Can my new heat pump sit over the drainage easement in Narre Warren?

Only with Casey's consent, and on an independent pad. The guideline treats a hot water system as a minor build over an easement, and consent lets Council dismantle or dig under it to reach the drain.

Roots from a street tree are in my drain. Will Casey remove the tree?

You can ask Casey online to investigate damage from trees on public land. It says trees won't be removed for unsubstantiated claims, so gather evidence first, such as a camera inspection report.

Plumbers in Narre Warren: easements, roots and hot water

Plumbers in Narre Warren Mind the easement.

Narre Warren is in the City of Casey, nearly every home is a separate house, and South East Water runs the water and sewer mains. If your yard has a Council drainage easement, it decides where a new hot water unit or tank can go. Describe what's going on and a licence-checked plumber who works on that kind of job can take it from there.

Narre Warren facts behind the job

Houses with mortgages

At the 2021 Census, 91.7% of occupied homes in the suburb were separate houses. 43.7% were owned with a mortgage (Victoria: 36.1%) and 28.4% were rented.

City of Casey

Casey's ward map splits Narre Warren between Casuarina Ward and Grevillea Ward, so Casey is your council for street drains, easements and trees.

Hot water over an easement

Casey's 2026 guideline allows a hot water system over a drainage easement, or within 1 m of a Council drain, only with consent and on an independent pad.

Roots follow cracks

Casey says roots get into pipes that are already damaged, broken or cracked, and that root pathways can't be predicted.

Placing a heat pump, tank or shed

Near or over a Council drain, Casey's guideline wants a hot water system on its own pad and with consent, rainwater tanks above ground only, and trees no taller than 5 metres at maturity. Some things aren't supported at all within an easement or 1 m of a Council drain: private drainage pipes, in-ground pools, anything directly over an access pit, and service meters.

Consent carries conditions. Council can access the site, dig through a floor or take a structure apart to reach its drain, and the owner wears any damage. So when a heat pump replaces an old gas unit, find out where the easement runs before choosing the spot.

Roots in the line

Casey's view is that roots invade pipes that are already cracked or broken, and that they don't stop at property lines. If a tree on public land seems to be damaging your property, you can ask Council to investigate online, but it won't remove trees on unsupported claims. Evidence helps, and a CCTV drain inspection shows where roots are getting in.

The sewer side

South East Water's responsibility runs along the property connection branch to the inspection opening near your boundary. From that opening back to the house, the pipework is the owner's.

On a blockage that proves to be South East Water's, it repays fair and reasonable costs only if your plumber referred it. Root clearing isn't reimbursed, and neither is digging to find a buried inspection point or boundary trap.

What we would do

Before a new hot water unit, tank or shed goes in, check your title plan for the easement and find Council's pits. Keep anything over the drain light and easy to move, as the guideline intends. If roots keep blocking the same line, pay for a camera inspection before another clean. Then send us the details, and the plumber who takes the job will be in touch.