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Sewer Pipe Collapse

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Repairs of collapsed sewer & stormwater pipes in Sydney

Sometimes a simple blocked drain is more than just a bunch of hair and soap scum that has accumulated over time. Pipes collapses happen due to a number of different reasons. Our team of expert plumbers can help you in moments like these to get your pipes back in working order.

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Why do sewer pipes crumple?

There are numerous reasons why sewer pipes can collapse even just after they have been installed. The most common reasons are:

  • Poor Installation: If your pipes were initially laid incorrectly the result can end up being a pipe collapse.
  • Heavy Weight: You always need to be careful what is placed on the top of the grass that your pipes lay under. This includes heavy machinery, cars, garages and slabs etc.
  • Ground Movement: You would be surprised how much the ground moves. You may not feel it but your pipes sure do, over time these movements can crush your pipes.
  • Structural Integrity: Like with most things, over time the pipes can start to lose their structural integrity and as a result collapse under the pressure.
  • Tree Roots: If your pipes are close to trees they are more susceptible to tree root intrusion which can also weaken the structural integrity of the pipe.

There are more reasons that can contribute to your pipes collapsing but the above are the most common that you will find as the culprit.

What to do if my pipes have collapsed?

Unfortunately, the only way to fix a collapsed pipe is to remove the collapsed section and replace it with a new piece of pipe. This plumbing problem is often quite invasive as it requires having to dig down to the pipe either through the lawn or garden and in some cases through the concrete slab of the home or patio.

This process is usually quite expensive and often requires the use of heavy machinery such as an excavator and operator. In extreme cases, depending on where the pipe has collapsed, you may even need to have your road closed and traffic controllers on site.

Sam from Everyday Plumbing was recently on a job dealing with a collapsed sewer pipe. This job was particularly labour intensive, demanding several weeks and long days of work. While this job involved a lot of digging and excavation, our plumbers always make the restoration look as good as possible - so much so you won't even notice we were there.

" So whenever we do jobs, we always try and make the restoration look as good as possible and try to go to natural joints in the concrete and things like that, so that it gives it an overall good finish".

See our examples of a collapsed sewer line below:

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

What's Involved In A Collapsed Sewer Line Job?

View Transcript

0:04 Just want to show you what it's uh what's involved when a uh collapsed sewer line takes place. This customer has a section of sewer line right about under the center here um which has uh fully broken. And it's PVC, but it's it's actually been squashed and broken and cracked in two locations. Um, which has resulted in it blocking up and unable to clearing it. Uh, so the concrete has been cut.

0:37 Uh, in doing so, the main water service has been hit. We did trace it out and it came back at between 100 and 150 mm deep. Uh but I used the saw at 80 mm but still managed to go through it. So it's obviously embedded into the concrete. Um which is unfortunate. But these marks here, this saw cut here which goes all the way up there and uh that saw mark there that was existing. This saw mark here was existing. So, we're taking up this whole section which will then get reppoured and uh it will get uh refinished with um spray concrete which is charcoal color and uh you shouldn't be able to really notice the disturbance.

1:27 So, whenever we do jobs we always try and make the restoration look as good as possible um and try and go to natural joins in concrete and things like that so that it just gives a overall good finish. So, this will all get removed and uh I'll fix that water service. Uh we will fix it very shortly cuz uh at the moment the customer's got very limited water pressure. And I'll show you once the concrete's removed.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Cracked Sewer Line Repairs | Drainage Solutions | Sydney

View Transcript

0:04 Okay, here's an update and good morning. There's the existing sewer line down there. The sewer line under here under under this concrete is all problematic. It's uh got roots and cracks and it's broken in sections. So, doing a bypass coming down this way in this newly constructed trench, but there's just not much room.

0:36 That's the existing sewer line coming there from that portion of the house. So, the sewer line comes down there, sort of offsets towards this jerry can, then comes straight down, comes down like that, and then it offsets back that way. Goes directly underneath the machine, then goes back down the center of the driveway. There's more roots and stuff and broken pipe down here, which you can partially see.

1:01 Uh there's a cap there that's sort of snapped off. Um but this is you can see it's all holding water. It's not draining because it's actually probably poor back fill and it's um pushed down and it's actually now traveling uphill. So the existing line comes through here then runs down the center of the driveway down that way down to the road which is about 40 m away. But it gets a bit more complicated.

1:27 There is the water pipe right there running that way which then pops back out of the trench just over there. So I had to cut that section out yesterday. Put a temporary piece of pipe in there so that it could be disconnected and removed when required to get equipment or access through there. The water line then is going to come through here somewhere.

1:50 I've dug down here a long way, quite a a significant way, but I can't seem to find the water there. So, I'm going to have to trace it again and see what depth it is. But, I picked it up. I did trace it earlier and it a couple of days ago and it picked it up in here, but uh I can't see what the depth is now cuz it's all covered up with dirt and stuff. So, I'll just probably do it again.

2:14 But yeah, you can see. So, we've got plastic and plywood and stuff down to bundle all this area up cuz all this area, this area here needs to be excavated down to expose the sewer. Um, and then needs to be excavated there, there, and then there. So, there needs to be a huge amount of excavation to be done. And there's just no room to put the dirt.

2:46 No matter where you put it, there's no access. So, I can't really do it in stages either. So, stockpile the dirt up there, dig this, lay this, and then start to back fill. But, it's all terrible material. It's all clay. It's storm water's in the way at the moment or was in the way until now. That MBN comes through there as well. There's the MBN. So, it's just it's all a little bit of a mess, but um anyway, we'll keep going.

How to prevent Sewer Pipes from collapsing?

There are two main options you can take prior to a pipe collapsing:

  1. You can have regular pipe inspections every few years to ensure that your pipes are healthy and strong. This can help if a section of pipe starts to become weak as well as being able to pick up the early signs of tree root intrusion and other forms of blockages.
  2. You can have pipe relining conducted which will add additional strength to the existing pipe in its weaker areas. Pipe relining does not require any digging but cannot be done once the pipe has collapsed.

Need help with your collapsed pipes?

If you have any questions about repairing damaged pipes or need a plumber to fix them ASAP, then give us a call today on 9191 7309 or alternatively you can fill in our online booking form and one of our friendly staff will be able to help you with your query.

Frequently Asked Questions about drainage solutions

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