Stormwater Drainage in Sydney

Start at the downpipes. Each one should drop into a riser or pit at ground level, and from there the pipe usually heads towards the street, often coming out through the kerb as a small outlet in the gutter. Grates in paving and pits in the lawn are the other clues. Where the path is a mystery, we run the camera in and use a locator to mark the line and its depth on the ground.

No. Sydney Water's customer policy says stormwater and roof water must not go into its wastewater system. It overloads the sewer in heavy rain and can push sewage up through gullies, sometimes your own. If we find a downpipe tied into the sewer, we reroute it to the stormwater.

For an existing home with pooling water, a blocked pit or a broken pipe, a plumber. An engineer comes in when a new building or subdivision needs a drainage design, such as an on-site detention system. If you already have an engineer's plan, we build to it.

You are responsible for your private stormwater pipes, including any you share with a neighbour or that run through their land to serve your property. In a strata scheme, below-ground stormwater usually sits with the owners corporation. Past your boundary, the kerb and street drainage are generally the council's.

Usually one of three things: the ground or paving falls towards the house, a downpipe is dumping roof water at the wall, or the pit meant to collect it is blocked. We check all three, starting with the simplest fix.

Often, but only after we check the old line can carry the extra roof area. An older pipe sized for the original house may need upsizing or a second line, and we would rather tell you that than leave you with a system that overflows in the first big storm.

It depends on the length and depth of the run, what is on top of it, access, and where the water can lawfully go. A silted pit is a small job and a new line down a side passage is a big one. Coming out and having a look is free on a booked job, and you get the price in writing before we start.

Yes. Same day on most jobs, seven days a week, and a plumber answers the phone 24/7, not a call centre. After-hours attendance is quoted on the phone before anyone leaves.