Richmond
Blocked, burst or leaking in Richmond?
Blocked drains, burst pipes and leaks in Richmond, from Richmond Hill down to the flat land of Burnley in the south, passed to a licensed plumber day and night.
Plumbing in Richmond
Lane cottages between the hill and the river flats
Large Richmond blocks were cut into small lots served by lanes and rights-of-way, and the cottages packed onto them were long a refuge of the very poor. Houses of that kind are likely to have old earthenware drains running out to the rear lane, so lane access is checked and each joint gets a look with a camera.
The marine silts and clays of the Yarra estuary reach well up the valley into Richmond's low ground. Soft silt moves and settles under an old drain, so sagging or cracked joints are worth expecting there, and the camera comes before the quote.
Jobs in Richmond
Rear lanes, soft silt and tower stacks
Blocked drains
Earthenware house drains that run out to a rear lane or right-of-way.
CCTV drain inspection
A camera along a drain sagging in the soft silt of the river flats.
Commercial plumbing
Shared stacks in the public housing towers and strata buildings, with management access arranged.
What it costs: hot water replacement cost, gutter replacement cost, toilet installation cost
Richmond questions
Hill runoff, irregular lots and estate towers
Why does a yard on the low side flood when it rains hard?
Richmond Hill sits on the western edge, and the land falls to the river in the east, to the Collingwood flat in the north and to the flat land of Burnley in the south. Stormwater runs downhill onto those flats, so it may be a blocked private drain or an overloaded street drain, and that is checked before anyone digs.
Does the Richmond Hill heritage overlay affect plumbing?
It can. The west part of the overlay is laid out as an accumulation of small private subdivisions, with mixed lot sizes and small cottages. Visible roof plumbing or front downpipes there can need a heritage permit, and on irregular lots the drain rarely runs in a straight line.
Who arranges a plumber for a blocked stack in the high-rise estate?
The housing manager. The north Richmond public housing towers run shared stacks and common sewer branches, so the job is booked through management rather than by one household, and access is planned around the building.
