03 9888 2887
Vivian and her family live in a beautiful home with some lovely established gum trees as well as smaller native plants. The problem with this is the trees and grasses have established and sent roots to soak up the nutrients in the sandy loam soil.
The sewer and stormwater drains are a great source of nutrients and plants often seek these out. Vivian’s drains are made of clay/terracotta and slot together allowing a small gap between the pipes. The tree roots enter the drain and run through or grow in a bundle. This has caused Vivian and her family numerous blocked drains. This is typical in this style of pipe and will eventually cause the drain to collapse. Vivian was tired of her previous plumbers who were happy to come in every couple of months to clear the drain with a root cutter. Vivian gave the Mt Waverley O’Shea Plumbing office a call to organise a visit from our drain specialist.
Jay attended the site and found the stormwater and sewer were blocked, affecting the kitchen sink and laundry. Jay provided options to clear this with either the cable machine and/or water jet but also had a conversation about permanent solutions. Vivian approved Jay to clear the drain and also requested a quote for a permanent solution. Jay cleared this blockage with the cable machine and then used the drain camera to ascertain the quality of the drain and identify any issues causing it to block.
The camera is used in the drain and shows the plumber and client in high definition what is in the drain. In this case, roots have infiltrated the pipe in multiple sections, causing multiple blockage points. Jay pointed this out to the client and as he works with drains regularly knows these roots will grow back, and the drain will eventually break requiring urgent replacement. After a further conversation, it was decided the client would like to be proactive as opposed to reactive and replace the drains before they collapse.
Vivian would like to proceed with the job and is sorting out when this will work for them and get back to O’shea Plumbing when it suits them.
Some signs and symptoms of a sewer blockage range from a slight rise then droop in the toilet pan when flushing, gurgling heard from drains when in use (may not be at the same fixture as is being used) to overflowing sewerage either outside or worst case inside your home.
If you are having any of these issues and would like an expert to assess your drain or would like a health check on your sewer and/or stormwater system, please contact O’shea Plumbing on 9888 2887 and speak to one of the friendly office staff or fill out a contact form online from the O’shea Plumbing website www.osheaplumbing.com.au