Case Study – Water Leak in East Keilor

Recently our admin team at Essendon Plumbing Services received a call from Angie in Keilor East regarding a plumbing problem with water pooling under and around her house. Matt, one of our Operations Managers took the call and spoke with Angie who explained where the water was leaking. Matt assessed the information he was given and decided with the amount of water Angie was describing and the age of the property, it would be in the best interest of the customer to carry out a CCTV inspection of the storm water pipes at the property. Matt explained our rates to Angie, so she had a clear understanding of the fees and charges involved which she was happy with, and the job was then booked in for one of our experienced team of storm water plumbers to attend site at the appointed time.

Leaking pipes under the house

Lee our expert plumber attended site on time and met up with Angie so she could explain the issues she was having with leaking pipes. Lee quickly worked out the layout of the storm water system in preparation for a CCTV inspection of the storm water drains. As part of our service and included in our rates, we provide high pressure water jetting of the drains to clear all debris from the pipes prior to CCTV inspections. This enables us to provide clear images of any broken or damaged pipes.
Once Lee completed his prestart safety checklist, he was ready to start his investigation. The pressure jet was then installed into the drain and the cleaning commenced. Two downpipes were fully blocked with leaves but once cleared the pressure jet was able to run through the rest of the storm water system.

Drain cleaning

While cleaning the drains Lee noted that the water was only trickling out through the kerb where the storm water discharges to the street. This would normally be running at a significant rate due to the volume of water passing through the jet, so further investigations were needed. Lee marked out where the jet was stopping and decided to dig up a small section of grass in the area to expose the storm water drain and investigate further. Once the drain was exposed, he cut it open to discover a tennis ball had jammed itself in the 90mm stormwater pipe. He removed the ball and repaired the drain then continued jetting. As soon as Lee commenced jetting the water started to flow unrestricted into the street kerb. Once all the drains were jetted and debris removed, he flood-tested the storm water system and it flowed away freely.

Drainage inspection

A CCTV inspection of the drain was then completed to check the condition of the pipework. Lee explained to Angie that he had found a tennis ball jammed in the drain which would have caused the storm water system to bank up and flood under and around the house. He advised her that the condition of the remaining drainage system was relatively good considering its age, and that routine maintenance would extend the life expectancy of her drainage system reducing the need to carry out any major repairs in the short to medium term.