Collingwood
Blocked, burst or leaking in Collingwood?
Blocked drains, burst pipes and leaks in Collingwood, from the Collingwood Slope down to the flat by the Blind Creek, passed to a licensed plumber day and night.
Plumbing in Collingwood
A wet flat below a heritage slope
An early plan of the Collingwood Flat shows a drain carrying swamp water across it to the Blind Creek, drainage being an important and recurring factor in how the flat was settled. Trenches there can be wet and soft, and an old stormwater line may pass under later buildings rather than straight out to the street.
As runoff from higher Fitzroy grew, the east of the suburb flooded often, and its impervious subsoil caused stagnant sheets of water. Water does not soak away into ground like that, so a soakage pit or cracked stormwater pipe is likely to leave ponding, and the line to the street is tested before a downpipe is blamed.
One cottage area fell outside the Melbourne Building Act, and its heritage citation notes that most buildings in this Heritage Overlay Area were constructed in timber, unlike the masonry of Fitzroy and Carlton. Timber cottages of that age often still drain through earthenware added when sewerage came, with cracked clay joints and tight crawl space under raised floors.
Jobs in Collingwood
Clay joints, ponding and crawl spaces
Blocked drains
Old clay lines under raised timber floors, reached through tight crawl space.
Gutters and downpipes
Downpipes and stormwater lines on ground where water will not soak away.
CCTV drain inspection
A camera to follow an old stormwater line that runs under a later building.
What it costs: hot water replacement cost, gutter replacement cost, toilet installation cost
Collingwood questions
Bluestone kerbs, estate towers and street trees
Does a new kerb outlet on the slope need council consent?
Usually. The Collingwood Slope heritage overlay lists bluestone pitched road paving, crossings, stone kerbs, and channels as contributory, so a stormwater outlet through the kerb or a sewer connection across the footpath has to put the stone back as it was. Allow time for consent and careful reinstatement.
Who books a plumber for a blocked drain in the Housing Commission flats?
The housing authority. Cottages were cleared for three storey walk-ups and later twenty-storey blocks, and both share stacks and common drains, so ownership of the pipe is confirmed with management before work starts on one flat.
Can old plane trees on the slope cause repeat blockages?
They can. The heritage overlay counts mature planes on one of its streets as contributory, and roots from trees that old are a likely cause of trouble at earthenware joints nearby. A camera inspection comes before any digging.
