Clifton Hill
Blocked, burst or leaking in Clifton Hill?
Blocked drains, burst pipes and leaks in Clifton Hill, from the Darling Gardens to the Merri Creek, passed to a licensed plumber day and night.
Plumbing in Clifton Hill
Filled quarry holes and roomier lots
East Clifton Hill held the council's basalt quarries along and west of the Merri Creek. Old quarry holes were progressively filled up as the streets went in, and the biggest became parkland. Houses and drains over that fill can settle unevenly, so sagging or cracked pipes are a likely cause of a repeat blockage, and a camera goes down before any digging.
Clifton Hill was the better part of the old Collingwood council area, on higher ground with larger houses, at about seven houses per acre against roughly twice that on the Collingwood side. Bigger lots often leave side access for a camera or a small digger, though older terraces still share walls and lanes.
Jobs in Clifton Hill
Settled fill, roots and side access
CCTV drain inspection
A camera to find a sag where a drain crosses a filled quarry hole.
Pipe relining
A lining where a protected tree rules out a new trench.
Blocked drains
Root entry at old earthenware joints near the big park and street trees.
What it costs: hot water replacement cost, gutter replacement cost, toilet installation cost
Clifton Hill questions
Protected trees and heritage grates
Do the big trees in the western heritage area affect drains?
Often. The heritage area counts mature park, street and private plantings, including plane, oak and elm trees, and roots from trees that size are a likely source of trouble at earthenware joints. Because the trees are protected, a new drain line is hard to dig near them, so relining is often the better answer.
What does a new stormwater connection to the kerb need on the eastern side?
Care with the old fittings. The eastern heritage overlay protects Victorian and Edwardian street infrastructure, including bluestone channels, storm water grates, iron guard railings and old footpaths, so a kerb connection has to keep or reinstate them, with council consent first.
Why might a trench on some lots hit soft or contaminated ground?
Before the houses spread, the hill was used to bury sewage, and Victorian Places records that residential settlement ended the use of Clifton Hill for the burial of sewage. Disturbed fill from that time can still turn up, so spoil handling is planned before a new sewer or stormwater line is dug.
