St Kilda
Blocked, burst or leaking in St Kilda?
Blocked drains, burst pipes and leaks in St Kilda, from the reclaimed foreshore to old mansions turned into flats, passed to a licensed plumber day and night.
Plumbing in St Kilda
Mansions into flats, and a foreshore built on fill
Almost every home here shares a building, since only 5.5 percent of occupied private dwellings are separate houses. A blocked drain is usually a common property fault, so the lot it sits under is found and the owners corporation approves the work.
Over time many of its large houses were turned into boarding houses, and later flat construction outnumbered house construction in St Kilda by about ten to one. Buildings replumbed in stages can join earthenware drains, cast iron stacks and galvanised pipe in one run, so tracing the whole line beats fixing a single joint.
The Catani Gardens were developed on foreshore reclaimed in the period from 1890 to c1916, and that fill runs under the seafront. Reclaimed ground settles unevenly over a shallow water table, so foreshore drains sag and hold water at their joints. Roots add to it, and palms have become a major theme throughout St Kilda, so a camera goes down before any dig.
Jobs in St Kilda
Shared stacks and settled fill
Blocked drains
Common branches under flat buildings, found by camera before the owners corporation signs off.
CCTV drain inspection
Mixed earthenware, cast iron and galvanised runs in converted mansions.
Leak detection
Damp in foreshore buildings traced to its source before walls or floors are opened.
What it costs: hot water replacement cost, gutter replacement cost, toilet installation cost
St Kilda questions
Flood guides, the Elster Creek catchment and private stormwater
Does council clear a blocked stormwater drain on private land?
No. The City of Port Phillip says Council does not repair, unblock or clear private stormwater drains, which belong to the owner up to the legal point of discharge. That point comes from the council's certificate before the line is cleared or relaid.
Why does stormwater flood here when the drain is clear?
The council's Elster Creek catchment page says the catchment includes areas of Elwood, St Kilda and Ripponlea, with a history of widespread flooding. In a storm the council system can be at capacity, so backflow at the connection is checked before a flooding drain is blamed.
What does a flood guide area mean for a new stormwater line?
Port Phillip links the St Kilda and Balaclava flood guide prepared by VicSES. An undersized drain can back up into a property in a storm, so the discharge point and the overland flow path are checked before a line is sized.
