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.
Historical case study from Matty’s archive. A commercial Brisbane property called us to clear a stormwater line full of rocks. The real problem was how the stormwater pits had been installed in the first place.
What was wrong
Stormwater pits installed with the outlet pipe on the BOTTOM of the pit. Any rock, leaf, grit or debris that landed in the surface pit went straight into the drain line. The pits were doing the opposite of what pits are supposed to do.
Why pit outlet placement matters
A stormwater pit is supposed to be a sediment trap. If the outlet pipe exits the SIDE of the pit (correctly), debris settles at the base of the pit and stormwater runs out the side without carrying the debris with it. You lift the lid, scoop out the sediment, done. If the outlet exits the BOTTOM (incorrectly), debris funnels straight into the drain and you cannot manually clean it. It is a maintenance disaster baked into the installation.
What we did
- Diagnosed the issue with CCTV: pile of rocks, no realistic way to clear from the pit side.
- Opened a downstream access at the council stormwater manhole.
- Extended the hydrojet upstream from the manhole, which pulled the rocks and debris back down toward us as the jet travelled.
- Flushed everything out at the manhole end.
- Reported back to the owner: the fix is to re-install the stormwater pits with side outlets so this does not keep happening.
Takeaway
If you are specifying stormwater pits on a new build or an addition, insist on side-outlet pits with a sump. If someone else has installed bottom-outlet pits on your property, you are going to be paying to clear the drain over and over until you re-install them properly.
Call Matty on 0447 188 394 for commercial stormwater work across the Tweed, 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).
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