At Gallant, we know how frustrating and intimidating plumbing issues can be, especially to the general public. Be it toilet plumbing or a blocked drain in Moonee Ponds and other Melbourne residences or commercial properties, they are all equally challenging to deal with. For this reason, we take our clients’ needs and concerns very seriously. We aim to deliver solutions as fast as possible to eliminate any troubles caused by a plumbing issue.
Recently, a client of ours reported having a blocked drain in their Moonee Ponds property. We went to inspect the nature and cause of the issue. To do this, we used CCTV to aid us. CCTV stands for Closed Circuit television and it is an investigation process that uses a camera to assess sewer and stormwater drains on a property. This is so the exact problem in the drain could be identified within a specific location.
Identifying the issue
With CCTV we were able to locate stormwater piping in and around the car stacker laneway. We found that both the roof downpipes and the balcony downpipes interlink with the stormwater floor grate in the bin room. All these pipes, including the two stormwater sump pumps, discharge into the stormwater pit outside the first garage roller door which is located in the lower end of the laneway.
Moreover, we discovered that both the inlet and outlet pipes from this stormwater pit hold water. These tend to flow against the grade of the main drainage in the laneway. The Outlet pipe from this pit runs uphill onwards the laneway drain. This would possibly cause some water load from the council drain surcharging up into this stormwater pit. If this is the case, then this explains why the pit always contained water.
In addition, having extra load from the sump pumps causes the surcharge of stormwater to go through to the bin room floor grate. The lower laneway end pit of the council stormwater drain holds water and only discharges it to the curb and channel when its at least half full.
As a result, the sediments settles within the council drain which partially blocks the drain and its ability to self cleanse when a downpour occurs. When this happens, poor transmission of water load occurs and it restricts the draining’s efficiency to relieve the stormwater.
Our Solutions and Recommendations
Our first recommendation was to expose and open up the existing stormwater sump pump pit lid. This was done in an attempt to evaluate how it’s operating. For instance, checking what it’s feeding the pit and also to allow the pumps to be serviceable. We also recommended that they redesign the existing stormwater discharge setup with the property’s boundary.
Some of the options we provided them with was to:
- Isolate the bin room floor grate from the existing stormwater connection and divert it into sump pump stormwater pit .
- Install a speed hump over the bin area laneway access.
- Isolate and remove the bin room floor grate, install pit and pump and then discharge it into the existing stormwater down-pipe which is located next to bin room. However for this option, a power source would be required. Also, like the previous option, must Install speed hump over bin area laneway access.
- Excavate and redesign the way stormwater discharges from the property.
We also recommend the council schedule multiple cleaning operations throughout the year to ensure the drain is working at its most efficient levels in its current form. If not, then encouraging the council to redesign and build a sufficient stormwater system to cope with the existing water load is a great idea.
Worry you might have blocked drains in your Melbourne property?
If Yes,Gallant plumbers at your service! We offer 24-hour Melbourne plumber services. Should you require emergency plumber Melbourne services do not hesitate to contact us. If you are dealing with blocked drains in Melbourne or toilet plumbing problems or you are looking for reliable gutter cleaning services in Melbourne, our Gallant plumbers in Melbourne will be happy to help you.
If you are facing a blocked drain in Moonee Ponds or any other Melbourne suburb, please contact us here or call us today on 1300 830 956.
