Engadine in three facts
Houses, owned
79.4% of occupied homes in the suburb were separate houses at the 2021 Census. Only 13.5% were rented, against 32.6% across NSW, and 37.6% were owned outright.
Sutherland Shire
ABS boundary files put all of Engadine in the Sutherland Shire council area.
Frost is rare
The Bureau's Lucas Heights (ANSTO) station recorded an average of 0.9 days a year at or below 2°C between 1962 and 1982, and none at or below zero.
How far your pipe goes
Sydney Water treats the whole private sewer line as the owner's, up to and including the point where it connects to Sydney Water's system. The junction itself is Sydney Water's. Your line may run past the front boundary, so a blockage under the footpath can still be yours.
Two exceptions are worth knowing. Sydney Water says it may repair a collapsed private wastewater pipe under a public footpath or road for residential customers, and sections deeper than 2.5 metres. But tree roots that get into the junction are the owner's to clear.
Water service and hot water
Drinking water works the same way. From Sydney Water's system to your taps, the pipes belong to the owner. Sydney Water looks after the meter, and says it may repair the pipe from its system to the meter, up to a metre inside your boundary line.
Replacing an existing hot water system counts as minor work in NSW, so no Notice of Work is needed before it starts. For reference, Sydney Water puts the hardness of Greater Sydney's water at about 57 mg/L of calcium carbonate. Our Sydney hot water page covers the rest, and we can match you with a licence-checked hot water specialist.
What we would do
When an Engadine drain blocks, ask the plumber to find the point of connection before clearing anything past it. If the blockage is in Sydney Water's pipe, the plumber should report it, and you can claim reasonable costs for up to 2 hours of work. If it's roots in your own line, get it filmed so you can weigh a repair against pipe relining.