Glen Iris
Blocked, burst or leaking in Glen Iris?
Blocked drains, burst pipes and leaks in Glen Iris, from west of Gardiners Creek to the interwar estates east of it, passed to a licensed plumber day and night.
Plumbing in Glen Iris
Interwar clay pipes on both sides of the creek
Virtually all of Glen Iris' residential development occurred in the interwar decades, so most house drains are earthenware close to a century old. A slow drain here is usually a cracked or shifted clay joint, and a camera shows which one before anything is cleared.
Residential change came first in the Malvern part of Glen Iris, west of Gardiners Creek. Pipework on that side is the oldest in the suburb, and galvanised water lines and clay drains at the end of their life are what a plumber expects to meet.
The Glen Iris Village shops occupy a steeply-graded site sloping towards the nearby Gardiner's Creek. Stormwater picks up speed on a fall like that, scouring joints and dropping silt in the lower pits and downpipe bases.
Jobs in Glen Iris
Old clay, steep falls and garden streets
CCTV drain inspection
A look inside century-old clay on either bank of the creek before a price is given.
Pipe relining
A lining for rooted interwar drains, priced before a trench goes through a garden.
Gutters and downpipes
Silted downpipes and quick run-off on the steep ground towards the creek.
What it costs: hot water replacement cost, gutter replacement cost, toilet installation cost
Glen Iris questions
Barrelled creeks, wetland drains and drainage reserves
Why does stormwater back up near the creek in heavy rain?
Gardiners Creek once flooded regularly in parts of Ashburton and Glen Iris, and its tributaries now run as barrelled drains under the streets. A property line that empties into one can be pushed back when it surcharges, so the outlet level and the owner of that drain are checked first.
Who handles a blocked outlet on the Stonnington side?
Street stormwater there feeds the Glen Iris Wetlands, which are three separate water bodies linked by bluestone channels, and a weir on Hedgeley Dene Drain. That drain is a Stonnington asset, so silt and jetting waste stay out of it and the council is involved when it backs up.
Can a council drainage reserve cross a private lot?
It can. Boroondara has moved to sell the drainage reserve traversing one Glen Iris property to the adjoining owner, which shows how these reserves sit inside private lots. Before a drain near a side or rear boundary is relaid, the title and the council's drainage plans are checked for a council pipe.
Why do roots keep blocking drains in the older estates?
One precinct is valued for the mature character of its street trees and gardens, and those trees grow over interwar earthenware. Roots get in at the joints, so a camera goes first and relining is priced before any dig.
