Sewer blockages

Council's wastewater system is designed only to remove sewerage, toilet paper and wastewater (the 3 p's of flushing) from your premises.

There are many common things that are bad news for your household plumbing that can cause expensive blockages when flushed or drained into your plumbing. Put "fatberg" into your favourite search engine and you might just rethink how you dispose of some of these:

• fats or solids - can solidify and accumulate in your pipes causing other items to become trapped 
• wet wipes, paper towel, hygiene and sanitary products - think of it this way, toilet paper is specially designed to dissolve fast in water but these guys are designed to absorb fluids whilst holding their shape 
• clothing - we know when nappies and underwear get soiled, that cleaning them is not a fun job but flushing them can be an expensive experience if a plumber is required to unblock your pipes
• toys - we all know children can be inquisitive but some do need to be reminded that, unlike in the movies, toys that go down the drain don't come back! 

Other common factors that can contribute to blockages and overflows include:

• tree roots entering and growing inside of pipework
• stormwater entering the system and overloading the sewerage network - overflow relief gullies (ORG's) are not designed for water collection from roofwater pipes 

Signs of sewer blockage

• Your toilet isn’t flushing properly or is overflowing
• Slow drainage in your sinks, shower or bath
• Gurgling noises from your toilet or floor drains
• The inspection opening (IO) or overflow relief gully (ORG) on your property is overflowing.

Note: Wet weather network inundation - Occurs when groundwater infiltrates during periods of high rainfall resulting in higher levels of wastewater within the network, causing slower discharge from private infrastructure.  This may be experienced as gurgling toilets or slow flowing drains. Cannot be alleviated manually, time and patience is required as the network returns to normal levels.

What to do if you think you have a sewer blockage

If you suspect there's a blockage in your sewer, follow the guidance below to work out if the blockage is on your property or in the Council sewer main. Knowing this will help you decide if you should call a plumber or Redland City Council to solve the issue..  

I live in a private estate, gated community, unit complex, duplex or have a body corporate

Please reach out to your body corporate to look into the sewer blockage. 

Only one or a few of my sinks and/or toilets are draining slowly or completely blocked

There might be a blockage in your plumbing and you'll need to investigate further. If only one sink or toilet in your house is draining slowly or blocked, but everything else is working fine, then the problem is probably in your home's plumbing.

You can contact the Master Plumbers' Association of Queensland for a recommendation to a qualified plumber. Make sure the plumber has specialised tools like jet rodding and a camera for pipe inspection (CCTV) to do the job.

My overflow relief gully (ORG) is overflowing when water is not being used in my property?

The Overflow Relief Gully (ORG) is a drain-like feature that sends sewage outside your house if there's a blockage or if the sewer system gets overloaded during storms.

Below is a picture of what it might look like:


If there's an overflow when no water is being used at the property, the blockage is likely to be in Council's sewer main. Make sure to clear away anything blocking the Overflow Relief Gully (ORG) and check that its grate can move up and down freely.

Call us at 07 3829 8999 and we will look into the issue.

I cannot locate my Inspection Opening to Surface

The inspection (IOS) shaft  provides access to your underground sewer pipes with an inspection opening cap that is usually a flat, round, white PVC disk about 180 millimetres in diameter.



All houses built after 1990 should have an inspection opening cap installed.  There may be one or more, or no inspection openings on your property, likely within 1-2 metres of the front, side or back of your property boundary, however they may be buried and/or hidden by your landscaping.  As these are part of the internal plumbing for the property they are the property owner's responisbility to install and maintain.

If you don’t know where your sewer main is located, use our online Red-e-Map tool to locate it using your address.  Sewer connections locations are shown as orange icons. Alternatively you can call us on 07 3829 8999.
 

My IOS is holding water or slow draining

If the inspection opening to surface (IOS) is holding liquid or it is slow draining or overflowing when a tap is used within the property,  call us on 07 3829 8999 and we will investigate further. It is possible there is a blockage in Council's sewer main.

My IOS is dry

If the inspection opening to surface (IOS) dry when a tap is used within the property there might be a blockage in your plumbing and you'll need to investigate further.

You can contact the Master Plumbers' Association of Queensland for a recommendation to a qualified plumber. Make sure the plumber has specialised tools like jet rodding and a camera for pipe inspection (CCTV) to do the job.

Reimbursement for reasonable costs

If a wastewater blockage is experienced within a property, the property owner/occupier must first engage a plumber to inspect the plumbing lines within the property to ensure the blockage is not internal.

If a plumber uses CCTV and other equipment to check your private drain and determines a blockage is located in the City’s sewer main, you may be eligible for a reimbursement for some of the costs of the plumber’s work. Typically, this is only one hour labour and ¼ hour combined CCTV/jet-rodding. The amount is capped at $500 including GST unless exceptional circumstances apply (evidence required).

If the blockage is found to be caused by a defect within Council’s wastewater infrastructure Council will reimburse up to $500.00 gst inclusive, unless exceptional circumstances apply (evidence required), and the below criteria are met:

• The sewerage blockage is immediately reported by the property owner/plumber to Council once they have identified it is a Council issue
• The reimbursement is only for work that has been carried out by a licensed plumber
• The reimbursement is not for

  a repeat visit to the property by a plumber

  Council requires time to visit a property and inspect/assess the reported blockage.  We will not pay for repeated plumber vists during this time.

  work undertaken on your private sewer e.g. exposing or installing an inspection opening to surface (IOS)

  Any costs associated with installing, maintaining, locating or uncovering the IOS are the property owner’s responsibility.

  excessive investigation work required due to the private wastewater drainage not meeting the requirements of the Plumbing Code of Australia

  It is expected that your private wastewater drainage meets the requirements of the Plumbing Code of Australia.

  excavation work

  A plumber using a jet rodder and a camera for pipe inspection (CCTV), should be able to idenitfy if a blockage is located beyond the property connection without the need to excavate.

  additional time and costs resulting from inexperience, errors, faulty equipment or similar

  It is expected that plumbers have the appropriate expertise and equipment to undertake the investigations required in a timely manner.

  blockages within the property connection that have been caused by the disposal of inappropriate materials such as wet wipes, toys or other materials that do not easily breakdown in the sewer system

  As shown in the simplified diagram below, wastewater pipes are laid with a fall (downward slope) away from the dwelling to Council's sewer main to drain wastewater/sewerage from your toilets/drains to our sewer mains.  However, disposal of fats, oils and inappropriate materials through the sewer may accumulate over time in your property connection.
  
  

  investigations during/after weather events where network inundation has impacted properties

  In the event that your property experienced a network inundation from a weather event, for any claims or requests for reimbursements please visit Personal Injury or property damage claims against Council

Reimbursement process

Plumber/resident must call 07 3829 8999 to report a blocked sewer as soon as it has been confirmed that this is a Council issue.   

Before submitting a reimbursement application the resident will require the reference number given at the time the blockage was reported to Council, a copy of the invoice and proof of payment of the invoice.

Submit your reimbursement request, including the required documents, for assessment  and we will advise you within 20 business days, by email or letter, if your reimbursement has been approved.