Thomastown
Blocked, burst or leaking in Thomastown?
Blocked drains, burst pipes and leaks in Thomastown, from the Merri Creek flood plain to Darebin Creek, passed to a licensed plumber day and night.
Plumbing in Thomastown
Garden soil, three creeks and postwar pipes
Thomastown had fertile soil rather than the basalt further west, and that deep earth moves as it wets and dries. Old earthenware joints in it crack with the movement, so they are checked before a lining is quoted.
Most homes sit in a sprawl of post-1950s suburban development, plumbed with clay sewers and galvanised water pipe. Cracked joints and rusted, slow galvanised services turn up on most jobs.
The suburb lies between two creeks and is traversed by Edgars Creek as well. Many stormwater drains reach a watercourse within a few streets, so a backed-up line is often a flooded outlet, and creek levels are checked before jetting.
Jobs in Thomastown
Clay sewers, creek outlets and nature strip trees
Blocked drains
Lines that back up when a creek outlet is flooded, checked before any jetting.
Burst pipes
Rusted galvanised supply in postwar houses, found and dealt with.
CCTV drain inspection
A camera along old clay joints near mature plane trees, where roots get in.
What it costs: hot water replacement cost, gutter replacement cost, toilet installation cost
Thomastown questions
Flood guides, tree offsets and the Darebin sewer
How far must a new drain sit from a council tree?
Whittlesea wants new water and stormwater connections at least 2.5 metres from council trees on the nature strip, or an arborist report and council approval first. A legal point of discharge permit is needed too, so offsets are measured at the quote visit.
Is my property in a flood risk area?
Whittlesea publishes a separate Thomastown and Lalor local flood guide and asks owners to read it. A property in the risk area needs outlets and overflow relief gullies set for backflow from a flooded council drain, so the guide is read before a relay is quoted.
Who fixes a sewer overflow near Darebin Creek?
Yarra Valley Water, up to the property boundary. It is completing investigations in Reservoir, Thomastown and Bundoora for a new pipeline to add capacity, so mains work may be under way near jobs by the creek.
Does Westgarthtown heritage change roof plumbing?
Yes. Within the Westgarthtown enclave, which is on the state heritage register, visible roof plumbing, downpipes or external pipes need heritage consent first, often with matching materials rather than PVC.
