03 9888 2887
O’Shea solve a problem with an overflowing stormwater drain in Hawthorn
Karen had moved into a beautiful new home in Hawthorn a few years ago. There was an issue with one of the toilets which Karen wanted a plumber to have a look at. Andrew arrived on this occasion to find a very simple problem which was fixed on the spot at no cost. Also during this visit, Andrew advised Karen that we specialise in a variety of plumbing needs (with full-time staff who specialise in drainage, gas, roof etc). Karen was very happy with the service provided and would remember this the next time she needed a plumber.
So when Karen’s stormwater drain overflowed and threatened to flood her house she knew who to call straight away. Andrew arrived the next day and had a look at the situation. The water was overflowing from their grate drain then into their garage towards the front door. When Andrew shined his torch down the drain he noticed that there was a considerable amount of dirt and debris here causing a drain blockage.
Andrew provided Karen and her husband options on drain clearing from using a drain camera (in an attempt to identify the problem), using a cable machine in an attempt to cut out blockage or water jet in an attempt to cut blockage and flush out debris. Andrew spoke with Karen about the pros and cons of each option.
Karen and her husband decided that it would be best to book in the use of the trailer-mounted water jet as this included using the drain camera as well as cable machine if required.
Andrew arrived a couple of days later with the water jet. While this was filling up Andrew used the drain camera to get an idea of what he would be working with. He found that there were a lot of stones in the drain which had not been pushed further down the drain due to mortar mix and a golf ball.
Andrew firstly attempted to use the large water jet head, however, it could not fit around the first bend due to the amount of stones and debris in the drain, so he removed this and put the smaller head on the machine.
The way the water jet works is it has a head on it with some back sprays allowing the head to slide through the drain and cut/lift blockage from behind the head. The idea here was to blast the stones back up and out of the drain. The small head was able to fit in the pipe and assisted in removing a large volume of stones.
Andrew put the camera down the drain again to find that a lot (but not all) of the debris and stones had been removed. He put the large head back on and this time it went through the drain with ease, removing the remaining stones in the drain.
Andrew put the camera down the drain a final time to find minimal stones/debris in the drain and continued to push the camera as far as he could to find the remainder of the drain looked to be in near perfect condition. To ensure he had done a thorough job, Andrew put the jet in the drain one more time removing any more stones left in the drain.
The drain is 90mm PVC and now has 90mm of clear pipe to help water escape, compared to the 15mm or so which it had before the works. Great work Andrew!
Need help with a blocked stormwater drain?
If you have noticed signs that your stormwater drain might be blocked, call the friendly team at O’Shea Plumbing! When you call (03) 9888 2887, you know you are getting the plumber Melbourne locals can rely on for all of their blocked drain and emergency plumbing needs.