Werribee
Blocked, burst or leaking in Werribee?
Blocked drains, burst pipes and leaks in Werribee, from the old town centre to the river wetlands, passed to a licensed plumber day and night.
Plumbing in Werribee
Sixties sewers, wetland basins and an open plain
Werribee grew slowly for a century, then its rapid growth began in the sixties. Houses from that decade commonly have earthenware sewers with cement joints and galvanised water services, so root entry and corroded, low flow pipes are expected on an original house.
Away from the river, the suburb's watercourses drain into swampy basins that have been made into recreational wetlands. Houses near them sit on low ground where surface water gathers, so a slow stormwater drain backs up there first in heavy rain.
The town stands on a nearly treeless plain, so roots in a drain come from planted street and garden trees rather than old bush. When a camera shows roots at a joint, the nearest planting is the usual source.
Jobs in Werribee
Clay joints, easement pipes and old services
Blocked drains
Root entry at the cement joints of sixties clay sewers.
Burst pipes
Corroded galvanised services in older houses, and service pipes in the town centre that predate the metropolitan supply.
CCTV drain inspection
A camera to show which joint the roots came through and which tree sent them.
What it costs: hot water replacement cost, gutter replacement cost, toilet installation cost
Werribee questions
The first water supply, the station and easements
Are the town centre's oldest water pipes different?
They can be. Reticulated water in the township first came from the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission, before the metropolitan supply was connected. Before a service pipe or meter is renewed, the plumber checks whether it dates from that earlier scheme.
Does heritage listing change roof plumbing at the station?
Yes. Werribee Railway Station, built in bluestone with sandstone quoins, is on the Victorian Heritage Register, so roof plumbing, downpipe or drain work there needs a Heritage Victoria permit or exemption first. That adds weeks and limits any change to visible materials.
Who repairs a collapsed pipe in an easement on my land?
Stormwater pipes in an easement on private land are owned and maintained by Wyndham City Council, even though the owner holds the land. A collapsed council pipe there is the council's repair, and building over the easement needs its consent.
What does a new stormwater connection need first?
Wyndham issues the legal point of discharge, where stormwater leaves the property and enters its drains, only against a copy of the title. That application comes before a new connection or a rerouted downpipe drain is designed.
