Where Wannon Water's sewer responsibility stops
| Sewer main inside your block | Sewer main outside your boundary | |
|---|---|---|
| Usually | The first inspection opening after the main | The first inspection opening inside your boundary |
| Opening too far away, or none | One metre from the main | One metre inside your boundary |
| House at or near the boundary | Not set out separately | One metre outside the building line |
Everything else on the property drain is the owner's to repair, along with combined drains running across another property and drains from private extensions. Our sewer pipe guide compares this rule with other water companies'.
When the blockage is on Wannon Water's side
If your plumber finds the blockage in Wannon Water's section, they let Wannon know. Wannon says that if the plumber billed you for time spent locating it, it reimburses you the reasonable cost, and then either clears the blockage itself or engages the plumber on site. Ask Wannon for the claim form.
It won't reimburse installing an inspection shaft, which it treats as the owner's responsibility, or work on your section of the drain.
Cold mornings and exposed pipes
Wannon Water says meters, stop taps and above-ground pipes can freeze when temperatures fall below zero, leaving a house without water. Let them thaw as the day warms up, or pour lukewarm water over them, but never boiling or hot water, which raises the chance of a split. On freezing nights, an upturned bucket or box over the meter helps, as long as it lifts off easily. Damage on your side of the meter is a licensed plumber's job.
Warrnambool details
Hardness in the middle band
Warrnambool's 12 samples in 2025-26 averaged 65 mg/L, peaking at 81. Wannon Water's scale calls 60 to 200 mg/L good quality, and 200 mg/L is the aesthetic guideline.
Check the anode
Wannon's hardness fact sheet tells households to ask a plumber or supplier whether their hot water system's sacrificial anode suits the local water. Our hot water parts page explains what an anode does.
Roots and sewers
Wannon Water says tree roots commonly damage sewerage pipes and suggests not planting trees within six metres of them. See tree roots in drains.
Houses first
At the 2021 Census, 82.1% of occupied homes in the suburb of Warrnambool were separate houses, 12.5% townhouses or semis and 5.0% flats. 29.7% were rented.
Victorian rules that reach Warrnambool
Hot water: from 1 March 2027, a gas system in an existing home that has reached the end of its life must give way to an efficient electric one, for example a heat pump. Until then it can be repaired, and gas cooking in existing homes is unaffected. Check current rules, because we haven't seen the regulation itself.
Licences: the Building and Plumbing Commission administers plumbing registration and licensing, and a licensed plumber, not a registered one, issues the compliance certificate. Our Victoria page has more.
What we would do
If sewage is coming up, find the inspection opening nearest your boundary and note whether the main runs inside or outside your block: that tells you which column of Wannon's rule applies. Ask the plumber to call Wannon Water as soon as the blockage looks to be on its side. On a frosty morning with no water, wait for the thaw before calling anyone, then check the meter and exposed pipes for cracks once water flows again.