WATER SERVICES
Hydrostatic testing of water services: how and why
A water service gets pressure-tested before it disappears behind a wall or under the ground. The test itself is simple; the part people get wrong is doing it too late.
Why test before concealment
The point of a hydrostatic test is to find a leak while you can still fix it cheaply. Once the pipe is buried or sheeted over, a failure means breaking things open. So the test has to happen before any of that, on the exposed pipework.
The test
The service is charged to the test pressure and held for the specified period with no leakage and no measurable pressure drop. For water service installations that is commonly 1500 kPa held for at least 30 minutes. Any drop or weep is a fail to be chased down before you proceed.
Timing and records
Test before burial or concealment, every time. A photo of the gauge at pressure, with the time, is the cleanest proof the test was done and held. Elemetric keeps that shot with the job.
Common questions
What pressure and time is the hydrostatic test?
For water service installations it is commonly 1500 kPa held for at least 30 minutes, with no leakage and no measurable pressure drop.
When do I run the test?
Before any burial or concealment, on the exposed pipework, so a failure can be fixed without breaking things open.
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Download on the App Store →General information for licensed tradespeople, not legal or regulatory advice. The licensed plumber remains solely responsible for compliance. Refer to the current AS/NZS 3500 standards and the Building and Plumbing Commission (formerly the VBA) for authoritative requirements.