Kensington
Blocked, burst or leaking in Kensington?
Blocked drains, burst pipes and leaks in Kensington, from Browns Hill down to the Moonee Ponds Creek, passed to a licensed plumber day and night.
Plumbing in Kensington
Swamp flat below, basalt above
Kensington is two kinds of ground. The low alluvial flat where the abattoirs stood runs east to the former Seagull Swamp, now J.J. Holland Park, and a drain dug up there can meet soft, wet soil and slow stormwater outfall. North of the flat, a basaltic layer forms an escarpment that skirts the old swamp to Browns Hill, so rock can sit close under the higher streets and relining often beats a trench.
The saleyards and abattoirs themselves were replaced with housing and open space through the Lynch's Bridge project. Homes on that ground are far newer than the cottages around them and are likely to have PVC drains, while the older streets nearby may still run on earthenware, which is where roots and cracked joints usually turn up.
Jobs in Kensington
Soft ground, rock and old earthenware
Blocked drains
Old earthenware lines in the cottage streets, and settling drains on the former swamp margin.
Pipe relining
A lining from the inside where a basaltic layer makes a trench slow and costly.
CCTV drain inspection
A camera to tell a newer PVC line from an older clay one before a price.
What it costs: hot water replacement cost, gutter replacement cost, toilet installation cost
Kensington questions
Pumped drainage, flats and graded cottages
Why does the yard flood in a storm even after the drain is cleared?
The low streets lean on pumped drainage. City of Melbourne upgraded the pump station that lifts street water into the Moonee Ponds Creek, tripling the station's capacity, but in heavy rain the network can still surcharge. Backflow protection and pit levels are checked before the private line is blamed.
Who arranges a blocked pipe in the Housing Commission towers?
The building manager or landlord. Those flats run shared stacks and common sewer branches built on filled swamp margin, so access and consent are settled with management before the plumber attends.
Does a heritage grading change a downpipe or roof plumbing job?
It can. A planning scheme amendment implemented an independent heritage assessment of 570 buildings in Kensington, and many cottages now carry a grading. Replacing visible downpipes, roof plumbing or front pipework on one of those may need a heritage permit, which adds lead time.
