Heidelberg
Blocked, burst or leaking in Heidelberg?
Blocked drains, burst pipes and leaks in Heidelberg, from the old village to the Yarra Flats, passed to a licensed plumber day and night.
Plumbing in Heidelberg
Valley sewers, flats and the wetland edge
A century ago Heidelberg had suburban housing limited to a narrow band along the Yarra Valley. Those streets near the old township hold the suburb's oldest house drains, earthenware with cement joints, often beside tired galvanised supply pipe.
Today flats or apartments are almost as numerous as separate houses. A blocked line is often a shared branch, so the owners corporation may have to agree and pay, and access for a camera or jetter through common areas is sorted first.
Heidelberg falls away to the east. Its eastern flank is the Yarra Flats and Warringal wetlands, where water from the ridge ends up, so after a storm the first check is a downhill drain or an outlet sitting below the river.
Jobs in Heidelberg
Shared branches, meter leaks and flood paths
Blocked drains
Shared branches under flats and units, with the owners corporation question settled first.
Leak detection
Finding which side of the meter a leak sits on, since that decides who pays.
CCTV drain inspection
Old clay lines by the Austin, where an oak avenue planted before 1920 has had a century to find the joints.
What it costs: hot water replacement cost, gutter replacement cost, toilet installation cost
Heidelberg questions
The meter line, swamp outfalls and the old village
Who fixes a leak at the water meter?
Yarra Valley Water repairs the main to meter pipe, the stop tap and the meter, in most cases everything on the road side of the meter. From the meter to the house belongs to the owner, so the first job is finding which side the leak is on.
Why will my drain not empty when Banyule Swamp is full?
The swamp at Banyule Flats is created by stormwater from surrounding streets, so those streets sit at the bottom of the catchment. When it is full a drain there has nowhere to go, and the outfall level is checked before a blockage inside the property is assumed.
Does the Warringal Village overlay affect downpipes?
It can. The precinct is part of the original village reserve and is centred on St John's Anglican Church, and on a contributory building a planning permit may be needed before visible downpipes, gutters or external pipework are changed.
Is my flooded yard a blocked drain or a capacity problem?
Melbourne Water's draft maps show Banyule properties, around 11% of the LGA, could be affected by stormwater flooding in a significant rainfall event. If a property sits on a mapped overland flow path, a clear drain will not stop the water, and that changes the job.
