Abbotsford
Blocked, burst or leaking in Abbotsford?
Blocked drains, burst pipes and leaks in Abbotsford, from Victoria Park to the bluestone side and rear lanes of the cottage streets, passed to a licensed plumber day and night.
Plumbing in Abbotsford
Workers' cottages, factories and bluestone pitchers
Edwin Trenerry subdivided the crown land around Victoria Park for houses and set the street pattern that survives there. Those homes are likely to be late Victorian, with old earthenware drains altered many times since, so a camera goes down before a price.
Tiny houses were once crowded into narrow streets and rights-of-way, and after the Second World War many houses were replaced by factories. A cottage standing beside an old factory site may share a drain with it, so the line is traced before anyone agrees whose pipe it is.
One reminder of the old floods is a narrow open drain of bluestone pitchers running between houses, thought to be unique in the municipality. Where a property backs onto it, the stormwater outlet and overflow path are checked against council's drain, and council consent may be needed before work beside it.
Jobs in Abbotsford
Tight access and shared old lines
Blocked drains
Altered earthenware drains under late Victorian cottages, traced before any digging.
CCTV drain inspection
A camera to find out whether a cottage drain is shared with a neighbouring factory site.
Burst pipes
Leaks on the property side of the meter, where mains renewal may have changed the connection.
What it costs: hot water replacement cost, gutter replacement cost, toilet installation cost
Abbotsford questions
Renewed mains and heritage lanes
Is a burst main in Abbotsford mine to fix?
No. Greater Western Water lists water main renewal projects underway in Abbotsford, and a burst in the street main is the corporation's job. Renewal can change service connections, so the plumber's work starts at the meter on the property side.
Can heritage controls affect cottage downpipes or a trench in a lane?
Yes, in the main cottage precinct. Its brick and timber workers' cottages and bluestone side and rear lanes are part of the heritage significance, so visible roof plumbing and downpipes can need a heritage permit, and digging in a lane means reinstating the pitchers with care.
Why might a small job need hand digging?
Access. Tight lanes between the old cottage rows leave little room for a truck or digger, so a short length of drain may be opened by hand once the camera has found the fault.
