Avondale Heights
Blocked, burst or leaking in Avondale Heights?
Blocked drains, burst pipes and leaks in Avondale Heights, from the Maribyrnong valley floor to the estates up the hill, passed to a licensed plumber day and night.
Plumbing in Avondale Heights
River silt, a hairpin bend and two eras of pipe
Residential subdivision here began in the late 1950s, inside the river bend, and the first houses most likely went in with clay sewers joined by mortar or rubber rings. Roots and ground movement work those joints loose over the decades, so a slow drain in an original house is usually a joint problem first.
The suburb is wrapped on three sides by the U bend of the Maribyrnong River, and most of its banks are steep. Stormwater on a sloping lot near the river runs hard, so a broken pipe can scour out its own bedding or send water onto the property below.
Down on the low side, estuarine silt laid by the river reaches well up the valley, and soft silt settles unevenly beneath a drain. A sagging run is found with a camera before anyone talks about digging.
Jobs in Avondale Heights
Clay joints, plastic estates and sloping lots
Blocked drains
Roots at the mortar and rubber ring joints of the first clay sewers in the older streets.
CCTV drain inspection
A camera along runs that may have dropped in soft river silt on the low ground.
Gutters and downpipes
Downpipes and stormwater lines on steep lots near the river, where one leak can wash soil away.
What it costs: hot water replacement cost, gutter replacement cost, toilet installation cost
Avondale Heights questions
Steep banks, a heritage shopfront and which pipe is which
How do I know whether my drain is clay or plastic?
Mostly by the age of the street. The construction of new estates continued into the 1990s, and houses from those later years are likely to have PVC, while the first streets are more likely to be on clay. A camera confirms it before a repair is chosen.
Does heritage control change roof plumbing on the old shop?
It can. The former Avondale General Store is in the Heritage Overlay, so swapping its visible downpipes or roof drainage may need a council heritage permit, and that adds time before work starts.
Is a blocked sewer on my side or Greater Western Water's?
Greater Western Water looks after its main and the point where the house branch joins it. Everything from that point back to the house is the owner's, and lifting the inspection shaft cap usually shows which side is holding the water.
Why does a stormwater pipe near the river keep failing?
On a steep lot water moves fast, and a crack lets it wash the bedding away until the pipe drops. Mending the break without restoring the support just moves the problem along, so the plumber looks at the fall as well as the crack.
