Sunshine Coast drain facts
Unitywater names the signs
An odour, slow draining or gurgling at your taps and toilets may mean a blockage or another problem in your private plumbing. Unitywater doesn't repair private plumbing: that's the property owner's job.
Some drains are shared
Sunshine Coast Council says a combined sanitary drain serves two or more properties through one Unitywater connection. Most were built in the 1930s and 40s.
Stormwater must stay out
Unitywater says connecting a stormwater pipe to the sewer is illegal, and residents must have any such connection fixed by a licensed plumber.
Not every block is sewered
A property that isn't on public sewerage uses an on-site sewerage facility. If yours is one, mention it when you book: a backed-up toilet may trace back to the system itself.
If the blockage is in Unitywater's pipes
Your plumber's first job is to locate the blockage. If it turns out to be in Unitywater's pipes, the plumber reports it to Unitywater and gets a job reference number. Unitywater says it then attends within four hours.
What the plumber shouldn't do is try to clear Unitywater's pipe, or charge you for the work of finding a blockage in it. Unitywater pays a blocked sewer identification fee for that work, and only the plumber can claim it.
Exactly where Unitywater's pipe meets yours depends on the property, and Unitywater's own documents describe it differently. Ask Unitywater to confirm it for your address rather than relying on a rule of thumb.
Shared drains: who pays?
On a combined sanitary drain, the upkeep belongs to the owners of the connected properties. When a section is defective, the owner of the property where that section sits must fix it, under section 70 of the Plumbing and Drainage Act 2018.
Work on a combined sanitary drain needs a plumbing permit from Sunshine Coast Council. If you'd rather have your own connection, each property on the shared drain has to make a connection application, and Unitywater handles questions about new sewer connections. Council's Plumbing Services can tell you whether your home is on one.
Stormwater drains are a different system
The sewer isn't built for rain. Council says some properties built before 1976 aren't connected to the stormwater system at all and still have pipes that empty onto the ground.
Generally, a stormwater pipe narrower than 375 mm is private, and it usually carries roof water where the block sits below the road. Blocked private downpipes that run to the kerb, and inter-allotment drains, are a plumber's job. Blockages or damage in the road reserve go to Council. Our stormwater page explains the difference.
What to ask the drain plumber
- Where is the blockage, and is it in my pipe, a shared drain or Unitywater's?
- If it's Unitywater's, will you report it and leave it for them?
- Is any stormwater running into my sewer?
- Do you need a council permit for this, because the drain is shared?
What we would do
If your house is older, ring Council's Plumbing Services before the plumber comes and ask if the house is on a combined sanitary drain. It changes who pays and whether a permit is needed. When the plumber finds the blockage, ask them to show you where it sits. If it's in Unitywater's pipes, it should be reported, not cleared on your account. And if it only overflows in the rain, ask for the stormwater connections to be checked, because a stormwater pipe connected to the sewer is illegal.