Qualified, licensed and insured plumbers.
Blocked drains in your home can be a huge inconvenience. They often occur completely out of the blue and can cause extensive damage to your home if not repaired correctly. Multiple blocked drains within a short period of time can hint at larger drainage problems in or around your property.
We bring a ‘repair it’ don’t just ‘fix it’ approach to our work, always taking the time to identify the ‘root’ cause of your drainage problem instead of just clearing the blockage, whacking a band aid on it and leaving your drains to block again in a few months time. Our team are qualified and experienced.
Signs Your Drain Is Blocked
Slow draining toilet/shower/bath
Another common sign of an impending blockage, this indicates the waste is having trouble flowing through your pipework and into the mains.
Bad smells coming from drains
Is there a bad smell coming from your drains? Blockages can disrupt the flow of air in your drains and sewers and redirect bad smells into your home.
Gurgling noise coming from drains
Is there a gurgling noise coming from any of the sinks, drains or toilets in your home? This can occur when air is trapped in your pipes as a result of a blockage. You may hear the gurgle from multiple sinks, drains or toilets.
Rising toilet water level
Is the water level in your toilet rising after each flush? This can be a sign there is a blockage further down in the pipe.
Overflowing drains
Is there water or sewerage overflowing at any of your indoor or outdoor drains? This can indicate a stormwater, sewer or main water blockage.
Common Causes of Blocked Drains
Functioning drains keep your home healthy. To keep your drains flowing freely, avoid sending anything down your drain that isn’t water, toilet paper or number 1s and 2s.
Only toilet paper breaks down completely when flushed. Anything else flows through your drains, often getting caught in bends or pipe junctions leading to blockages. Whoever invented flushable wipes, clearly wasn’t a plumber.
Tissues and Paper Towel
Poor Quality Plumbing
Sanitary Items
Tree Roots
Baby Wipes
Cooking Grease and Fats
Cracked/Collapsed Earthenware Pipework
Flushable Wipes
How To Clear A Blockage
Some blockages can be managed with some DIY drain clearing.
How to use hot water to clear a blocked sink?
Use on floor wastes, basins and kitchen sinks.
Hot water can be effective in smaller drains like kitchen sinks or basins, if the cause of your blockage is a build up of grime/grease/cooking waste. It works to melt the grime and loosen any buildup that has accumulated. Flush a large amount of hot water through the drain, atleast a kettle full. Repeat a couple times for best results.
How to use bi-carb soda and vinegar to clear a blocked kitchen sink?
Use on floor wastes, basins and kitchen sinks.
A popular experiment in primary school classrooms, the old bi carb and vinegar combo can be useful in adult life too – to clear your drains! Start by flushing the affected drain with some hot water, pour in some cheap white vinegar, follow it up with some bi carb soda and let them combine and fizzle. Allow to sit for a few minutes, then rinse with some hot water. This one can also be effective to kill off drain flies!
How to use a plastic drain clearer / wire coat hanger to clear a blocked shower?
Use in bathroom basins, shower wastes, floor wastes and kitchen sinks.
This approach can be helpful to clear hair, kitchen scraps or other ‘chunkier’ things from your drains. For the wire coat hanger, un twist the hanger to create a long piece of wire, create a small hook on one end. Feed it into the drain and try to hook onto and remove any debris. Plastic drain clearers are available at your local hardware store / online, similarly, insert in the drain, pull it gently up and down to hook onto any debris. If you catch any, remove it and dispose of it in the bin. Flush with hot water.
How to use a plunger to clear a blocked toilet?
Suitable for sinks, basins, toilets and floor wastes.
For toilets, we recommend using a rod plunger with a 6 inch head. Suction the rubber onto the base of the toilet pan where the water sits, gently pump the plunger to push pressure through the blockage, repeat as necessary. This can work to dislodge a blockage.
For floor wastes, we recommend using a rod plunger with a 4 inch head. Remove the floor waste grate, insert the plunger into the floor waste until it touches the water, gently pump the plunger up and down to attempt to dislodge a blockage.
For basins and sinks we recommend using a standard cup style plunger. Remove any plugs, fill the sink up with water to about 30% full. Suction the plunger over the drain hole, gently pump up and down to attempt to dislodge a blockage. If you have a double kitchen sink, you will need to seal off the second sink with an additional plunger or plug while attempting this to stop the pressure coming out the other sink.
Why We Don’t Use Chemical Drain Clearers
- The combination of these toxic chemicals can cause damage to your pipes.
- Repeated use can lead to corrosion, and use on already cracked or corroded pipes can weaken them further.
- These chemicals are incredibly toxic to humans. Skin contact or inhalation of the fumes is harmful.
- The chemicals can react to water and splash back out the pipe (the same way they went in!) resulting in burns/injury.
