Carlton
Blocked, burst or leaking in Carlton?
Blocked drains, burst pipes and leaks in Carlton, from the boom-era terraces to the high-rise estates, passed to a licensed plumber day and night.
Plumbing in Carlton
Boom terraces on high, well drained ground
Carlton's settlement flourished between 1860 and 1880, and sanitation trouble followed the crowding. Many terraces are likely to be older than the sewer they now drain into, so old earthenware or cast iron lines with generations of alterations may still be there, and a camera inspection comes before any repair price.
Hoddle wanted a spacious suburb, but speculators cut blocks into cottage lots with narrow streets and narrower lanes. A jetter truck or digger often cannot get down the back, so the work may mean a long hose run through the house, hand digging, or a lining put in from inside.
When Hoddle surveyed Carlton, its good elevation and natural drainage made it an attractive prospect, and stormwater here tends to run off downhill rather than pool. A Carlton yard under water after rain usually points to a blocked pit or private drain, not a creek backing up.
Jobs in Carlton
Old terraces and tight access
Blocked drains
Altered earthenware and cast iron lines under terraces, reached through the house where the lane is too tight.
Pipe relining
A lining fitted from inside where no machine fits down the rear lane.
Burst pipes
Old galvanised service pipe on the property side of the meter, found and repaired.
What it costs: hot water replacement cost, gutter replacement cost, toilet installation cost
Carlton questions
The old main, shared towers and the heritage precinct
Is a burst main my problem or Greater Western Water's?
Greater Western Water owns the mains and has been renewing them, laying new pipe in one Carlton street to replace the 140-year-old pipeline. A burst in the street goes to the corporation; the plumber's side starts at the meter, where old galvanised service pipe is worth checking.
Who books a plumber for a blocked stack in the Housing Commission towers?
The building manager or landlord. The high-rise estates run shared stacks and common sewer branches, so one household's call is passed to management, who arrange the access.
Does heritage control reach as far as a downpipe?
Often. The Carlton precinct is the oldest heritage precinct in the City of Melbourne, and replacing visible roof plumbing, downpipes or front pipework inside it can need a heritage permit, so allow lead time.
