Drainlayer in Rolleston
Drainlayer in Rolleston, Selwyn
Whitehead Plumbing & Gas are registered drainlayers covering Rolleston from our Waltham workshop in Christchurch. Rolleston is mostly new housing with modern PVC drainage, which is usually good news. It does not mean everything underneath was installed the way it should have been.
Something not draining right in a newer home? We CCTV the line first, so you know what you are paying to fix.
- Ground type
- RockyWhich is why soak holes are common in back yards
- Typical pipe material
- New PVCMost homes here are recent builds
- Drainage system
- Pump sewer is commonSame as Halswell
- Useful to know
- Drawings usually existShowing where the pipes were laid
Start here
Signs you have a drainage problem in Rolleston
In a newer home it is easy to dismiss these, because the house is new. They are still worth checking.
- Never worked quite right A drain that has been off since you moved in.
- Soak hole backing up Water pooling around it after heavy rain.
- An alarm on a pump sewer unit Or a pump running more often than it used to.
- Slow gully trap Or gurgling when another fixture drains.
Also worth calling about: a smell around the gully trap, or wet ground in the same spot after rain. Call us on 03 379 0711 and we will CCTV the line before quoting anything.
Local
New pipework, and what to check anyway
Rolleston is one of the fastest growing areas in Canterbury, and almost all of it is new. That is mostly good news for drainage.
Most Rolleston homes have modern PVC drainage laid within the last twenty years. No clay, no joins every 600mm, no roots working their way in, and none of the earthquake legacy that affects older Christchurch suburbs. If you are buying here, that is one less thing to worry about.
But new does not always mean right
We have come across a few installs in Rolleston that were not done as they should have been. Not many, and not a reflection on the trade as a whole, but enough that it is worth saying out loud. A new house with new pipe can still have a fall that is not quite right, a junction that was rushed, or something connected the wrong way round.
The reason it matters is that people assume a new build cannot have a drainage problem, so they live with something that seems slightly off rather than getting it looked at. If a drain in your Rolleston home is not behaving the way you would expect, it is worth checking rather than assuming it must be fine because the house is new.
Rocky ground and soak holes
Rolleston sits on rocky ground, which is why soak holes are common in back yards. They work by letting water soak away into the ground rather than carrying it off to a stormwater main. That is a sensible approach here, but it does mean the soak hole itself needs to be sized and sited properly, and it can struggle when the ground is already saturated.
Drawings usually exist
One genuine advantage of new builds. Most Rolleston homes have drawings showing where the drainage was laid. If you are planning an alteration, dig them out before anyone starts, because knowing exactly where the pipes are saves guesswork, time and money.
- Digging
- Rocky, which shapes how drainage was designed
- Most common job
- Checking soak holes and back yard drainage
- Second most common
- Correcting installs that were not done properly
- Watch for
- Anything that seems off in a newer home. It is still worth checking
- We bring
- CCTV camera and water blaster on every job
Underground
What is probably under your Rolleston property
Rolleston is more consistent than most suburbs we work in, because nearly all of it was built in the same window.
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Newer build
Modern PVC, with drawings showing where it runs Alterations are easier to plan because nothing has to be guessed at.
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Pump system
A pump moving waste out rather than gravity Different maintenance, and new connections need designing for it.
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Back yard
A soak hole rather than a piped stormwater connection Works well until the ground is saturated, then it backs up.
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Outskirts
Older drainage, possibly clay Worth a CCTV inspection, since it is the exception here rather than the rule.
Our process
How we find the problem before we dig
In a new build there is usually paperwork to start from, which makes this quicker than it would be on an older property.
Start with the drawings
Most Rolleston homes have drawings showing where the drainage was laid. That tells us what should be down there before we look at what actually is.
CCTV the line
We run a camera through the drain and see what is really there. On a newer property that is often where an install problem shows up for the first time.
Quote the real fix
Once we know what is going on we quote it properly. Correcting an install is usually a smaller job than people fear, because the pipe itself is sound.
proof
Recent drainage work in Rolleston
Whitehead Plumbing & Gas work across Rolleston regularly. Here is some of what we have been doing in the area lately.
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New sewer line for a garage on Devine Drive
Installed a new sewer line to serve a garage at a Devine Drive property. On a newer Rolleston build the drawings usually show where the existing drainage runs, which makes planning an addition like this much simpler.
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Sewer pump replacement on Springston Road
Replaced a failed sewer pump at a Springston Road property. Pump systems are common in this area and they are a different job to a gravity line, so it is worth knowing which you have.
Ben leads our drainage work. We send whoever is closest and best suited on the day though, so you are not waiting on one person.
coverage
Getting to Rolleston
We work out of 1D Grafton Street in Waltham and cover Rolleston as part of our regular run. We carry CCTV and water blasting gear in-house, so a drainage problem does not mean waiting on a subcontractor to come and look at it before anything happens.
We also cover nearby:
Frequently Asked Questions
Rolleston drainage questions
My Rolleston home is new. Can it still have a drainage problem?
Yes. The pipe itself is almost certainly fine, but we have come across installs that were not done quite as they should have been. If a drain in your home has never worked quite right, it is worth getting checked rather than assuming it must be fine because the house is new.
Why do Rolleston homes have soak holes instead of stormwater drains?
Because the ground here is rocky, which suits water soaking away rather than being piped to a main. It is a sensible approach, but the soak hole needs to be sized and sited properly, and it can struggle when the ground is already saturated.
My soak hole backs up in heavy rain. What can be done?
It depends what is causing it. Sometimes the soak hole is undersized, sometimes it is poorly sited, sometimes the ground around it has changed. We would look at it on site and tell you which, rather than guessing from the symptom.
Can you find out where my drainage runs before altering it?
Usually yes, and more easily here than anywhere. Most Rolleston homes have drawings showing where the drainage was laid. Dig those out before any alteration, because knowing where the pipes are saves guesswork, time and money.
Do you charge extra to come out to Rolleston?
No. Rolleston is part of our regular service area and is charged at our standard rates. We only add a travel charge for jobs genuinely outside the metro area, like Kaikoura or Akaroa.
Do you handle urgent blocked drains in Rolleston?
We respond to priority repairs during business hours. Call us and we will dispatch the nearest qualified drainlayer and give you an estimated arrival time. If we cannot get there soon enough, we would rather recommend another trusted tradesperson than leave you waiting.
Pricing
What it costs
Pulled from our standard rates so there is one source of truth. See full rates and charges.
Plus GST. Monday to Friday, during normal working hours.
Plus GST. Charged in 15 minute blocks, so you only pay for time on the job.
Bigger installs can be spread over time.