the cold months: the nights get cold enough for frost, and heavy rain can arrive faster than gutters and drains can carry it.

The Bureau of Meteorology’s Latrobe Valley Airport climate statistics (station 085280) show an average July minimum of 3.8 °C. The same station averages 37.4 days a year at or below 2 °C, with June, July and August carrying most of them: 8.7, 10.2 and 7.7 days on average. Monthly rainfall there tends to climb from late winter into spring, so the wet end of the season often runs past the cold end.

Latrobe City’s Traralgon Local Flood Guide warns that heavy rain falling within the town can cause flash flooding from stormwater with little or no warning, and that areas near the Princes Highway and Liddiard Road are particularly prone. Blocked gutters and pits make that worse at the house itself.

The winter plumbing checklist

Work through these in late autumn, then again after any big storm.

1. Find the water meter and main stop tap. Turn the tap off and back on once so you know it moves, and tell everyone in the house where it is. If it is seized or leaks at the spindle, have it replaced before you need it. A frozen or split pipe is covered on the burst and frozen pipe repairs page.
2. Wrap exposed pipes. Look at outdoor taps, pipes on the shady side of the house, pipes running to a rainwater tank and pipes under a raised timber floor. Foam lagging from a hardware store suits most exposed copper and plastic lines.
3. Check the hot water relief valve the way the manual says. Many storage tank manuals give an interval for easing the valve lever and letting it snap back. Only do it if your manual tells you to, keep clear of the outlet because the water is hot, and note whether it drips constantly afterwards. A valve that will not seat, or a tank older than its warranty that is rusting at the base, is a reason to book the hot water repairs page before winter rather than during it.
4. Clean the gutters and downpipes. Leaves from gums and street trees pack into gutters and downpipe heads in autumn. Check that each downpipe still connects to the stormwater pipe at ground level and that water runs away from the walls.
5. Lift the grates on stormwater pits. Clear silt and leaves from yard pits and driveway grates, and run a hose into each one to see that it drains. Pooling that stays after rain is covered on the stormwater and subsoil drainage page.
6. Find the overflow relief gully and keep it clear. This is the small grated fitting near the outside wall that lets sewage spill into the yard if the sewer drain blocks, rather than into the house. Gippsland Water’s guidance is that the grate sits at least 75 mm higher than the surrounding ground, and at least 150 mm lower than the lowest fixture that drains to it. Pull back mulch, pot plants and garden edging, and make sure the grate is loose enough to lift.
7. Test the septic or treatment system alarm. If the property is not on town sewer, press the test button on any alarm panel and check the warning light or buzzer works. Make sure the power supply to an aerated system is on and the lid is visible and not buried. The septic tank and treatment system page explains servicing and permits.
8. Plan for a power cut on tank water. An electric pressure pump on a rainwater tank stops when the power goes off, so the house has no water pressure until power returns. In the June 2021 storms, for example, Latrobe City’s community newsletter reported that AusNet expected power to be restored to Yinnar and Yinnar South on 14 June. Keep drinking water on hand for a few days, and know how to reset the pump once power returns.
9. Look for slow leaks inside. Read the water meter at night, use no water, and read it again in the morning. Movement with every tap off points to a hidden leak, which is covered on the leak detection page. A toilet that keeps running or a tap that drips is a tap and toilet repair.
10. Note where water pools in heavy rain. Take photos during the next downpour. They show a plumber where the drainage fails in a way a dry day cannot.

Which checklist items can an owner do, and which need a plumber?

Item	An owner can	Needs a licensed plumber
Stop tap	Find it, test it, label it	Replacing a seized or leaking tap
Exposed pipes	Fit foam lagging	Rerouting pipes or repairing a split
Relief valve	Operate it as the manual says	Replacing the valve or the tank
Gutters, downpipes, pits	Clear leaves and silt	Relaying broken stormwater pipe
Overflow relief gully	Keep it clear and uncovered	Fitting, raising or repairing the gully
Septic alarm	Press test, check power	Servicing, pump faults, alterations
Tank pump	Reset after a power cut	Pump replacement, pressure faults
Hidden leaks	Read the meter overnight	Finding and fixing the leak

In Victoria, plumbing work on water supply, drainage and gas must be done by a person registered or licensed by the Building and Plumbing Commission, so the right-hand column is not optional.

What should you do if a pipe freezes or splits?

Turn off the main stop tap first, then switch off the hot water unit if the leak is on the hot side. Do not use a naked flame or a heat gun on a frozen pipe. Take a photo of the damage and the pipe material, then arrange a plumber for the burst or frozen pipe with those photos attached. The repair itself is described on the burst pipes page linked above.

How does the local setting change this list?

The list changes with the type of property. A house in a sewered street in central Traralgon mostly needs the gully, gutters and stop tap checked. A block on acreage around Tyers or Glengarry is more likely to have a septic system, a tank and a pump, and so has more to test. Older weatherboard homes on stumps have more pipe exposed under the floor than a newer brick home on a slab. The Traralgon area page has more on the local housing and services.

What should you keep on hand through winter?

A small kit near the back door saves time when something goes wrong on a cold night:

• a torch kept next to the stop tap, and a meter key if the tap sits in a pit
• spare foam lagging and tape for any pipe you missed
• a bucket, old towels and a mop
• a photo of the hot water unit’s label and the date it was installed
• the septic or treatment system’s last service report, if you have one
• the details of a licensed plumber you would contact

Write the location of the stop tap and the gully on a note inside a kitchen cupboard so a visitor or house sitter can find them.

Next step

If one of the checks above fails, write down which item it was and what you saw: the stop tap would not turn, the relief valve keeps dripping, the gully grate is buried, or the septic alarm stays on. Add a photo and the suburb, and say if the property drains to the town sewer or to its own tank. Then send the failed check to a local plumber. The plumber who replies runs an independent business and will give you their own quote before any work is booked.

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