Maidstone
Blocked, burst or leaking in Maidstone?
Blocked drains, burst pipes and leaks in Maidstone, from the old private township to the postwar estates toward Braybrook, passed to a licensed plumber day and night.
Plumbing in Maidstone
A redrawn township and a postwar build-out
Maidstone started as a private township in 1858, and despite local resistance the cramped allotments of 1858 had been resubdivided along planning commission lines. Boundaries and sewer branches may not follow the first plan, so the property sewerage plan is obtained before a drain is traced.
For decades the suburb grew slowly beside Footscray, then the postwar industrial boom soon saw Maidstone built out. Houses of those years were likely drained in earthenware with early copper or galvanised water service, so cracked clay joints and corroded service pipe are worth expecting on the older homes.
Jobs in Maidstone
Clay joints, elm roots and old service pipe
Blocked drains
Cracked earthenware joints in houses from the years when the postwar industrial boom soon saw Maidstone built out.
Burst pipes
Corroded galvanised water service in the older postwar homes, repaired on the property side.
CCTV drain inspection
Filming a line on a resubdivided lot to see where it really runs.
What it costs: hot water replacement cost, gutter replacement cost, toilet installation cost
Maidstone questions
Heritage elms, shared pairs and Greater Western Water
Can elm roots be the cause of a slow drain near the main road?
Quite possibly. The suburb keeps an avenue of elm street trees, heritage listed and probably planted early in the last century. Old elms spread roots under footpaths and front setbacks, so a slow drain facing them is filmed before anything is cut or dug.
Who agrees to work on a drain shared with the house next door?
Both owners. The Housing Commission built a large estate here to standard plans, and some of those homes may be pairs whose branch serves both, and the neighbour's agreement comes before it is opened.
How do I tell whether a blockage is in the water corporation's sewer?
Lift the cover on the inspection shaft near the boundary. Greater Western Water treats a shaft that is full or holding water as a sign the fault is in its network, and that is reported to the corporation rather than cleared privately.
