Archive for the 'Customer Feedback' Category

Council street trees and blocked sewer drains?

Published on May 3, 2012 in Blocked Drains, Clogged Drain, Common Sewer Pipes, Cost Benefits, Council street trees, Customer Feedback, Drain Maintenance, Environmentally Friendly, General, Pipe Damage, Root Infiltration, Stop tree roots in drains and Tree Roots. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

Many of our clients say that local council street trees are the cause of their blocked sewer pipes.

Beautiful specimens like the London plane tree, Hills weeping fig (ficus microcarpa. var.) and Paperbark (melaluca)  all have extensive tree root systems that thrive on the moisture and nutrients flowing through our household sewer pipes out to the sewer mains in the street.

The roots from the council trees are growing in through the pipe joints.

Some councils offer their ratepayers a drain cleaning service for “no cost” as an acceptance of responsibility for the damage caused by the council trees.

We all know there is no such thing as a free lunch………………….. or drain clean.

Ratepayers are obviously “paying” for this service through their quarterly levies and at some point these local councils will put rates up or put the responsibility of drain maintenance back on the ratepayers.

Many homeowners, upon finding out council trees are blocking their pipes, insist they will lobby the council to cut down these beautiful trees to stop their invasive roots from blocking the sewer pipes. I have seen council street trees cut down because they continue to block the sewer pipes of the nearby homes.

So who wins here? Beautiful tree lined streets are raped by a chainsaw gang.

Not to mention the dramatic de-valuation of the homes that have had the street trees removed.

In one comical instance, the beautiful (but invasive) tree that was removed by the chainsaws and 4 weeks after the stump grinder churned through was replaced by a junior version the same species. Now call me crazy……

So, I’ve got another idea!

If you’re one of these ratepayers with drains affected by council trees, next time you get a blockage and the council plumber clears your blockage for free, look for your local Vaporooter applicator to do a Drainoscopy of your sewer pipes.

If it’s suitable, have him apply Vaporooter to your pipeline.

You will be amazed with the results.

Vaporooter Stops Tree Roots in Drains!

All ratepayers keep their council trees, the council saves your money,  you maintain the value of your home and still have a free flowing pipe system!

Win Win Win Win

 

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Why we need a plan of our sewer pipes

Published on January 24, 2012 in Blocked Drains, Common Sewer Pipes, Customer Feedback and General. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

Generally, when sewer pipes and drains are installed by a licensed plumber, they are inspected by an authorised person who draws a plan of the drainage installation showing where the drains run, what plumbing fixtures are connected and what, if any, other properties are connected!

In modern times, we have a self inspection system where the plumber draws the drainage installation and submits the drawing to the local water authority or council for their records.

Owners can get a copy of this diagram from their local water authority or council. If your property has a history of blocked drains or is surrounded by trees, I strongly suggest you have a copy of this drainage diagram and keep it in a safe and easliy accessible place.

Your local plumber can assist with getting a copy of this drainage diagram.

In NSW Australia, a drainage diagram is a standard inclusion in a Contract of Sale for any property. I suggest you look there first!

 

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Who is responsible for these drains?

Published on January 14, 2012 in Blocked Drains, Common Sewer Pipes, Cost Benefits, Customer Feedback, Drain Maintenance and General. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

Blockages and problems with drains occur no matter what type of building you live in.

Most single or multiple level houses have their own drainage systems taking the discharge from all the plumbing fixtures within the property. The owner of this  property is responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of their pipes upto the point where his pipes join the council main.

Rows of terrace houses in inner city suburbs and semi-detached homes often drain into a “common sewer line”. These terrace rows can have upto 20 homes or more, draining into 1 common line. Depending on the fall of the land, this common sewer line may pass across the front or rear of the row and then  spill into a Boundary trap, before discharging into the Water authority’s main sewer line.

Generally, the common sewer line should be maintained by and costs associated with works or repairs on this  common sewer line should be borne by all parties on that common sewer line.

If blockages, repairs or pipe renewals are confined to the pipes and drains that take the discharge from any one particular house on the common sewer line, then those costs should be borne by that individual.

