Somerville
Blocked, burst or leaking in Somerville?
Blocked drains, burst pipes and leaks in Somerville, from the station to the estates further south, passed to a licensed plumber day and night.
Plumbing in Somerville
From orchard country to housing estates
Fruit growing carried Somerville until rising land values sent the orchardists to Gippsland, and Victorian Places records that housing subdivisions began to impinge on the township. Most homes therefore came after the orchards, so PVC sewer lines and copper water pipe are likely, while clay turns up more often in the original streets around the station.
Its amenities cluster near the railway, and further south there are the recent housing estates, with their own reserve, schools and retirement village. Drains there were laid to estate plans not long ago, so a blockage is more often wipes, grease or a damaged junction than roots in old pipe.
Jobs in Somerville
Township clay and estate PVC
Blocked drains
Wipes and grease in estate PVC, and older clay near the station.
CCTV drain inspection
Further south there are the recent housing estates, where a camera shows a cracked junction before anything is opened.
Gutters and downpipes
Roof water on rural lots that runs out to a roadside channel.
What it costs: hot water replacement cost, gutter replacement cost, toilet installation cost
Somerville questions
Roadside channels and the Shire's consent
Can a rural property's stormwater run into the roadside drain?
Only with the Shire's consent. Its rehabilitation of one rural road in Somerville takes in pavement work and drainage upgrades, so an outlet to that road drain may shift while the works run, and any new connection is cleared with the Shire first.
Does a newer house still get roots in the drain?
Less often. PVC joints seal far better than old clay, so a recurring blockage in a recent home points first to what goes down the line or a poorly made junction.
Where does the owner's water pipe start?
At the meter. South East Water supplies Somerville and looks after its side; the pipe from the meter into the house belongs to the property.
