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.
Tweed Heads commercial complex, stormwater pumps had failed under load. Cleared the whole holding tank by hand and with the jet, pumped the dirty water into garden beds for responsible disposal, CCTV the full system, and flagged a broken stormwater pit at the top of the catchment feeding sand into the main tank.
What the customer called us for
Builder running a renovation on a commercial complex in Tweed Heads. Stormwater pumps had been overworking and finally failed. Builder called us before the next forecast rain event.
What we found when we got there
The main stormwater holding pit was clogged with sand and silt. Pumps were trying to lift sediment they were never designed to lift. Camera inspection upstream found the real source: a broken stormwater pit at the top of the catchment was crumbling and feeding sand into the whole system.
Why we did it this way
There is no point replacing stormwater pumps when the upstream catchment is still feeding sand into them. The right sequence is clean the holding tank, camera the full system, locate the real sediment source, repair it, then look at the pumps.
What we did on site
- Hydrojetted the stormwater branch lines back into the main holding pit.
- Shovelled out the heavy silt by hand because the pumps could not lift it.
- Used the dirty-water pump to discharge the silty water onto an on-site garden bed — the right environmental call, since dirty discharge to the street is not acceptable to council.
- Ran the CCTV camera through the full system looking for breaks or offsets that would explain the sand ingress.
- Located a broken stormwater pit at the top of the catchment that was shedding sand into every rain event.
- Reported findings back to the builder with a recommended repair sequence.
The result
Pumps able to run clean water again. Builder has the camera footage, the full report, and a prioritised fix list for the real source of sediment.
If you have the same issue
If you are a builder working on a commercial renovation and the existing stormwater pumps are struggling, do not just replace the pumps. Camera the system first. Nine times out of ten the real problem is upstream of the pump, and replacing the pump without fixing the upstream catchment just burns a new pump within a year. 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 discharge dirty water to a garden bed and not the street?
Councils do not want silty or contaminated water entering the municipal stormwater system. Garden beds let the water infiltrate on-site and keep the soil moist. Where garden beds are not available, the next step is vacuum excavation off-site to a licensed disposal site.
Do commercial stormwater pumps need annual service?
At minimum yes. In sandy coastal environments like Tweed, twice a year is better. The real risk is not pump failure — it is pump failure right before a rain event.
How long does a holding-tank clean like this take?
Full day. The hand-shovelling of heavy silt is the slow part because the pumps cannot lift it.
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