Craigieburn
Blocked, burst or leaking in Craigieburn?
Blocked drains, burst pipes and leaks in Craigieburn, from the first estates to the Mount Ridley streets, passed to a licensed plumber day and night.
Plumbing in Craigieburn
Early estates, Mount Ridley and the creeks
The town grew once the Hothlyn Corporation promoted a residential subdivision on what had been farmland by a level crossing. Homes from that era tend to have early PVC or late clay sewers with copper or galvanised water lines, so glued or cemented joints and tired fittings are the usual faults.
North of the centre the land rises, with the Mount Ridley State P-12 college (2009), a Catholic primary school and the Highlands shopping centre (2011). Houses there were piped this century in PVC with inspection openings, so a fault is more often a building defect, a crushed connection or roots from a young tree, found by camera.
The Merri Creek is the eastern edge, fed by the Aitken and the Malcolm Creeks from the west. Properties backing onto those reserves drain toward the water, so a line near creek level backs up in heavy rain and the outfall is checked first.
Jobs in Craigieburn
Estate joints, creek reserves and the sewer hub
Blocked drains
Stormwater lines that back up near the creek reserves in heavy rain.
CCTV drain inspection
A camera to find a crushed connection or root in newer PVC before anyone digs.
Pipe relining
A lining where red gum roots have found the joints near the creek park.
What it costs: hot water replacement cost, gutter replacement cost, toilet installation cost
Craigieburn questions
Sewer odour, gum roots and Hume's discharge permit
Who deals with a sewer smell from the main?
Yarra Valley Water. It built new dosing stations at its Craigieburn and Aurora hubs to reduce odour and pipe corrosion, and the mains and transfer hub are its assets, so an odour or blockage past the boundary is reported to it.
Why does the overflow gully spill during storms?
Yarra Valley Water added two new above-ground storage tanks at its transfer hub to cut spills in heavy rain, which shows how storms load the sewer. A gully surcharging in a downpour points at the main rather than the house drain, so the corporation is asked before anyone digs.
Can roots from the gums at Malcolm Creek block my drain?
Yes. The reserve is ringed with centuries old River Red Gums, and their roots travel a long way toward moisture. Houses near the creek park see roots at sewer and stormwater joints, so a camera comes before relining is decided.
How does a new stormwater connection get approved in Hume?
Hume issues a Legal Point of Discharge Permit showing where the property may connect to council drains, and there is no quick option. A site with several dwellings on one title also needs a drainage investigation, so both go in early.
