That’s why Nuflow Fremantle’s pipe relining plumbing service piqued the interest of the strata management team of a local multi-storey apartment block. They first reached out to us at the Strata Community Convention in 2019 with a problem they weren’t sure how to fix. Their building had ongoing issues with water ingress leaking through from the floors above via the dry floor wastes that were embedded in the concrete floor slabs. This not only resulted in many insurance claims for water damage, but the owners of the building had been told that unless they had their dry floor wastes repaired, they would be unable to have their building insurance renewed.

The strata management team approached a number of plumbers who quoted for pipe repairs that involved cutting out the floor wastes from the concrete slabs. This solution involved major repairs, which would have required engineering sign-off to ensure the structural integrity of the building. It also would have required residents to move out for the period of the repairs.

An alternative pipe repair solution

We were able to offer an alternative solution through our pipe relining service. Through this innovative solution, old pipes remain in place while a new pipe is simply formed inside using tough, durable composite resin materials. This means pipes can be repaired from the inside without the need to cause further property damage.

In the case of this multi-storey apartment block, using pipe relining meant that no cutting into the structural floor slabs was required. Instead, we were able to clean out and reline the pipes, stopping any further water ingress into the units below.

Breaking down the project

The apartment building had a total of five plumbing stacks, with two units on each floor entering the stacks with the dry floor waste. During repairs, we were able to re-line two to three units per day, and also prepare for a further two to three units. Led by operations manager Steve Tonge, we broke the project up into multiple periods, completing stack 1 and 2 in January 2019, stack 3 and 4 in July 2020, and finally stack 5 in January 2021.

Since we completed the pipe relining, the building no longer has issues with water ingress into units below, and the building was successfully able to be insured again.

Taking care of everything to get the job done

Major plumbing services and repairs at an apartment building require a high level of coordination to ensure access to multiple apartments at the same time. In the case of this building, all of the apartments are privately owned, which added to the complexity.

Nuflow Fremantle took on the task of coordinating access with tenants ourselves. For each stack, we had to arrange access with 14 tenants over each week period, and we needed two days of access to do the works. The strata management team were extremely happy that we not only solved the plumbing problems, but also took on full management of the project, and carried out all of the coordination with tenants ourselves.

Nuflow’s innovative approach means simple solutions for complex apartment building plumbing issues.

Looking for a cost-effective plumbing solution with minimal hassle? Nuflow Fremantle can help. Talk to our friendly team to get your blocked pipes sorted today.

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That was the case for Riley House at Shenton Park, which is part of the Amana Living Retirement Villages Group. Riley House is home to more than 50 elderly residents over three levels, and they were consistently experiencing plumbing issues and interruptions for residents, not to mention health hazards. They experienced constant sewer overflows which led to a steady stream of after-hours callouts to unblock the pipes and get the plumbing services working. But it was never long before the pipes became blocked once again.

Amana Living’s Development Manager of Property Services reached out to us, frustrated with the recurring blocked drains and looking for a permanent solution.

Getting to the root of the problem

We visited the site, and after an initial investigation using our CCTV Pipe Inspection and Drain Camera, we discovered that Riley House had experienced many root blockages in their earthenware drains over the years that had patch fixes by other plumbers. This then also resulted in tree root intrusion between the new PVC to earthenware joins.

We repaired the pipes without interrupting daily life

To completely replace the pipes would have meant major construction works and would have required all residents to temporarily move out of Riley House, which just wasn’t an option. Instead, we were able to reline the pipes for a permanent solution that required minor earthworks, while residents were able to carry on with normal life.

“We kept things going and residents were able to use toilets the whole time, which was a big part of why Amana Living chose to go with us – for continuation of facilities,” said Nuflow Fremantle Operations Manager Steve Tonge.

Pipe relining means minimal earthworks

Starting from the main connection to the Water Corporations sewer, we worked backwards relining all underground sewer drains and junctions to reline all the old earthenware drains. In total we relined 21 150×100 junctions and 10 100×100 junctions, and approximately 110m of 100mm sewer drains and 72m of 150mm sewer drains. Despite the large scale of repairs required, we made only a few small, localised excavations for access and ease of installation.

Extensive plumbing services in a COVID-safe manner

This was a sizable project, which took around five weeks to complete, and we carried out the job in late 2020, which meant we had a whole other issue to contend with: COVID-19 restrictions.

Particularly given Riley House is a retirement living facility, with many residents who fall into the higher risk category, works had to be carried out due to strict guidelines. All of our staff were required to keep a minimum 100 metre distance from residents amongst other restrictions. We worked closely with the facility manager in order to complete the works in a way that followed the guidelines to the letter.

“Safety was a big priority for the client, and they were very impressed with the result and the way our team presented themselves on site through leadership, safety and careful consideration to the residents still living at the site and following strict COVID-guidelines throughout the project,” said Steve.

Say goodbye to tree root drain blockages in Fremantle

The Riley House residents are now able to enjoy life free from block drains and sewer overflows, and have been able to say goodbye to the regular after-hours callouts.

Tired of recurring blocked pipes and looking for a permanent solution? Nuflow Fremantle can help. Talk to our friendly team to get your blocked pipes sorted today.

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