Can I sort out a slow septic system myself?

Only a little. WA lets homeowners plunge a blocked fixture or waste pipe, replace a shower head or cistern washer, and repair a tap that isn't a thermostatic mixer. Tanks, leach drains and pipework need a licensed plumber or permit holder.

Is every home in Kalamunda on sewer?

Not necessarily. The City's effluent page doesn't list which areas lack main sewer, so check the address on Water Corporation's My Water account or ask the City's Health Service.

Plumbers in Kalamunda: sewer or septic, and what the City requires

Plumbers in Kalamunda Sewer or septic?

Some properties in the City of Kalamunda may not have main sewer, so the first thing to settle on a Kalamunda drain job is where the wastewater goes. On sewer, Water Corporation's rules apply; on an on-site system, the City's Health Service has the say. We match you with a licence-checked plumber who specialises in whichever one you have.

Kalamunda at a glance

Houses, mostly owned outright

In the suburb of Kalamunda, 89.3% of occupied homes were separate houses at the 2021 Census. Nearly half, 49.1%, were owned outright, and only 14.9% were rented.

Main sewer or an approved system

The City of Kalamunda requires every building that produces wastewater to connect to main sewer or an effluent disposal system. Where sewer isn't available, the choices run from conventional septic tanks and leach drains to aerobic treatment units and greywater re-use.

Check before you buy or build

Water Corporation's My Water online account shows whether water and sewer are available at an address. The certificate of title can also set out what type of on-site system a lot must use, and where.

No Permit to Use, no moving in

Once a new system is in, the installer books a final inspection with the City's Health Service. Living in the house or using the system before a Permit to Use is issued is an offence.

Septic tanks, leach drains and aerobic units

A conventional system usually has two septic tanks and two leach drains, though some use one baffled tank instead. An aerobic treatment unit treats wastewater in one or more tanks and sends the treated effluent to an irrigation area or, sometimes, leach drains.

Before approving a system, the City looks at the space available, nearby water bodies and how deep the groundwater sits. It may ask for a test hole or a geotechnical report. Replacing or adding a system is work for a plumber who specialises in on-site wastewater; see our septic systems page.

If you're on main sewer

Then Water Corporation's line applies. The overflow relief gully, the property sewer and the inspection shaft are all on the owner's side, and so is the cost of clearing a blockage anywhere up to the junction with its main. A blockage found in the main itself is Water Corporation's to clear, and it pays the plumber a set fee for finding it.

Water Corporation says fats, oils and grease hardening in pipes cause 30% of its wastewater blockages. Wipes marketed as flushable break down more slowly than toilet paper, so bin those too. For a backed-up line, see blocked drains in Perth.

What we would do

If you're buying in Kalamunda, check sewer availability on My Water and read the certificate of title before settlement. Where the home runs on a septic tank or aerobic unit, ask the seller for the City's Permit to Use and anything on file about the system. Then have a wastewater specialist inspect the tanks and drains before you commit.