Where your sewer shaft is located
Your shaft and inspection opening may be located in your front or back yard.
Sewer blockages
Problems in the sewerage system generally occur within the pipes, stopping the flow of sewage away from your home.
If you are experiencing problems with your sewer system such as gurgling noises, sinks and toilets are slow to drain or effluent is overflowing from your internal floor wastes (in your bathroom/toilet or laundry area) or from your external gully, please follow the steps below and then contact us if required.
Real Estate agent or tenant?
If you are a Real Estate agent or a tenant and you have a sewer blockage please follow our step guide below to help you understand an issue at your property.
1. Check your sewer shaft
This is a pipe that leads to the sewer main. It should be flush to the ground and the lid is approximately the size of a bread and butter plate. This will be located in either your front or back yard usually at the lowest point of the block.
What it looks like
Your shaft is round, usually encased in concrete and may have a white plastic or metal lid.
2. Check if the sewer shaft is overflowing
You may need to unscrew or lift the lid of the shaft to check. If you feel any pressure when you are trying to unscrew or remove the lid, stop immediately. If your shaft is full or overflowing please contact us.
3. If it's clear, you may need a plumber
If the sewer shaft is clear and your internal drains are still blocked or slow to drain, it may be likely that there is a blockage within your privately owned internal house drainage system.
You may require the assistance of a licensed plumber to attend and clear the blockage at your own expense.
If you are the home owner and currently are experiencing financial difficulty, please contact us.
4. Unsure if it's clear?
If you are unsure if the sewer shaft is clear and water is getting away into the Hunter Water pipes, you may wish to pour a bucket of water down the inspection shaft. If the water does not clear, there may be an issue with the Hunter Water system. If the water does flow away, it may be likely that there is a blockage within your internal system as mentioned above.
5. It may be a blockage in our pipes
If the blockage is suspected to be within our wastewater system, your licensed plumber should contact, or ask you to contact us. We will then attend to carry out the appropriate work.
Frequently asked questions
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What is a sewer inspection shaft?
Each property connected to our waste water system via a gravitational sewer system, should have a sewer inspection shaft. All sewage flow from the house discharges to our wastewater system via this sewer inspection shaft.
Your sewer inspection shaft forms part of your privately owned internal house drainage system and is the maintenance responsibility of the property owner and should be accessible at all times.
Your sewer shaft is used both for access for maintenance purposes and to confirm the operation of the properties internal house drainage system and also used as an access point to identify, diagnose and rectify any possible blockage that may be within the Hunter Water owned asset (the sewer main).
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Where are my sewer pipes located?
The location of our sewer mains and your pipes can be hard to identify without plans, although you can usually find an inspection shaft cover somewhere in your yard.
We can provide you with a plan of your property showing where our sewer mains are located (which includes a fee) or contact Dial Before You Dig Australia. A qualified plumber can provide you with a basic plan of where your sewer pipes are located.
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What if I call a plumber and the sewer blockage is in Hunter Water pipes?
You should always refer to our website for more information or contact us in the first instance.
If you arrange for a licensed plumber to attend your property prior to contacting us, they may be able to determine if there is a possible blockage within our wastewater system (Hunter Water owned asset), or within your internal pipework (customer owned asset).
If the blockage is suspected to be within our wastewater system, your licensed plumber should contact, or ask you to contact us. We will then attend to carry out the appropriate work.
If the work to determine the blockage was undertaken by a licensed plumber at your request, prior to your contact with us to report a suspected blockage, you are responsible for these costs.
In the majority of circumstances, upon notification, we will attend a property if the sewer inspection shaft is full or overflowing as this may indicate that there is a blockage in the sewer main or branch line.
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What is an Inspection Opening (IO)?
Inspection Openings (IO's) are access points located on your internal house drainage pipework used to allow inspection of and access for clearing blockages. Most IO’s are below ground level, however some are extended to ground level, sealed with a removable air tight lid and are located where your internal house drainage pipework may change direction.
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How do tree roots damage pipes?
Some species are not suitable for planting near sewer pipes - their roots can infiltrate and eventually destroy pipes, causing significant inconvenience and costly repairs. Roots anchor and support trees, but they also seek and supply moisture and nutrients for continued growth.
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What is an Overflow Relief Gully (ORG)?
ORG’s are located external of the dwelling, have a removable grate, and generally have a hose tap over them. The shape and size can vary. Older dwellings may have large earthenware gullies, whilst newer dwellings have smaller concrete gullies. The purpose of a ORG is to allow potential sewer overflow to discharge external of the dwelling rather than internal.
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What is a sewer manhole?
Generally sewer manholes can be located in roads, footpaths, driveways, public spaces and inside private properties. We may require access to a customer’s property for the purposes of carrying out maintenance or to attend to emergency operational incidents occurring within the wastewater system, in accordance with our Customer Contract and Operating Licence requirements and obligations.
Sewer manholes are part of our infrastructure and should be made accessible at all times to provide access for routine maintenance and emergency purposes, such as:
- Inspection of the wastewater system by closed circuit television (CCTV)
- Cleaning and removal any blockages from the wastewater system
- General operational inspections of the wastewater system
Have you experienced damage to your property?
We strive to do our best to minimise the impact of property damage for our customers. On occasion there may be a water main break or sewer overflow that is not foreseeable and unfortunately may cause property damage. Read our helpful fact sheet to learn what to do in this instance.