Quick summary: You’re responsible for the sewer pipes on your property, and Dubbo Regional Council is responsible for its sewer. A quick look in your boundary shaft usually tells you whose side a blockage is on. Call a licensed plumber for a blockage on your side, and contact Council for a blockage on its side.
Where Your Responsibility Ends and Council’s Begins
Your responsibility stops where your pipes connect to Council’s sewer. Dubbo Regional Council’s guide, Sewerage Services: Your responsibility and ours, says owners maintain and repair the sewer pipes within their property up to the connection to Council’s sewer. Council looks after its pipes up to the first pipe joint within your property, so the dividing line usually sits a short way inside your boundary.
Whoever is responsible for the blocked section of pipe is responsible for clearing it. That’s why it pays to know which side of the line the problem is on before anyone starts work.
How to Check Whose Side the Blockage Is On
Find your boundary shaft and check whether it’s full of water. Council describes the shaft as a plastic or metal cap with a concrete or earthenware surround.
- Not full of water: the blockage is likely on your side, between the house and the shaft.
- Full of water: the blockage may be further down the line, in Council’s sewer.
If the cap doesn’t lift off easily, leave it. Don’t push rods, a hose or chemicals into the shaft. Sewage carries bacteria, and forcing a blockage can push it further along or damage the pipe.
Who to Call, and When
Who you call depends on what the boundary shaft showed you, and whether sewage is overflowing.
Blockage on your side: call a licensed plumber
A blocked drain plumber finds what’s causing the blockage and clears it. At Matt Diamond Plumbing, that usually means a CCTV drain camera to find the cause and a high-pressure water jetter to clear it. Urgent jobs are prioritised during business hours, Monday to Friday, 9am to 4:30pm. Here’s more on our blocked drain service.
Blockage on Council’s side, or sewage overflowing
Contact Dubbo Regional Council’s Customer Service Centre on (02) 6801 4000. Council asks residents to report sewage overflows on that number.
Not sure which side it’s on?
Your plumber can check with a camera. If the blockage turns out to be in Council’s sewer, Council’s guide says you or your plumber should contact Council.
Drains backing up? Find out what’s causing it before it gets worse. Give the team a call or send an online enquiry.
Your Overflow Relief Gully Is Your Safety Valve
The overflow relief gully is the grated drain outside your house that lets sewage spill into the yard, not inside, when the sewer blocks. Council’s guide, based on the plumbing code, sets out how it should sit:
- The top of the gully is at least 150mm below the lowest fixture inside the house, such as the shower floor.
- It sits 75mm above the ground, unless it’s in a path. In a path, the surface should slope away so rainwater can’t run in.
- The grate stays loose. Never glue or fix it to the concrete surround.
- The area around it stays clear of soil, mulch and pot plants.
If your gully has disappeared under a garden bed or new paving, have it checked before the next blockage, not during it.
How to Stop It Happening Again
Most repeat blockages come back to tree roots, things that shouldn’t go down the drain, or stormwater getting into the sewer.
- Tree roots: roots find their way into cracked or leaking joints. A camera shows where they’re getting in, and CCTV inspections can reduce the need for excavation.
- Wipes, fats and oils: wipes don’t break down like toilet paper, and fat sets hard inside pipes. Here’s more on what causes blocked drains.
- Stormwater in the sewer: rainwater overloads the sewer in storms. Keep downpipes connected to the stormwater system and your gully raised above the ground. Read how to fix stormwater drainage.
Why Dubbo Homeowners Call Us
Matt Diamond Plumbing clears blocked drains for homes and businesses across Dubbo and the surrounding towns. Because the team can see inside the pipe with a camera, you’ll know whose side the problem is on before paying for more work.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get a plan of the sewer pipes on my property?
Yes, Dubbo Regional Council’s Customer Service Centre can provide a sewerage diagram for your property. It’s worth having one before you plant trees or dig near the house.
I rent. Who should I call?
Renters should tell their property manager or landlord straight away, so they can arrange a plumber. If sewage is overflowing from Council’s sewer, you can also report it to Council on (02) 6801 4000.
What should I do while I wait for a plumber?
While you wait for a plumber, stop using water inside the house. Every flush, shower or load of washing sends more water into the blocked pipe, which can push sewage out of the gully or a floor waste. Keep children and pets away from any overflow.
The Bottom Line
A blocked sewer is stressful, but once you’ve checked the boundary shaft, you’ll know who to call. Keep your overflow relief gully clear, and a blockage stays a messy job outside instead of a disaster inside.
Blocked drain in Dubbo?
Give Matt Diamond Plumbing a call on (02) 6884 1531 or make an online enquiry. We’re fully licensed (Licence No. 186799C), a Master Plumbers member, and we clear blocked drains across Dubbo, Wellington, Narromine, Gilgandra, Warren and the surrounding areas.
