Aberfeldie
Blocked, burst or leaking in Aberfeldie?
Blocked drains, burst pipes and leaks in Aberfeldie, from the bluestone precinct to the Maribyrnong River bank, passed to a licensed plumber day and night.
Plumbing in Aberfeldie
Three building phases and a bluestone precinct
In the heritage precinct at the suburb's core, housing went up in three key phases: scattered houses on big estates, Federation era stages, then interwar infill. One street can hold earthenware of several ages with later repairs in other pipe, so a camera identifies the joints and grades before a lining is priced.
Across the rest of the suburb, interwar houses filled the subdivisions and building was finished in the early postwar years. Homes of that stock are likely to have earthenware sewers and galvanised steel water pipe, so root entry and corroded supply lines are worth expecting.
The precinct slopes down from west to east, and houses on the lower east side sit below their neighbours. Overland water from the higher side reaches them first, so a blocked stormwater drain on the east side floods sooner.
Jobs in Aberfeldie
Mixed age pipe and a falling street
CCTV drain inspection
A camera to sort earthenware of different ages and later patches along one run.
Blocked drains
Root entry at sewer joints near the big street trees of the heritage precinct.
Burst pipes
Galvanised water services in early postwar houses, rusting from the inside.
What it costs: hot water replacement cost, gutter replacement cost, toilet installation cost
Aberfeldie questions
Bluestone channels, oak roots and the river outlet
Can a stormwater connection cut through the bluestone channel?
Not without advice. The bluestone drainage channels beside the east side footpaths are listed features of the heritage precinct, so digging through them or the kerb is likely to need council heritage advice and relaying in matching stone. That stonework is costed into the job.
Will the big oaks get into my sewer?
They may. The precinct's main street is planted mostly with mature Norfolk Island Oak trees, and big trees beside old kerbs are a likely source of roots at sewer joints. A camera finds the entry point, and council tree rules are checked before work near them.
Who deals with a pit that overflows near the river?
Often the council. A brick-lined main outlet in the river bank was built to carry the extra storm water run-off from the growing suburbs, and street drains nearby still feed it. A surcharging pit there may be a main drain matter, so council is asked before a private line is opened.
