If the blockage is in your home’s pipes, or in a combined drain shared with neighbours, clearing it is your responsibility; if it is in South East Water’s sewer, the corporation arranges the repair at no cost to you. When nobody can tell where it is, the first step is a licensed plumber to locate it, and South East Water will reimburse fair and reasonable locating costs if the blockage turns out to be in its pipes.
General information, not advice. The official source is South East Water’s blockages page. For sewage spilling or any sewer emergency, its Faults and Emergencies line is 132 812, 24 hours a day.
Signs of a blockage
South East Water lists these:
- the toilet is not flushing properly;
- a sink or bath empties very slowly;
- a bad smell is coming from the drains;
- sewage is spilling outside or inside the property.
While it is being fixed, use as little water as you can: try not to flush toilets, and hold off on the washing machine and dishwasher.
Where your drain ends and the sewer begins
A property owner is responsible for the pipes and plumbing fixtures up to the connection with South East Water’s sewer branch.
Yours
- A blockage within your home. If you own it, call a licensed plumber; if you rent, contact your rental provider or landlord as soon as you can.
- A blockage in a combined drain: a privately owned sewerage pipe that collects from several properties and joins the sewer main through a single connection.
South East Water’s
- A blockage in its sewer, which it arranges to repair at no cost to you.
- Damage to footpaths, nature strips and roads after it fixes a pipe or clears a blockage.
Not sure which? A licensed plumber has to find out. South East Water asks plumbers to follow its best practice for locating a blockage, and they can use its SEWmap app to see where water and sewer pipes run.
Getting the locating cost back
If your plumber charged you to find a blockage that turns out to be in South East Water’s pipes, you can claim those costs. The corporation checks the details, needs confirmation that the blockage was in its pipes, and reimburses fair and reasonable costs by electronic funds transfer.
| Cost | Reimbursed? |
|---|---|
| Your plumber’s costs for finding the blockage, when it is in South East Water’s pipes | Considered |
| Clearing your own pipes | No |
| Digging to find your inspection point or boundary trap | No |
| Work where the plumber did not refer the blockage to South East Water | No; the owner pays |
| Work that all related to clearing or working on your pipes | No; the owner pays |
| CCTV used to find the blockage | No; the owner pays |
| General accessories, such as machine hire, or a high-pressure water jet cleaner | No; the owner pays |
| Clearing tree roots, or chemicals added to dissolve the blockage | No; the owner pays |
To claim, fill in the plumbing reimbursement form from the blockages page, include the information it asks for, and email it to plumbingclaims@sew.com.au. If a sewer overflow has damaged your property, South East Water recommends contacting your insurer straight away.
Tree roots
South East Water’s factsheet says tree roots are responsible for the majority of Melbourne’s sewer and drain blockages, mostly at homes. Roots seek out water, find their way into water and sewer pipes, and can spread a long way inside and grow into a mass that causes blockages, leaks and damage.
If roots have blocked your pipes before, the corporation suggests contacting it when you next have a blockage, and considering moving the tree. If a plant on your property interferes with its water or sewer main, it has the legal right under the Water Act 1989 to remove it.
Before you plant
- Ask Before You Dig Australia (BYDA) for a free report on where underground pipes and cables run.
- Buy a property sewerage plan from South East Water, which shows where the sewerage pipes are on your property.
- For a tree on the nature strip, get your council’s permission first, then contact BYDA.
How close to the pipes
The factsheet lists varieties to avoid near pipes, in two bands. It says the lists are a guide, not complete, and that there are no hard and fast rules. A few examples from each:
| Avoid planting within | Examples from the list |
|---|---|
| 2 metres of pipes | Apple tree; gardenia; rosemary; many bottlebrushes, banksias and grevilleas |
| 3.5 metres of pipes | Liquidambar; Chinese elm; holm oak; walnut; grape vines, including glory vine |
The full lists are much longer; the factsheet is linked from the blockages page. A local nursery can also help choose a plant that suits the space, the factsheet says.
What goes down, and what goes in the bin
The rule South East Water gives is short: only water, human waste and toilet paper go down. Everything else goes in the bin, including:
- fats, oils and leftover food, which can solidify and clog pipes;
- cleaning cloths, sanitary items, cotton buds and every kind of wipe, even those labelled “flushable”;
- medicines, pills, paints and chemicals, which damage pipes and the environment.
For the water side of the property, and leaks you cannot see, sheet 01 has the meter test.