Essendon's Federation houses and Californian bungalows were mostly connected to the sewer with terracotta pipe, and a lot of it is still in the ground. When one of those drains blocks, the cause is usually something the camera can show you on screen.
Walk down most streets between Moonee Ponds and Essendon North and you pass weatherboards, red-brick bungalows and the odd grand Victorian, many on deep blocks with mature gardens. Behind them, the sewer drain is often the vitrified clay line laid when the house was built, made of short lengths joined with mortar or a rubber ring. Those joins were never meant to cope with a century of tree growth, and in older Essendon they rarely have.
Street trees and backyard liquidambars are the main culprits. Their roots follow moisture to a weeping join, slip through a hairline gap and thicken inside the pipe until toilet paper catches on them. The reactive clay under the suburb keeps moving between seasons, which widens those gaps. Add the knock-down rebuilds and townhouses of recent years, where a new PVC drain often ties into an old clay line, and the meeting point of old and new pipe becomes the first thing to check.
Fine roots get through an old mortar join and grow into a mat that snags paper. Toilets slow first, then the gully trap overflows. See tree root removal.
Gurgling usually means a partial blockage further down the main line, with air being pushed back up past the water. See blocked drains.
Where a renovation joined PVC to the original clay, the connection can sag or sit out of line and catch waste. See drain repairs.
A dried-out trap, a blocked vent and a cracked pipe under the floor all let sewer gas in; testing tells them apart. See drain testing.
Plenty of Essendon homes have a narrow side path and a long back garden, so access is planned around reaching the gully without lifting paving. If the line runs under a driveway or a rear extension, the locator marks it from the surface. Greater Western Water is responsible for the main in the street; your private line, up to where it connects, is usually the owner's to fix. If the footage points to the main, ring Greater Western Water.
Moonee Ponds, Ascot Vale, Strathmore and Niddrie are covered alongside Essendon, and someone is on call 24/7, weekends included.
The same crew, the same camera and the same three priced options on every job in Essendon.
Ahead of a purchase or a renovation, a camera run shows the state of every clay join on an Essendon sewer line.
CCTV drain inspection →Roots are cut from the clay line and jetted away, and the footage shows which joins they came through.
Tree root removal →A liner suits long clay runs under established Essendon gardens, sealing the joins without disturbing the beds above.
Pipe relining →A broken or collapsed section of the private sewer drain is dug out where the locator marked it and replaced.
Sewer repairs →A static test proves whether a stretch of old pipe leaks, which matters before an extension goes over it.
Static and isolation testing →Also in Essendon: blocked drains, blocked toilets, drain cleaning & hydro jetting, drain maintenance, drain locating, drain repairs and replacements, stormwater drain repairs.
Once the camera shows the cause, your quote gives you all three, each with its own price.
Jetted clear today. The lowest price, but if the pipe is damaged it will block again.
The damaged section located, dug up and replaced. Fixes the cause at that spot.
The run relined or replaced, so roots and breaks cannot come back.
Prices depend on what the camera finds. You see all three before any work starts.
Reviews of McQueen Group. Blockage Bros is its drainage crew: same owner, same technicians.
Daniel was earlier than scheduled time, he phoned me to advise he was on his way, i appreciate that very much. Attended property for toilet blockage, able to fix promptly and also gave me some tips for moving forward to help avoid blockages, very knowledgeable and assured they'd be back immediately if I experience any further issues. I'm very impressed and would highly recommend. Thanks team
Ryan was fast and efficient at fixing a clogged drainage system. Thanks guys!
Massive shout out to Brandon for attending my rental in kurunjang twice in a matter of afew weeks due to a blockage in the drain. He was friendly, extremely professional and efficient in both visits. He did an outstanding job rectifying the issue and for that I am extremely grateful and appreciative for all his efforts and hard work. Thanks Brandon!
Had Chris and his apprentice come and help with a blocked pipe. At all times Chris was very clear and transparent about what work was required and took the time to show using the camera, explaining why the pipe needed replacing. Thanks guys amazing work.
What a great experience! Initially dealt with Ashley to get an emergency booking and she was absolutely fantastic and assured me everything would be okay and the would fix the problem. I had the pleasure of having Harley come out to my place to fix a very smelly blocked drain problem and he was great. Called before arriving and once here, was very transparent with everything he needed to do, reassured me he would be able to fix it and then once he did fix it, made sure it was clean and even turned my fans on to air the crap smell. Will definitely recommend these guys and will 100% use them again if I need to!
Ryan and Michael from McQueen group provided me with thorough and very helpful advice. They did a great job identifying the reason my shower wouldn't drain properly and they fixed the problem efficiently. They were very professional and friendly to deal with. Highly recommended.
Great work by Chris today, really appreciate response to call out on a weekend, and fixed the blockage for us!
If you are seeing slow drains or gurgling, a camera inspection is worth doing before the line blocks completely. It shows every join and any roots, and you see the footage before a price is put to you.
Usually, yes. The liner goes in through an existing inspection point and seals every join and crack. If the camera shows a collapsed section, that part cannot be relined, and the repair is priced instead.
A rush of water is meeting a partial blockage further down the main line and pushing air back up. Here it is often roots at a clay join.
A blocked sewer raises a quick question: is this mine, the landlord's or the water authority's? Here is the general picture in Victoria, and why the camera footage settles it.
Read the guide →
Dirty water rising up through the shower or a floor waste is a sign the main sewer line is blocked. Here is what to do in the next ten minutes, and what happens when the crew arrives.
Read the guide →If the same drain blocks again and again, something in the pipe is letting it happen. Here is what usually causes it, why clearing alone only buys time, and how to stop it.
Read the guide →We find it. We fix it. Ring now and someone on call picks up, day or night.