Mucking in when the sewers get blocked
It’s a mucky job, but someone has to do it. Janine Rankin talks to the man who unblocks sewers.
City residents take it for granted that the water and solids they flush down the drain will go away and stay away.
It is only when that doesn’t happen that people suddenly understand the importance of the sewer pipes and keeping them clear.
The first port of call when the toilet won’t flush is usually a plumber.
But when a plumber can’t find the problem on the property, Palmerston North City Council worker Darryl Zimmerman is the man to check what’s going wrong on the council side of the boundary.
He drives a ‘‘jet’’ truck, equipped with a hose that can be threaded through the sewerage laterals to the nearest manhole, or rather, personnel chamber, shooting out water in an attempt to find and clear any blockages.
If that fails, a camera can be fitted to the hose to take a closer look.
If the blockage is a small one, like a small tree root reaching into the pipe, that can be shaved off from inside the pipe.
The day the Manawatu Standard caught up with Zimmerman, the corner of a property and the footpath outside it were a muddy mess, and smelly.
It was washed down with a strong dose of hospital-grade disinfectant to kill the bugs before being flushed down the stormwater pipes – another network of pipes Zimmerman is called on to help clear when there
are blockages.
He’s been doing the job for more than 20 years, without complaining.
‘‘I love it. It’s about helping the public.
‘‘Some people are really irate and upset when we arrive and we sometimes have to do a bit of public relations.’’
It would be good to shake his hand. But not when he’s working.