Hunter Water's bucket test
Find the shaft
Look for a round opening, usually set in concrete, with a white plastic or metal lid. It sits in the front or back yard, close to the ground and usually at the lowest point of the block. Check under paving and garden beds.
Open it with care
If you feel pressure, or see sewage or an overflow, stop. That points to the main, and Hunter Water wants a call straight away.
Pour in a bucket of water
If it flows away quickly, Hunter Water's side is probably clear and the blockage is in your own plumbing. If it sits there, contact Hunter Water to investigate.
Bring in a drain specialist for your side
The plumber works out where the blockage is. If they believe it's in Hunter Water's system, contact Hunter Water, which arranges any work needed.
Drain facts for Newcastle homes
The boundary trap and shaft are yours
Hunter Water makes the owner responsible for the sewer pipes and fittings on the property up to where they join its system, boundary trap and inspection shaft included.
Downpipes must not feed the sewer
Connecting or directing stormwater into the overflow relief gully is illegal, downpipes included. Hunter Water says wrong connections are often accidental, especially in older homes, and it smoke-tests the network to find them.
Gully pits belong to the owner
City of Newcastle puts every stormwater pipe, gutter, downpipe and gully pit on private land in the owner's hands. Stormwater must reach a legal point of discharge, never the sewer.
Storms can outrun the drains
The City says up to one third of Newcastle properties are affected by flooding, sometimes with under an hour's warning. Hunter Water lists heavy rain getting into the sewer as one cause of overflowing shafts.
Who pays for what
For a blockage in your own pipes, Hunter Water's advice is to contact a licensed plumber, at your own expense. We haven't found a Hunter Water rule that refunds a plumber's bill when the fault turns out to be in its main, so ask Hunter Water before the plumber starts if there's any doubt.
Hunter Water says blockages in its mains usually come from tree roots, grease or wipes. Renting? Hunter Water tells tenants to ask the managing agent or landlord to engage the plumber.
Before anyone digs
If the fix means excavating, find out what's underground first. Hunter Water directs owners to Before You Dig Australia for the location of its pipes on a property.
Near a tree? City of Newcastle leaves private trees to the landowner, but pruning, removal or work close to them must follow its Newcastle Urban Forest Technical Manual. Ask the City before roots get cut.
New or replaced drainage outside the house must be booked for a Building Commission NSW inspection when it's finished, before backfilling. The drainer also completes a sewer service diagram. The NSW Government says these diagrams can't be bought in the Newcastle region, so keep the copy you're given.
Signs the job is bigger than a blockage
- The drain clears, then blocks again within weeks: often roots or a broken joint. Ask for a camera inspection before paying for repeat clearing.
- Sewage smells or wet patches in the yard between rain events.
- The overflow relief gully fills every time it rains: stormwater may be getting into the sewer.
What we would do
Do the bucket test before you book anyone. If the shaft drains fast, the problem is yours and a drain specialist can clear it; ask for a camera inspection if it keeps coming back. If the shaft is full or won't drain, call Hunter Water first and keep the plumber's invoice out of it until you know whose pipe has failed.