When Drains Are Installed Wrong: The $30,000 Sloped Drain Mistake

The Sloped Drain Flowed The Wrong Way

A few years ago, we got called out to a place in Point Cook. The customer had been dealing with a frequent drain blockage, getting their drains jetted every month-$800 a visit. Nothing seemed to fix the problem. When our tech arrived, he started asking questions and got the backstory: they’d had a plumber redo the drainage about a year prior. Young guy, cheap quote.

We ran a camera and saw it immediately-the entire section of pipe had been installed with reverse fall. Instead of sewage flowing away from the house toward the main line, the sloped drain was running back into the property. Every flush, every shower was sending waste back into the system.

Poor Workmanship & Drain Blockages Costs More in the Long Run

The plumber didn’t use the right bedding or base for the pipes. Without proper support, they shifted over time and the fall reversed. That caused build-up, blockages, and eventually back-ups into the home. We had to dig it all up and redo it.

The job took three days, with an excavator, full crew, inspections, and certification. The bill? Around $30,000. And that’s on top of the $8,000 they already paid the first plumber, plus thousands in repeat jetting services over the year.

If they’d called us from the start, they would’ve saved a fortune.

Don’t Let a Cheap Quote Fool You

When we give a quote, we make sure it is competitive and it’s to do the job properly-certified, to code, and guaranteed. In a heavily regulated place like Victoria, you can’t cut corners on sewer work. It’ll catch up with you. If a plumber doesn’t offer a certificate of compliance or tries to rush through without inspections, that’s a huge red flag. We’ve seen these mistakes too many times.