Blackburn
Blocked, burst or leaking in Blackburn?
Blocked drains, burst pipes and leaks in Blackburn, from the triangular streets by the station to Blackburn Lake, passed to a licensed plumber day and night.
Plumbing in Blackburn
A model township, a dammed creek and planted gardens
A land company bought up small farms and laid out a model township, known by its triangular street design south of the railway station, before the depression stopped the boom. Those lots hold some of Blackburn's oldest houses, so drains there may be earthenware, and the odd angled boundaries change where a sewer branch and a stormwater line actually run.
The same subdividers dammed the creek to form Blackburn Lake, and the creek line still takes the area's stormwater. Homes on that low ground are checked for water backing up from the creek side drains in heavy rain before a property pipe is replaced.
Victorian Places records that a tree-preservation society was formed when residents grew alarmed at tree cover lost to subdivision, and that it probably encouraged planting in house allotments. Big roots now sit close to sewer and stormwater lines, so root entry at a joint is a likely cause of a blockage.
Jobs in Blackburn
Roots, angled lots and lake streets
Blocked drains
Roots from decades of garden planting, cut back and checked with a camera.
Pipe relining
A lining where a trench would cut through protected roots.
CCTV drain inspection
A camera to trace where a sewer branch runs under an odd angled lot.
What it costs: hot water replacement cost, gutter replacement cost, toilet installation cost
Blackburn questions
Private lake streets, overlays and discharge points
Where does stormwater go when there is no kerb?
The National Trust says of the streets around the lake that these private streets have resisted the pressures of normal streetmaking requirements. Without kerb and channel, the legal point of discharge is confirmed with Whitehorse before a stormwater drain is connected or relaid, and ponding in heavy rain is expected.
Does a landscape overlay stop a drain being dug up?
It can. Around the lake, the council's Significant Landscape Overlay protects trees, so digging near one may need a planning permit, and relining or a camera led repair is usually preferred to a trench through the roots.
How old are the drains near the station?
Older than most of the suburb, since the township lots were sold in the land boom. Earthenware is likely, and the line is cameraed before a price.
