Stormwater Drains Auckland

Stormwater drains carry rain from your roof, driveway and paved areas away from the house, either to the public stormwater network, the kerb, or a soak hole on site. When they block or break, the first sign is usually during a downpour: water spilling out of the top of a downpipe, a sump that will not drain, or a puddle creeping towards the cladding.

Cheeky's Plumbers clears, repairs and upgrades private stormwater systems across Auckland. Auckland gets intense rain events, and the damage a failed stormwater drain can do to foundations, retaining walls and weathertightness is out of proportion to the cost of fixing it.

Pricing: quotes are free, and every job gets a fixed price before we start, so there are no surprises on the invoice.

Stormwater Drains Jobs We Handle Across Auckland

• Stormwater drain clearing
• Stormwater and drainage repairs
• Sump and cesspit cleaning
• Soakhole repairs
• Channel drains
• Flooding and ponding fixes

Signs your stormwater system is struggling

Stormwater faults tend to show up in wet weather. Look for: New stormwater lines, soak pits and connections for extensions are laid by our drainlaying team.

• Downpipes overflowing at the joint or spilling from the top in heavy rain
• Sumps and grates that hold water long after the rain stops
• Water ponding against the house, garage or retaining walls
• Damp subfloors or water in the basement after storms
• Erosion or washouts where a pipe discharges on a slope
• Soak holes that overflow even in moderate rain

Common stormwater problems in Auckland

Leaves, moss and roof grit wash into downpipes and settle in the first bend, or in a sump that has not been cleaned out. On sloping sections in the Waitākere foothills, the East Coast Bays and the eastern suburbs, silt from gardens and driveways can fill pipes surprisingly quickly. Roots get into stormwater lines just as readily as wastewater lines.

Older properties often have earthenware stormwater pipes that have cracked, which can often be fixed with no-dig pipe relining rather than digging up the driveway, and soak holes that have silted up and no longer drain, particularly in clay soils. Many homes also have a stormwater system that was never sized for the paved area that has been added since.

How It Works

Cross connections: stormwater in the wastewater

Stormwater and wastewater are separate networks in most of Auckland, and connecting one into the other is not allowed. Yet it is common to find a downpipe or yard sump running into the sewer, often from old DIY work or an extension, sometimes discharging straight into a gully trap. Master Plumbers notes that stormwater entering the wastewater network can increase volumes at treatment plants by up to five times dry-weather levels.

In practice this is part of what causes wastewater to overflow into streams and beaches in heavy rain. If we find a cross connection during an inspection, we will tell you and quote to redirect it to the correct network. It is a straightforward fix that matters a lot for Auckland's harbours.

Stormwater drain cost

Heavily silted lines may need hydro jetting, and a CCTV drain inspection is recommended where a line keeps blocking or you suspect it is broken.

Repairs, cross-connection fixes, new soak holes and system upgrades are quoted for free after we have seen the site. Larger stormwater work, or new connections to the public network, may need a building consent and Auckland Council approval, which we arrange.

Who looks after which stormwater pipes

Auckland Council manages the public stormwater network, while the drainage on your property is your responsibility. The Auckland Council stormwater bylaw covers private stormwater systems and requires on-site devices such as detention tanks and soakage to be kept in working order.

Many newer townhouses and subdivisions have detention tanks or rain gardens required by their resource consent. These need regular cleaning to keep working, and we service them as part of stormwater maintenance.

Why Choose Cheeky's Plumbers for Stormwater Drains

Stormwater Drains FAQs

Stormwater Drains Across Auckland

Our stormwater drains team works in every Auckland suburb. Find your local plumbers:

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