Tradie’s urgent warning after ‘massive’ discovery in home

A tradie has issued an urgent warning to Aussies after he made a “massive” six-metre discovery in a flooded home’s stormwater drain.

Last week, a family living in Bilgola, on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, noticed a pipe on their property wasn’t draining properly, forcing water from the backyard to seep into their house, Yahoo reports.

The family contacted Kevin Barry, a local man with over 30 years of experience clearing blocked drain pipes in the area.

When he arrived at the house, he found a tree root, about six metres long and 10cm wide, had grown into their stormwater pipe, causing serious problems.

“The pit was very close to the back door, so it flooded the house,” Mr Barry, who co-owns Streamline Drains & Pipelines with his wife Alex, told Yahoo.

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A tradie has issued an urgent warning to Aussies after he made a “massive” six-metre discovery in a flooded home’s stormwater drain. Picture: Streamline Drains & Pipelines

According to the expert, tree roots often work their way into stormwater systems “where the integrity is broken”, whether that’s a crack in a pit, or a pipe’s joint.

However, residents are unaware until heavy rainfall exposes the problem.

“When you have tree roots in your sewer, because you’re using it every day and it’s got paper and solids going through it, you get a warning,” Mr Barry explained.

“You get gurgles, or the flush isn’t quite right — you get some sort of indication that there’s a problem coming.

“With stormwater, because there’s no solids going through it, it has to be 100 per cent fully blocked in order for the stormwater not to seep through it.

“It’s a much worse blockage because you’ve had no warning system.”

In April, plumber Joel Murphy pulled a tree root out of a stormwater drain at a home on Queensland’s Gold Coast. Picture: TikTok/AHAPlumbing

Tree roots blocking drain pipes is a common issue across Australia, a plumber previously told Yahoo it could set some homeowners back as much as $10,000.

The Bilgola family paid $450 to remove the large tree root and fix their broken stormwater system.

However, Mr Barry said bills can vary depending if properties are located on the high end of the street, or the low end.

With more heavy rain expected in the coming months, the tradie has urged homeowners to check their property and seek help before any potential issues worsen.

“How long has it been since you’ve cleaned your stormwater drain? I know the answer. You’ve never done it, No one ever does it until it’s a problem” Mr Barry said.

He added that residents should make sure the contractor they hire has “good equipment”.

“Experience is everything, there’s no doubt about that. I’ve been doing this all day, every day, for 35 years, and the difference in my efficiency with really good gear and really bad gear is huge.”

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