Blocked Drains Wollongong: Drain Plumber

Blocked drain plumber in Wollongong: finding the cause, not just the clog

One blockage can be bad luck. The same drain blocking every few months usually points to a problem with the pipe itself, and that is what we look for. Jobs we've completed around Bulli, Thirroul, Austinmer and Wollongong include blocked drains, and the work in Bulli, Thirroul and Wollongong has also included CCTV drain inspection and drain jet blasting.

What usually blocks a drain

The cause decides the fix, so it helps to know the usual suspects.

• Tree roots in older clay or earthenware sewer lines. Sydney Water notes that roots can enter small cracks in wastewater pipes looking for nutrients, and once inside they snag everything that flows past.
• Fat, oil and food scraps from the kitchen, which cool, harden and narrow the pipe a little more each week. A slow kitchen sink is often the first sign, and our sink blockage service clears it while the build-up is still close to the sink.
• Wet wipes, sanitary items and paper towel. Sydney Water's advice is short: only the 3 Ps (pee, poo and toilet paper) go down the toilet, and everything else goes in the bin.
• A cracked, dropped or collapsed section of pipe, where clearing the line brings the water back only until the next lot of waste catches on the damage.

How we find it and clear it

We start with the simplest method that will clear the line properly. A plug close to a fixture often only needs a drain machine. Roots, grease or silt along a length of pipe call for jet blasting, which cuts through the growth and flushes the line clean.

If the drain has blocked before, or the water drains slowly again after clearing, we put a camera down it. A CCTV drain inspection shows whether you are dealing with build-up or a broken pipe, and where along the line it is, so you can weigh up a repair knowing exactly what you're dealing with.

Three checks before you call

• One fixture or several? A single slow basin points to that fixture's own waste pipe. A toilet, shower and floor waste backing up together points to the main sewer line.
• Look at the outdoor gully grate near your laundry or bathroom. Water or waste rising there means the blockage is further down the sewer line, not in one fixture.
• Note the history. When did it start, what was running at the time, and has it happened before? A drain that gurgles for weeks before blocking is a pattern worth mentioning, and you can read what gurgling can mean in our gurgling drain guide.

Your pipe or Sydney Water's?

Sydney Water runs the wastewater network across Sydney, the Blue Mountains and the Illawarra. Under its rules, the private section of sewer, running from your home to the point where it joins Sydney Water's pipes, is the owner's responsibility, and clearing a blockage there is a job for a licensed plumber.

The blockage may be in Sydney Water's pipes if the overflow is beyond your boundary, such as from a maintenance hole on public land, if your neighbours have the same problem, if there is widespread flooding nearby, or if wastewater is still spilling out while no one in the house is running a tap or flushing. In those cases, call Sydney Water's faults line on 13 20 90, which operates 24/7.

Weighing up an insurance claim for the damage? Our guide does home insurance cover blocked drains? walks through what to check in your policy first.