Greenvale
Blocked, burst or leaking in Greenvale?
Blocked drains, burst pipes and leaks in Greenvale, from the slopes of Aitken Hill to the Yuroke Creek, passed to a licensed plumber day and night.
Plumbing in Greenvale
Big house lots on a volcanic hillside
Greenvale stayed rural until the late eighties, though subdivision had begun in the early seventies, and Victorian Places calls the estate of large house blocks the first modern suburb. Houses from those first estates are likely to have early PVC or clay sewers, where joints move and roots get in at the older junctions.
Most lots were between half a hectare and five hectares, with houses to match. On ground that size the sewer and stormwater lines can run a long way from the house to the boundary, so a camera and a locator find the line before any digging is planned.
The growing streets near the reservoir climb Aitken Hill, a volcanic cone. Volcanic ground usually weathers to heavy, reactive clay that shrinks and swells, which cracks and displaces joints. eMelbourne also records two granite quarries here that supplied scarce building stone for early Melbourne, and where rock sits near the surface a trench may be slow work, so relining is worth weighing.
Jobs in Greenvale
Long runs, old junctions and hard ground
Blocked drains
Root entry at older junctions in the first estates, and long sewer runs across big lots.
CCTV drain inspection
Finding a long line on a lot between half a hectare and five hectares before a spade goes in.
Pipe relining
A lining where granite or swelling volcanic clay would make a trench slow.
What it costs: hot water replacement cost, gutter replacement cost, toilet installation cost
Greenvale questions
Pump stations, creek headwaters and the homestead
Who fixes a sewer that backs up across several houses?
Possibly Yarra Valley Water. It has finished building the Yuroke Pump Station and a rising main for the newer streets, so part of the suburb's sewage is pumped rather than running downhill. A backup in a street served by the pump may be a network fault to report to the corporation before it is a private drain job.
Why does stormwater pool near the gullies after heavy rain?
Victorian Places notes the Yuroke Creek and several tributary headwaters flow through Greenvale toward the Moonee Ponds Creek. Homes beside those gullies sit on natural flow paths, so the legal point of discharge is checked, along with whether a council drain is surcharging from low ground, before a blockage is blamed.
What changes when a back fence adjoins a drainage reserve?
Greenvale has numerous reserves, several along drainage reserves, and council stormwater assets often run close to those fences. Hume's drainage asset details are asked for before a property drain near the boundary is opened up or connected.
Does plumbing work at Woodlands Homestead need a heritage permit?
Routine repairs may not. The homestead is on the Victorian Heritage Register, and its exemptions cover repair and servicing of existing services including wiring, plumbing and fire services. New or altered pipework on the registered buildings needs a Heritage Victoria permit first.
