Fitzroy
Blocked, burst or leaking in Fitzroy?
Blocked drains, burst pipes and leaks in Fitzroy, from the old back lane privies to the four 20-storey towers, passed to a licensed plumber day and night.
Plumbing in Fitzroy
Terraces built before the plumbing arrived
Fitzroy's nineteenth century workers mostly lived in one- and two-roomed terraces, with few if any facilities. The plumbing in houses like these was usually added later and in stages, so a mix of old pipe materials and drains taking odd routes under the floor are worth expecting, and the camera goes down before the quote.
In the south of the suburb, the heritage precinct counts its rear and side service lanes among what matters, with boundary walls, stables and lofts, night soil hatches and privies. Those mark houses built before sewerage, which is why the drain often heads for the back of the lot rather than the street.
Jobs in Fitzroy
Old terraces, back lanes and tower stacks
Blocked drains
Drains added in stages under small terraces, often running towards the rear lane.
CCTV drain inspection
A camera to show the real route of a drain that took the long way under the house.
Commercial plumbing
Shared stacks in the estate towers and in strata buildings, with management access arranged first.
What it costs: hot water replacement cost, gutter replacement cost, toilet installation cost
Fitzroy questions
Towers, rear structures and runoff
Who arranges a plumber for a blocked stack in the estate towers?
The building manager, through the landlord. Atherton Gardens has dominated the skyline since slum clearance, and its four 20-storey towers run shared stacks and common sewer branches, so one household's blockage is a management job.
Does heritage control cover work at the back of a South Fitzroy terrace?
It can. Boundary walls and rear structures in that precinct are part of its significance, so rerouting a drain or opening a wall at the rear may need a heritage permit before work starts.
Why does a flooded yard usually mean a blocked pit here?
Fitzroy stands on higher ground that falls away east towards Collingwood, so stormwater tends to run off rather than pond. Standing water in a yard more often points to a blocked pit or private drain than to flooding from outside.
