24 hour plumbing in Fadden, Canberra
Fadden is one of the more elevated and leafy suburbs in the valley, with bigger houses on sloping blocks and bush reserve on its doorstep. Developed from 1983, it sits above Wanniassa and the frost is a little lighter than on the valley floor, but the slopes make water pressure, stormwater and sewer runs more of a problem than in the flat suburbs.
What usually goes wrong in Fadden
- Low mains pressure on the upper streets dropping further when the neighbours shower at once
- Blocked stormwater pits at the low corner of a block flooding garages and downstairs rooms
- Rigid sewer joints on steep, cut-and-fill blocks pulling apart when the clay dries out
- Pine and eucalypt roots entering sewer lines near the Fadden Pines reserve
- Long pipe runs in two-storey homes hiding leaks behind walls and under stairs
Local notes from the plumbers
Fadden is a hill suburb, laid out from 1983 on the slopes below Fadden Pines and the ridge line, and gravity does most of the work for both plumbers and problems. Homes at the top have lower mains pressure and the water can drop away noticeably when everyone in the street turns on a shower. Homes at the bottom of a slope collect everything the storms send down Bugden Avenue and the side streets; a blocked stormwater pit at the low corner of the block puts water into the garage and the downstairs rumpus room within minutes. Because the blocks are cut and filled, sewer lines run at steep angles with rigid joints that pull apart when the clay dries out, and the pine plantation and eucalypts nearby are not shy about finding them. The houses are mid 1980s brick veneer, usually two-storey or split-level to suit the ground, which means long pipe runs, two bathrooms on one hot water tank and more places for a leak to hide behind a wall. Frost is lighter up here than on the valley floor.
Housing in Fadden
A hilly mid-1980s suburb on the eastern side of the valley below Fadden Pines: larger two-storey and split-level brick veneer homes cut into the slopes, long driveways, retaining walls and mature gardens, with a small local shop and primary school near Bugden Avenue.