Case Studies – Gold Coast

THE ISSUE

A building contractor was working on a multiple townhouse development on the Gold Coast. One of the subcontractors installing concrete had put a steel post through the 150mm diameter sewer main. Because it was a high flow sewer main that picked up a lot of the tenanted townhouse sewage, it had caused a major blockage as wipes and toilet paper became lodged on the damage caused by the steel post.

HOW WE FIXED IT

Initially we were requested to clear the blockage with the assistance of a vacuum excavation truck. While unblocking the pipe we used a CCTV drain camera to determine the cause of the blockage where we found the damage caused to the pipe from the steel post. We recommended repairing the damaged pipe with a reline sleeve due to the pipe depth and location as it did not have an easy access point if it were to be dug up. There had also been a new retaining wall built over the pipe which would have complicated a dig up.

HOW IT HELPED OUR CLIENT

We repaired the damaged pipe in half a day, without digging the pipe up. The tenants of the townhouses were also able to continue using their bathrooms while this procedure took place because we used a bypass pump.

THE ISSUE

A Gold Coast plumber who maintains the Gold Coast City Council main administration centre was requested to fix recurring blockages in the main sewer line.

HOW WE FIXED IT

We were engaged to investigate the issue further with our CCTV camera. It was found that many of the joints connecting the old earthernware sewer pipes under the building had dislodged and separated due to ground movement. This allowed drainage gravel to enter the pipe causing it to block up. We recommended installing multiple reline sleeves on a weekend while the pipes were not being used.

HOW IT HELPED OUR CLIENT

The two sections of pipe that were effected were underneath bathrooms and walls, very deep under the ground. By installing two reline sleeves over the dislodged joints rather than digging the pipes up, we saved our client a lot of time mess.

Digging it up would have involved shutting down sections of the building to be able to carry out repairs which would have involved cutting the slab up and then required tiling, waterproofing, partitions and painting etc.