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.
Full stormwater hydrojet and CCTV diagnostic on a Kingscliff property. Jetted every line on the right side back to the 450mm main pit. Camera survey showed the lines were in good condition except for one break about 10m from the main pit (between the pit and the downpipes on the right side of the building), which was pulling sand back into the system. Marked the break on the surface, cleaned and jetted the left side pit as a no-charge extra, pressure cleaned the road.
What the customer called us for
Owner called us out to hydrojet and CCTV the stormwater lines on the right hand side of the property. They wanted the lines flushed back into the 450mm stormwater pit and a diagnostic on whether there was a break.
What we found when we got there
Hydrojetted all the stormwater lines on the right side and ran CCTV through. The lines were generally in good condition with one clear break located about 10m from the stormwater pit, between the pit and the downpipes on the right side of the building. The giveaway was the amount of sand pulling back into the jet, which only happens when ground is entering the pipe through a break. We marked the break on the surface.
Why we did it this way
A stormwater diagnostic has to be hydrojet AND camera. Jet alone clears the line but tells you nothing about why it blocked. Camera alone tells you the condition but cannot clean out the silt and debris that is masking the pipe wall. Jet then camera is the only way to know what you are actually looking at. Sand ingress on the jet is one of the cleanest diagnostic signals for a cracked or disconnected joint upstream of the jet head.
What we did on site
- Hydrojetted all stormwater lines on the right side of the property.
- Ran CCTV through the full run back to the 450mm main pit.
- Located the break approximately 10m from the stormwater pit, between the pit and the downpipes on the right side of the building.
- Marked the break location on the surface for the repair quote.
- Cleaned and hydrojetted the left-side stormwater pit as a no-charge extra.
- Pressure cleaned the road after removing the majority of debris by shovel and buckets.
- Documented the break and sand ingress in photos and video for the quote.
The result
Stormwater system cleaned and documented. Break located to within a metre on the surface for the repair dig. Customer has a camera report, marked ground location, and a quote ready to action.
If you have the same issue
If you own a property with a 450mm or larger stormwater pit on the Tweed coast and you have never had the system cleaned, add it to your annual maintenance list. Pits silt up slowly, breaks start small and get bigger, and the first sign is usually water pooling where it did not used to. A hydrojet-plus-camera visit every year or two catches problems while they are still a repair, not a replacement. Call Matty on 0447 188 394 or request a quote.
Customer names and addresses have been withheld. Individual results vary. Drain Masters Plumbing is licensed in NSW (383340C) and QLD (15036450).
Frequently asked
Why both hydrojet AND CCTV?
Jet without camera cleans the line but you do not know why it blocked. Camera without jet is shooting through silt. You need jet to clean the pipe so the camera can see the pipe wall, and camera to confirm the jet got everything and to locate any damage.
What does sand coming back on the jet mean?
Sand is not supposed to be in a stormwater pipe. If it is coming back on the jet, it is entering the line through a broken joint or a crack somewhere upstream. The ground is being drawn into the pipe by water movement over time. Always indicates a break that needs repair before it gets worse.
How do you locate a break on the surface without digging?
The CCTV camera head has a transmitter inside it. We sit the camera at the break and use a locator wand above ground to pinpoint the transmitter signal to within about a metre. Then we mark the surface and the repair dig goes straight to the right spot instead of exposing the whole line.
Browse all our case studies.
Residential, commercial, stormwater, sewer, drainage installs across Tweed Heads, the Northern Rivers, the Gold Coast and Brisbane. See the full collection →
