Sewage in the yard or the house
Stop using water, keep children and pets well back, and wear gloves near any spill. If sewage is flowing from a manhole in the street, a park or a neighbour's yard, report it to your water company on the number printed on your bill. Wash anything the sewage touched before it's used again.
Signs of a broken or failing sewer pipe
- Blockages that keep coming back after being cleared.
- A sewage smell in the yard, even when nothing is overflowing.
- Soft, sunken or unusually green ground along the line of the pipe.
- A hole or dip opening up in the lawn or paving.
- The gully outside overflows during heavy use, then slowly drains away.
Whose pipe is it?
Every water company draws its own line between your pipe and theirs, and some put that line inside your property. The sewer ownership guide lists them company by company. Three examples show how much they differ.
The City of Gold Coast maintains sewer pipes "from the sewer main to the connection point", or one metre inside the property boundary if the connection point can't be found.
Hunter Water spells out what's included: your part runs right up to where it connects with Hunter Water's system, and "includes the boundary trap and inspection shaft".
With Yarra Valley Water, where your part ends depends on the property, and Yarra Valley Water can confirm it for yours. If your sewer blocks, it asks you to call it for advice.
If the fault is the water company's
Tell the water company as soon as the fault is found. Whether it repays a plumber you've already called varies, and timing often matters.
On the Gold Coast, repayment is capped at "$300 including GST unless exceptional circumstances apply". The plumber has to report the blocked sewer before applying, and nothing is paid for a blockage "not reported on the same day as it was discovered", or for work on your private sewer.
Unitywater says it "does not conduct private plumbing repairs", and Yarra Valley Water "will not provide a reimbursement for internal pipe repairs". If the fault is on your side, the repair is yours to arrange.
What a plumber will do
A plumber will clear any blockage first, then run a camera through the line to find the damage and mark its position and depth on the ground.
Depending on the footage, the fix is a spot repair of one broken section, relining from the inside, or replacing a length of pipe in a trench. Older properties often need a mix of these.
When the work is done, they'll test the line and tell you which paperwork has been lodged.
What changes the job
- How deep the pipe is, and what's on top: lawn, paving, a driveway or a slab.
- How many sections are damaged, and how far apart they are.
- Whether the line is shared with neighbours or an owners' corporation.
- The pipe's material and age, which decide what it can be joined to.
- Whether trees near the line will keep sending roots in.
What you can do, and what needs a plumber
You can
- Keep people and cars off any soft or sunken ground over the pipe.
- Find the property's sewer or drainage diagram, if you have one.
- Write down when blockages happen and which fixtures are affected.
- In Queensland, the QBCC's DIY guide treats "incidental unskilled tasks (e.g. excavating or backfilling a trench)" as unregulated work. Ask the plumber before digging anywhere near a sewer pipe.
Leave to a licensed plumber
- Clearing the line and the camera inspection.
- Cutting, joining, relining or replacing sewer pipe.
- Work at or near the connection to the water company's main.
- Testing the repaired line and lodging the paperwork.
Licences and paperwork
In WA, major work needs a notice of intention at least 24 hours before it starts, and a certificate of compliance within five working days of finishing. Building and Energy treats repairing or replacing existing pipework as minor work, which needs a record but no certificate, so ask your plumber which applies to your job.
In Queensland, if the job is notifiable work, it must be registered with the QBCC within 10 business days of the invoice, and you should receive a copy within 20 business days of it being registered.
Check the licence before anyone starts digging: our guide shows how to check a plumber's licence in each state.
Questions to ask before the repair
- Where exactly is the damage, and is it on my side of the connection point?
- Is a spot repair enough, or is the rest of the line close to failing too?
- Will you reline, dig, or both, and why?
- If it's on the water company's side, will you report it today?
- What paperwork will you lodge, and when will I get my copy?
What we would do
Before any digging, get the camera footage and a mark on the ground showing where the damage is. Ring your water company and confirm whose pipe that spot is. If it's yours, have a drain specialist talk you through each option against the footage, and choose the repair that fixes the whole run, not just the worst crack.