Alphington
Blocked, burst or leaking in Alphington?
Blocked drains, burst pipes and leaks in Alphington, from the old paper mill site to the Darebin Parklands, passed to a licensed plumber day and night.
Plumbing in Alphington
Garden suburb drains under a leafy canopy
Victorian Places describes a varied building stock extending from the 1890s to the interwar period. Houses of that age are likely to have earthenware drains and some original galvanised or lead water pipe, so cracked joints, roots and corroded services are the expected faults.
In the heritage listed north precinct, mature street trees that create a canopy over many streets are part of the garden suburb character. Roots close to old house drains get into the joints, so a blockage that keeps returning points to a camera and possibly a lining rather than more clearing.
Jobs in Alphington
Old services, root-bound joints and fill
Pipe relining
A lining through joints opened by street tree roots.
Burst pipes
Old galvanised or lead water services found and dealt with.
CCTV drain inspection
A camera to find a sag in filled quarry ground.
What it costs: hot water replacement cost, gutter replacement cost, toilet installation cost
Alphington questions
A filled quarry, a mill estate and a heritage precinct
Why do pipes near the parklands sag?
The council site by the creek was a bluestone quarry and then a municipal landfill before it became parkland and a depot. Fill settles unevenly and can hold rubble, so pipes through it sag and crack, and any dig nearby should expect unstable ground and environmental controls.
Who looks after the drains on the old paper mill site?
Often an owners corporation. The paper mill was decommissioned and its site rezoned for residential living, with new private and shared drainage, so a blockage may be common property, and digging on former industrial land can meet contamination controls.
Do heritage rules cover downpipes on bungalows in the north?
They can. The Alphington (North) Precinct of Edwardian and interwar bungalows and shops is heritage listed, so replacing visible downpipes or gutters on a contributory building may need a Darebin planning permit first.
