Altona Meadows
Blocked, burst or leaking in Altona Meadows?
Blocked drains, burst pipes and leaks in Altona Meadows, from the courts off the grid to Skeleton Creek, passed to a licensed plumber day and night.
Plumbing in Altona Meadows
A seventies grid on shrinking clay
The residential settlement of Altona Meadows began in 1971, so most houses were likely built with PVC or late clay sewers. A blockage here is more often a build up, a sagging section or a joint that has slipped than the root broken earthenware of older suburbs.
Away from the courts, the street pattern follows a standard design meant to discourage through traffic. Private drains on these lots often run along rear and side boundaries rather than straight to the front, so the route is confirmed before a section is opened.
Hobsons Bay says the wetlands centre planned at HD Graham Reserve features volcanic plains grassland and gilgai wetland mosaics, clay hollows that fill in wet weather. Gilgai form in strongly shrinking and swelling clay, so house drains nearby are likely to pull apart at the joints as the ground moves between seasons.
Jobs in Altona Meadows
Moving clay and boundary easements
CCTV drain inspection
A camera for drains near the gilgai wetland mosaics, where shrinking clay can sag a run or slip a joint.
Blocked drains
Build ups in plastic sewers, and lines that follow rear easements on court lots.
Leak detection
A hidden water leak found before a slab or paving is broken.
What it costs: hot water replacement cost, gutter replacement cost, toilet installation cost
Altona Meadows questions
Court lots, creek easements and the sewer main
Do lots near Skeleton Creek carry drainage easements?
Some do. A linear park runs along Skeleton Creek on the western edge, and lots backing onto it may carry easements and overland flow paths toward the creek, so both are confirmed before a drain is relaid.
Why does the sewer on a cul de sac lot run somewhere unexpected?
The grid is broken in places: some north to south streets are blocked at the middle so as to form culs de sac. Lots at the head of one often have wedge shaped frontages and easements along the back or side, so the property sewerage plan shows where the connection really runs before anyone digs.
Who fixes a blocked sewer main?
Greater Western Water looks after its own sewer mains and does not service private drains. Which one is blocked is settled at the property's inspection point before anyone is called out.
What does a camera find in a plastic drain?
Usually grease, wipes or silt sitting at a low spot where the run has sagged, or a joint pushed out of line. That decides between a clean and relaying a short length.
