Sorrento
Blocked, burst or leaking in Sorrento?
Blocked drains, burst pipes and leaks in Sorrento, from Coppin's old township to the wooded rises behind it, passed to a licensed plumber day and night.
Plumbing in Sorrento
Coppin's township on a limestone base
Sorrento is underlain by limestone, the stone that went to Melbourne's builders after the gold rushes. On many lots it lies close enough under the sand to meet a spade, so a new drain or a pressure sewer pit may need rock breaking or a shallower path.
The Victorian Heritage Database records that George Coppin's companies bought most of the township area, subdividing it into household blocks for re-sale as the resort grew. Some of the peninsula's oldest houses stand in that core, and their pipes may be original or patched many times, so the layout is confirmed rather than assumed.
Victorian Places observes that tree cover is generous across the housing. Roots find old joints and leaves fill gutters and stormwater lines, which is why a camera usually goes down before a shovel does.
Jobs in Sorrento
Roots, rock and old township pipe
Blocked drains
Root entry at old joints beneath a heavy canopy.
Gutters and downpipes
Leaf-choked gutters and downpipes, with the precinct rules checked on visible work.
Pipe relining
A lining where limestone makes a fresh trench hard going.
What it costs: hot water replacement cost, gutter replacement cost, toilet installation cost
Sorrento questions
Precinct permits and septic conversions
Does replacing downpipes in the old town need a permit?
It can. Of the Shire's heritage precincts, the most extensive is the Sorrento historic precinct, and changing a place's external appearance there needs planning approval. New roof plumbing or downpipes that look different are checked against the overlay before work is booked.
Can an older house leave its septic tank behind?
Often, yes. South East Water lists Sorrento among the towns whose properties are available to connect now, joining the corporation's pressure sewer system. A plumber links the house to the boundary kit and makes the old tank safe, which can be the better spend than repairing it.
Who repairs a burst main outside the property?
A break in the main is South East Water's. Past the meter, inside the boundary, the leak is for the owner's plumber, and a renewed main can show up tired old joints on that side.
