Blocked drains in Melbourne: whose pipe is it, and who to call

One fixture, or the whole house?

A single slow basin or shower is usually a blockage close to that fixture. Several fixtures draining slowly at once, a toilet that rises or gurgles when the washing machine empties, or water coming up through the grated drain outside (the overflow relief gully) points further down the line, towards the sewer pipe that leaves your property.

Tell the plumber which of these you're seeing. It changes what they bring and how long they expect to be there, and it's more useful than a guess at the cause.

• Which fixtures are slow or blocked, and whether it's one or several
• Whether the toilet, shower or gully overflows, and when
• Gurgling, smells, or wet patches in the yard
• Whether it has happened before, and what was done then

Whose pipe is it?

In Melbourne, the sewer mains belong to the water corporation for your area: Greater Western Water, South East Water or Yarra Valley Water. Your water bill says which. The pipes on your property are generally yours, and each corporation publishes where its responsibility stops.

Yarra Valley Water, for example, says its responsibility ends at the inspection opening, or up to 1 metre from your property boundary, whichever is less, and that it isn't responsible for the pipes inside your property. South East Water says a blockage within your home or in a combined drain shared with neighbours is the owner's to clear.

Who to call first can differ too. South East Water, for example, suggests a licensed plumber when it isn't clear where the blockage is, and says to call its faults line (132 812) if the property connection is still blocked at the boundary trap. Check your own corporation's page before you start.

Who pays

If the blockage turns out to be in the water corporation's pipe, it clears it at its own cost. If it's in your pipes, you pay the plumber.

South East Water lets you claim fair and reasonable plumber costs for locating a blockage that turns out to be in its pipes. It won't pay for clearing your own pipes, or for digging to find a buried inspection point or boundary trap. Yarra Valley Water says it won't pay for repairs to internal pipes. Ask the plumber to note where the blockage was, and keep the invoice.

Keep the gully and inspection point uncovered

The inspection opening (or boundary trap) is the access point to the sewer near your boundary. Yarra Valley Water says it should stay at surface level at all times. If it has been buried under paving or garden, the corporation can't clear the sewer until a plumber you engage raises it, which costs time on the day.

The overflow relief gully is the grated drain near the house that lets sewage overflow outside instead of inside. Yarra Valley Water asks owners to keep it, the vents and the traps working, and notes that a faulty gully may affect an insurance payout after a sewer spill. Find both before you need them.

Renting?

A blocked or broken toilet system is on Victoria's list of urgent repairs, so tell your rental provider or agent straight away. If you've told them and they haven't responded promptly, you can arrange the repair yourself, up to $2,500, and claim it back. Anything that isn't on the urgent list is a non-urgent repair, which must be done within 14 days of a written request.

What the plumber's quote should cover

Clearing a drain and repairing one are different jobs. Ask for the clearing price first, and a separate quote for any repair the inspection turns up.

• Call-out fee, and any after-hours rate
• How they'll find and clear it: rods or an electric eel, high-pressure jetting, or a camera inspection
• Whether you'll get the camera footage, if they use one
• Digging, and putting back concrete, paving or garden afterwards
• A plumbing compliance certificate where it applies: for work on below-ground sanitary drains, and for any plumbing work worth more than $750, a licensed plumber must give you a compliance certificate within five days

Example brief

“Kitchen sink, laundry trough and shower all draining slowly since yesterday; the toilet gurgles when the washing machine empties. The overflow gully outside hasn't overflowed. House in Reservoir; I don't know where the inspection opening is. Please quote a call-out to find and clear the blockage, and tell me if a camera inspection is needed.”

Before booking a plumber

• One blocked fixture or several, and what overflows
• Which water corporation you're with, and its rules
• Where the inspection opening and gully are
• Clearing priced separately from any repair
• A compliance certificate for drain work

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