South Coogee drain crack: tree roots

Norton Plumbing was called out to a property in South Coogee where tree roots had done more than block the drain, they had cracked the pipe itself. Greg dug down to the damaged section, cut it out, and replaced it with new PVC pipe.

A blocked drain that clears with jetting and stays clear is one job. A blocked drain that keeps coming back, or a CCTV inspection that shows the pipe itself has failed, is a different job entirely. This was the second kind.

What the camera found

A CCTV drain inspection showed the problem was not just root growth sitting inside the pipe. The roots had worked into a joint and, over time, the pressure of that growth had cracked the pipe wall. Roots do not need much of a gap to start with, a hairline join between two old sections of pipe is enough, and once they are established inside, the ongoing growth can widen a small crack into a much bigger structural problem.

Why jetting was not the fix here

High-pressure water jetting is the right tool for roots sitting inside an otherwise sound pipe. It cuts the root mass out and clears the line without digging. It does nothing for a cracked pipe. Clearing the roots from a cracked section buys a short reprieve at best, because the crack is still there, still letting water and tree roots find their way in and out, and the drain blocks again in the same spot. Once a camera shows structural damage like this, excavation and replacement is the fix that actually lasts.

Digging down and replacing the damaged section

Greg excavated down to the drain in the garden bed where the crack was, working around established trees and garden beds to reach the line without unnecessary disruption. With the damaged section exposed, he cut out the cracked pipe and roots, and fitted new PVC pipe with proper jointing at each connection: the upgrade every homeowner wants, from an old failure-prone joint to a sealed pipe that will not give tree roots another way in.

Tree roots and older drains in South Coogee

Many homes in South Coogee were built well before plastic pipe became standard, with earthenware or terracotta drainage running under established, leafy gardens. Those older pipes rely on a run of jointed sections rather than one continuous sealed line, and every joint is a potential entry point for a root looking for water. It is one of the most common problems we see across clay drains from this era, and South Coogee's gardens, with mature trees and hedges close to the house, are exactly the conditions that put pressure on an old drain over years.

It is worth knowing where responsibility sits. According to Sydney Water's guidelines, the property owner is responsible for the drainage between the building and the connection at the boundary. For most homes, a cracked section like this is the owner's to repair, not the water authority's.

Signs tree roots have already reached your drain

• Drains that slow down, clear after jetting, then slow again within months. This is the pattern of roots regrowing through a joint or crack that was never sealed.
• Gurgling from more than one fixture at once, which points to a shared underground line rather than one blocked appliance.
• Visible dips or soft patches in the lawn or garden bed above the drain run, which can indicate the pipe has cracked or collapsed underneath.
• Mature trees or hedges close to the drain line, particularly older, established plantings that have had years to send roots toward any water source nearby.
• A drain that has never been camera-inspected in an older property. The only way to know whether roots have cracked the pipe or are simply sitting inside it is to look.

How to reach Norton Plumbing

Norton Plumbing has cleared, camera-inspected and repaired drains across the Eastern Suburbs since 2019, from South Coogee and Coogee through to Bondi, Randwick and Maroubra. Adam Norton is the primary plumber on the tools and holds NSW plumbing licence 397768C. Phone 0477 858 951. Based at 10/11a-15 Berwick Street, Coogee NSW 2034. See our blocked drains service page for what a CCTV drain inspection and pipe replacement involve.