Sandstone, Cliffs and Steep Blocks: What Vaucluse Terrain Does to Plumbing

Vaucluse is really a place of drama. The suburb sits on a steep-sided, high ridge of Hawkesbury sandstone, rising steeply out of the water, and falling abruptly to secluded coves and beaches at the far end of the suburb. It is the cliffs and steep blocks that make Vaucluse so spectacular in its views and sense of seclusion. They also influence water flow in the plumbing of the suburb, which many homeowners are unaware of.

What steep terrain does to drainage

Drainage is based on gravity and the proper fall. That’s not always the case on steep blocks in Vaucluse, however. In places where drains descend the slope, water may flow faster than necessary, it may even be too fast, so it can leave solids behind which can clump over time. When a drain must be laid down a steep terraced site, it is difficult to get and maintain the fall, and if it is not kept at the correct fall, there is a flat spot or a sag where waste will accumulate and continually prevent it from draining.

The sandstone landscape also has its peculiarities. Much of Vaucluse sits on, or among, rock, and drainage is frequently channelled around sandstone shelves and outcrops, often with little fall to work with. Slopes with soil covering rock can also shift and move over time, which can cause the joints of underground pipes to become stressed. And of course stormwater is always a concern on steep sites.

Stormwater runoff on a clifftop suburb

Heavy rain falls in an upslope, hilly neighbourhood, and water runs downhill fast, swelling in volume as it flows. Slopes can experience a flash flood of water on lower parcels if the stormwater drains are clogged or partly clogged. Poorly managed stormwater is also a real issue with the ground, rather than just roof, on clifftop and steep blocks, so roof water and surface water collection and conveyance will be more significant than on flat ground.

What elevation does to water pressure

All that height comes with pressure. The pressure of mains water changes according to elevation in any hilly suburb; properties on the lower ground may have higher pressure, properties on the higher ridge may have lower. Both extremes are not desirable. High pressure constantly puts stress on pipes, fittings, flexi hoses and makes bursts more likely, which often can be alleviated by installing a pressure-limiting valve, but many older Vaucluse homes lack one. Low pressure up high means low flow and low performance hot water. If it feels rather high or low, it is better to get it checked than taken for granted.

Access matters on steep blocks too

Access is the practical aspect of Vaucluse’s landscape that is overlooked until you’re in trouble. Getting to the problem and getting equipment to the problem can be more involved than in a flat, suburban setting if a driveway is steep, the house is built well above or well below the street, or the house is set into a narrow lane along a clifftop. A local plumber who knows the area’s geography plans for this. The plumber will need to be equipped with the right tools, which is better done if you describe the access to the house, how the house is located in relation to the street, and where the area of concern is located.

When it turns into an emergency

Most terrain-related plumbing problems develop over time, but when it rains heavily, it can turn into a crisis quickly. On a steep block, a Sydney downpour can lead to water entering a lower level room in minutes as there is a whole hillside feeding it through a blocked stormwater system. A burst pipe can happen at any moment when it’s under pressure. If the flow is too much, stop what you can at the main and get a licensed plumber on the job, our emergency plumber in Vaucluse and surrounding Eastern Suburbs deals with flooding and pressure problems in the steep blocks all the time.

The bottom line

It’s the sandstone cliffs and steep blocks along the shores of Vaucluse that give it those views, and make its plumbing a little harder. Steep ground lets stormwater run downhill, the drainage fall becomes more difficult to control, and the water pressure changes as it rises or falls. When your drains continue to clog in one particular area, or runoff collects where it shouldn’t, then the topography of the land is typically the cause. It is better to get a proper look (with a camera in the drain) than to keep having to deal with the same issue each wet season.