Pipes and cables touching inside Rouse Hill walls before the plaster goes on
Why gas, water and electrical services must be kept apart, and why lock-up is the last chance to see it.
In short: At lock-up every service is visible inside the wall. After plaster, contact between pipes and cables is hidden for the life of the house.
The lock-up moment
Lock-up is when the house is closed in and the plumber and electrician have finished their rough in. Walls are still open. It is the one stage when you can see how services were run.
Separation rules
Gas lines and cold water pipes need a minimum gap of 25mm. Cables need clearance from hot and cold water pipes. Copper pipes should not sit against steel framing, which invites corrosion.
What Rouse Hill lock-ups show
We have recorded cables resting on hot water pipes in a laundry wall, gas against cold water lines and water pipes in direct contact with metal, on more than one Rouse Hill build in 2026.
Other lock-up items
Split truss timbers, beams drilled full of holes, torn sarking and an air conditioner drain set to discharge onto a roof flashing appear in the same reports.
Unfinished frame items
Lock-up is also when we recheck the frame report. Items still open are listed again so they are not lost under the plaster.
Written by our local inspection team from work carried out in Rouse Hill. Licensed building practitioners, NSW Fair Trading licence 366177C.
