You clean out the gutters, plunge the toilet and even change a washer when you have a leaking tap. But how much do you know about looking after your property’s overflow relief gully?

Hang on … the overflow WHAT? Well, it looks like the top of a drainage pipe with a plastic grate, and you’ll probably find it outside – and almost certainly on the other side of the bathroom wall. It may look simple enough, but the ingenious design means that if your sewerage waste becomes blocked, the gully drain’s top will pop out and ensure that any sewage that needs to be ‘relieved’ does so away from your clean, hygienic home and happy family.

And just like your gutters need a clean and your sink needs a plunge, it’s also important to know how to keep your drainage gully in tip-top shape so that it can do its thing when you need it the most.

1. Can you see it?

If you can’t see your overflow gully, whatever is obscuring it from sight could also prevent it from relieving that waste or pressure at the most critical time. Amazingly, we’ve visited properties where the homeowner has put a pot-plant on top of it so that the home looks better. But if that grate can’t pop off instantly, you could soon be ankle deep in raw sewage in the bathroom.

2. Is it clean & clear?

Pot plants aside, you also need to make sure nothing else is interfering with this crucial part of your property’s plumbing. Why? Because an overflow relief gully blocked or interfered with in any way, whether landscaping, stormwater drainage or even pool backwash, can have the same effect – or even worse – as welding it shut.

3. Have you checked it?

Don’t forget, the crucial design element of the gully drain is that the top will ‘pop off’ in the event of a dangerous overflow situation. If it can’t pop off, it can’t fulfil its crucial task – so why not give it a quick check?

4. It’s your responsibility

Just about every council jurisdiction across Australia makes it explicitly clear that you, as the landowner, are solely responsible for ensuring as many properly certified and well-maintained overflow relief gullies as are necessary are working properly.

5. Is it in the right place?

If a great local plumber is installing your overflow gully drain, you can rest assured they know where it needs to go. But more important than the actual location is HOW the drainage gully is installed. So if you discover your existing overflow gully is higher than the lowest-lying waste outlet inside your home, it could well be that it won’t work at all when it’s needed. As well as that, the drain needs to be above ground level so that any water around it doesn’t enter the sewer system.

Only the Best Plumbers should help with your overflow relief gully

Are you sure your overflow relief gully is in the right place, installed correctly and will function seamlessly when your sewer system needs to relieve pressure & waste? It’s not something you want to take a gamble with, so why not ask one of Australia’s best plumbers for advice and professional help? Best Plumbers Club operates Australia’s most trusted network of the most positively reviewed and highly recommended local plumbers near you – all you need to do is drop us a message and we’ll do the rest!