By Matthew Baring-Gould, Kingscliff-based drainage plumber. Servicing Tweed Heads for 4 years. 5.0 stars across 173 Google reviews. Licensed NSW 383340C and QLD 15036450. ABN 74 605 392 348.
Rubble pits are a last-resort stormwater discharge method. This Kingscliff one had failed. Reshaped the area with proper river rock, now it drains fine. Rubble pits almost never age well.
What a rubble pit is and why they fail
A rubble pit is an underground chamber filled with geofabric and 20mm blue metal where stormwater percolates into the ground over time. They are legitimate in some jurisdictions (particularly where council does not want stormwater running out to the road, which is the case in parts of New South Wales). But they are a maintenance disaster: anything that settles out of the stormwater, leaf matter, grit, silt, builds up in the pit until it closes off. Once it fails, the stormwater pit above overflows.
What we did
The customer did not want to redo the rubble pit, rebuilding it would have required digging up the driveway. We reshaped the area around the stormwater pit, laid geofabric, and filled with 40 to 75mm river rock. The larger rock gives a visually acceptable overflow area that drains freely without clogging. Water now either soaks into the sandy Kingscliff ground directly or runs out across the river rock toward the kerb.
Takeaway
If you are being asked to install a rubble pit, push back. Where you can connect to the stormwater system or a legitimate overflow, do that. Rubble pits are what you accept when there is literally no other option.
Call Matty on 0447 188 394 for drainage work across Tweed Heads, the Northern Rivers, the Gold Coast and inner Brisbane.
Customer names and addresses have been withheld. Individual results vary. Drain Masters Plumbing is licensed in NSW (383340C) and QLD (15036450).
Frequently asked
Why does NSW discourage stormwater to the road?
Historically, concern about contaminants from residential surfaces entering waterways. In practice, enforcement varies by council and local topography. Some councils will approve a kerb connection; others will not. Check with your council before specifying a rubble pit.
How long does a rubble pit normally last?
Depending on the catchment above it, 10 to 30 years. Properties with lots of trees overhead will fail at the shorter end.
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