Stormwater volume
Moving water off big roofs and paved areas
A large house, a double garage and a shed together can shed a surprising amount of water in a storm. Add a long concrete driveway and an outdoor entertaining area, and the stormwater system on a Maiden Gully block has a big job to do. Bigger roofs also mean longer gutters and more downpipes, each one a possible point of blockage. Gravel driveways, common on larger blocks, can also wash stones and fine grit into nearby pits during heavy rain.
When any part of that system is partly blocked, the excess shows up quickly:
- downpipes that overflow at the base or bubble up through the ground
- water pooling against the house or shed slab
- grated pits that flood instead of draining
- soggy strips of lawn along the line of a buried pipe
Our stormwater drain clearing deals with the pits, grates and pipes together, so the whole system can cope again.
Long runs
Why jetting suits longer drainage lines
On a long pipe run, a blockage near the far end can be hard to reach from an access point near the house. Jetting feeds a flexible hose up the pipe, and the water both scours the pipe walls and carries loosened material back out. That lets us clear silt, roots and sludge along the whole run instead of only the first few lengths of pipe. Where roots have entered a long line, jetting cuts them back joint by joint as the hose advances. Because the hose works from one end, there is often no need to dig or open the line partway along.
If you are weighing up drain jetting in Maiden Gully for a slow or recurring problem, our high-pressure drain jetting page explains the process in more detail.
Find it first
Locating pipes on bigger blocks
On larger properties it is easy to lose track of where drains run, especially after landscaping or once new sheds and other structures have gone in. Before you dig a trench, plant trees or pour a new slab, it helps to know what is underneath.
We can push a CCTV camera through the line to inspect its condition, then use an electromagnetic locator to follow the camera's signal and mark the position and depth of the pipe from above. On a big block, that can save a lot of unnecessary digging. The same approach helps when you are trying to work out where an old line from a shed or outbuilding actually joins the main system. Locating works from the surface, so lawns and gardens stay as they are while the line is traced.
Newer estates
Settling in on a new estate
Newer parts of Maiden Gully bring their own issues. Fresh landscaping washes soil into stormwater pits, and building waste can be left behind inside pipes. Having the lines flushed once the garden is established is a simple way to start with a clear system, and Maiden Gully is only a short drive west from our East Bendigo base.
It is also worth thinking ahead when planting. Trees that look small on a new block can grow large over the years, and their roots will seek out any moisture escaping from a nearby pipe. Keeping new trees well clear of known drain lines saves trouble later.
