Case Study – Blocked Stormwater Drain in Pascoe Vale

A customer, David, from Pascoe Vale contacted Essendon Plumbing Services with a Storm Water Drainage problem. The water was banking up in his storm water due to a suspected blocked or broken drain. Melbourne had been receiving heavy rainfall and blocked storm water pipes in Pascoe Vale can cause serious and costly damage to your home when flooding occurs. Understandably David was needing a reliable Melbourne plumber to quickly locate and repair the storm water drain before the next downpour hit.

Arrival on Site & Investigation

Our expert plumber, Matthew, was assigned the job to unblock David’s drain. He arrived at the appointed time with our high-pressure water jet, CCTV camera and Sewer Snake ready to tackle the blocked drain.

• Firstly, Matthew attempted to send the CCTV camera down the drain to see what was causing the blockage, but it didn’t take to long for him to realise the camera couldn’t go down far as the drain was completely blocked.
• Then Matthew set up the high-pressure water jet to try and clear the blockage. Unfortunately, whatever was clogging the drain was solid and Matt was unable to move the blockage, so he needed to try a different tactic.

The stormwater from David’s property discharged into the kerb and channel in the street at the front of his house, so Matthew was going to try and clear the drain from this entry point.

• So, Matthew used the Hydro Jet, but he could only get it into the drain a couple of meters then it came to a complete stop again.
• Matthew then dug up a small section of pipe below the downpipe connection and noted it was the original earthenware pipe. He suspected the drain had either collapsed or was completely full of tree roots and dirt, but either way the storm water drain needed to be replaced.

David agreed, a fixed price quote was provided which explained all the details of the job to David, so he could make an informed decision before agreeing to proceed.

Road Opening Permit

Before work could start, Essendon Plumbing Services needed to organise a road opening permit with local council. Once approved and the fees and charges were paid, we were ready to schedule the work with David for a time and days that suited.

Cutting the Footpath

The footpath needed to be cut and concrete removed, so Matthew and Jordan arrived on site with a Demolition Saw and Jackhammer. A trench needed to be dug from the house to the fence line and the old earthenware pipe needed to be removed to allow the new storm water drain to be installed.

Traffic management was set up on the footpath to allow pedestrians to safely walk past, and then the concrete footpath was saw cut and removed to enable the trench to continue to the kerb. It was then time to lay the new storm water drain.

Installing the New Storm Water Drain

• Crushed rock was installed to the base of the trench as bedding material for a new 100mm UPVC storm water drain with a council approved kerb adaptor
• Crushed rock was then installed to surround the new drainage pipe
• Then it was backfilled with soil
• Then the removed grass was re-installed
• Concrete was then organised to be reinstated across the footpath and around the kerb adaptor

Testing and Cleaning Site

It was then time to test the drain before cleaning the site and removing all rubbish, finishing with a good broom and hose down before asking David if he was happy with the job, which he was.

Matthew and Jordan were confident they had another happy customer before they headed off to the transfer station to dispose of the rubbish.

Our 100% customer Satisfaction Guarantee

All quotations from Essendon Plumbing Services come with a 100% satisfaction guarantee. If you’re not happy with the outcome, we’ll fix it for FREE - that’s our promise to you.

Our quotations are fixed price, so there are NO surprises. What we say we are going to do is what we do!

Always Dial Before You Dig

Essendon Plumbing Services makes sure we always Dial before you Dig. It is a free national service that assists in preventing damage and disruption to Australia’s vast infrastructure networks. The response informs the applicant of any registered national infrastructure assets in the area of the proposed works. This prevents the loss or damage to infrastructure and harm to the greater community.

Other items to consider when working outside the property boundary, or within easements, are Council road opening permits. These are generally required when working within footpaths and nature strips and Vic Roads would need to be notified of any works that may interrupt public roads and possibly require a traffic management plan.

Contact Us

Essendon Plumbing Services has an experienced team of Master Plumbers ready to find and fix your plumbing problem, no matter where they are or when you need us.

If you have a blocked drain in Melbourne and are looking for a plumbing company who go above and beyond,  then call us now on 1300 193 298 or book online.