Brunswick
Blocked, burst or leaking in Brunswick?
Blocked drains, burst pipes and leaks in Brunswick, from the old Hoffman brickworks to the quarry parks, passed to a licensed plumber day and night.
Plumbing in Brunswick
Terraces and the Hoffman pipes
Modest brick terraces, single fronted weatherboards and grander two storey houses went up in the boom years, mainly in central and south Brunswick. They were likely connected to the sewer in earthenware and altered many times since, so old clay joints and a mix of pipe materials are normal under narrow terrace lots.
The Hoffman works began producing terracotta pipes and sanitary ware for the sewering of Melbourne, and Board of Works contracts kept it making drainage pipe. Locally made clay is the likely original house drain here, with brittle socket joints that crack and let roots in, which is why camera inspection and relining come up so often.
Jobs in Brunswick
Socket joints and sagging fill
Blocked drains
Clay socket joints and root entry under narrow terrace lots.
Pipe relining
A lining inside old terracotta pipe where a trench is hard to fit.
CCTV drain inspection
Sagging runs found in fill near the old quarry parks.
What it costs: hot water replacement cost, gutter replacement cost, toilet installation cost
Brunswick questions
Flood hotspots, quarry ground and brickworks permits
Why does my drain back up in a storm when it is clear?
Merri-bek's flood mapping named one Brunswick intersection a flooding hotspot, and council has since upgraded the drains there. Near spots like that the street system can run over capacity, so the kerb outlet and council drain are checked before the property line is quoted.
Why do drains sag near the parks?
Most of the parks, apart from Brunswick Park and Warr Park, are filled-in quarry holes, and pipes beside that fill can settle unevenly. Dips that hold water and cracked joints are what a camera looks for.
Can pipes at the old Hoffman brickworks be repaired?
Like for like, yes. The site is on the Victorian Heritage Register, and repair of external plumbing is exempt only where it means no change in location or scale and no additional trenching; a reroute or a new trench needs a heritage permit first.