Any property owners connected to a common sewer line should be aware, that should a blockage occur in the common line, downstream of where he connects to the line, the sewer may surcharge or overflow in his yard or garden if it is the lowest open drain in the line.

This can be quite unpleasant if someone else’s sewer is coming up in your yard or even worse, your home!

When blockages occur, we recommend that all owners connected to a common sewer line communicate and co-operate with all other parties on this line .

Strata home unit blocks and Townhouses will have their own drainage lines that generally drain to a Boundary trap and then on to the Water Authority or Council sewer mains.

The responsibility for the maintenance and repairs of these drains is generally directed by a Strata Title Manager  and sometimes a Real Estate Property Manager

Commercial properties, Industrial Estates and Schools genarally all have there own  drainage lines that generally drain to a Boundary trap and then on to the Water Authority or Council sewer mains.

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Another Satisfied Vaporooter Customer

Published on April 12, 2010 in Clogged Drain, Customer Feedback, Environmentally Friendly, Root Infiltration and Tree Roots. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , , .

Grampians Wimmera Mallee Water (GWMW), after several trials with different chemical products, chose Vaporooter as its aid in combating drain pipe blockages and overflows and has successfully used it since 1989.

Vaporooter, a product of the RSP Environmental Services, is a mixture of herbicides, root growth inhibitor and foaming agent which softens and then destroys the live roots which intrude in the drain pipes and block them. The product also prevents other roots from growing by slowing down their development for almost three years.

GWMW has initially used the Vaporooter in its problematic areas, where drain blockages were frequent due to shallow sewers and close vicinity of the trees and sewage systems. After solving its immediate problems, GWMW has moved on to preventing blockages and maintaining the high-quality functionality of the draining system.

A great advantage of the Vaporooter is that its efficacy bares no negative side effects on the environment. The foaming process only affects the tree roots that intruded the pipe and those very close to the pipe. But the rest of the trees and plants in the vicinity are not touched by this non-acidic biodegradable treatment.

RSP Environmental Services do not only provide the product and the technology, but they also assist their clients throughout the different stages of the foaming process. Whenever problems occur, RSP offers its assistance to identify and solve the problems, although this implies higher costs and efforts on its behalf. Just as Vaporooter involves an ongoing long-term process, the RSP honours its provider and aide roles to the client.

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Cutting costs in Wagga City with Vaporooter

Published on April 5, 2010 in Cost Benefits, Customer Feedback and General. 1 Comment Tags: , , , .

After several trials with the Drainchem Minifoamer and Vaporooter, the City of Wagga Wagga has decided it is the most efficient solution to and prevention from sewer chokes and blockages, as well as the best maintenance for the draining lines. In the trial, old problematic areas were aimed at, especially places with old clay pipes and maturing or mature trees.

Due to the Minifoamer’s and Vaporooter’s herbicide formula, the live invasive roots were killed and their natural decay is expected. The combination of herbicide and root inhibitor not only fixes the problem, but also keeps working on it for up to three years, by preventing further blockages and retarding root growth. As the killed roots decay and clear up the pipes, the cracks they had created in the lines contract under the ground pressure, thus prolonging their live and efficacy.

Because the Vaporooter involves an ongoing process and does not require permanent assistance, it enables the teams in charge of sewer operations to take care of maintenance and not only emergency calls, as they used to. The Vaporooter technology and methodology allow prevention and long lasting solutions instead of quick-fixes of urgent matters.

The Wagga City trial of the Vaporooter has started with problematic areas and, as it has proven efficient, it will go on to all the areas. After fixing the pipes dealing with sewer chokes and overflows in critical areas, the supervisor of sewer operations will go on and start a maintenance program. By preventing the drain line problems, the sewer staff saves time and energy otherwise spent in emergencies.

Another time and cost saviour is the fact that the Vaporooter technology can be used by in house staff. Due to the nature of the foaming process, the Council can tackle to draining pipes blockages and overflows concomitantly with other urgent matters. As foaming can be paused while the Council deals with something else, and easily continued when time is available, the Council has much more freedom and schedule flexibility. Plus, the scheduled annual foaming of the sewer mainlines will ensure a regular cleaning and preservation of the pipelines and an insurance against sewer chokes and overflows.

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