Blocked Drains Canberra

There are many external things that can cause sewer and stormwater blockages like tree roots and other debris. Or, it can be things flushed down the drain that shouldn’t have been, like sanitary items, wet wipes, food, grease and oil – you’d be surprised what your family or guests might be flushing without your knowledge. 

If you want to investigate the problem yourself, here’s how you can narrow down what could be the cause of your Canberra blocked drains:

1. A foreign object was flushed down the drain even though it shouldn’t have been;
2. Tree roots might be growing in your drains causing blockages, and larger roots risk clogging the sewer or stormwater drain;
3. Anything on the ground’s surface live debris, leaves and mud can be washed into the stormwater drains when it rains; 
4. Unfortunately, sub-par installation of new drains is a common issue our plumbers see that negatively impacts the drainage’s performance and longevity;
5. Lack of proper maintenance and blocked drains not being cleared correctly or with substandard equipment can lead to broken drains.

Our drains work hard every single day. But, the weather and flushing down anything that’s NOT toilet paper things will take its toll on your drains. If you haven’t had drain cleaning or regular maintenance done, it’s not fair to expect them to be able to work to their full potential. Our expert plumbers have cleared, repaired and replaced drains all over Canberra.

When you use our Canberra blocked drains services, we have two options that we use for clearing sewers or stormwater drains:

1. The plunger or air snake/
2. The electric eel
3. The high pressure water jetter (also known as the jet blaster, hydro jet, water jet and jet blast plumbing)

The electric eel makes use of a cable that has a cutter head at the end which is fixed to a machine that turns the two. The eel is manually fed into the drain system network and it cuts through anything in its way. There are different cutter heads that are appropriate and can be used on different blocked drains. The only downside is, the cutter head can’t be more than 75% of the drain’s circumference, so not all of the blockage can be reached and adequately cleared, like tree roots.

Jet blast plumbing is a very versatile way to tackle Canberra blocked drains. The jetter combines a high powered pump, hoses, water tank and specialised nozzles that are fed through the drain system network. Once it’s inside, the hose powerfully blasts water to push away blockages like debris and tree roots. The loosened problem makers (that is, remnants of the blockages) are washed down to the sewer or stormwater mains and away from your house drains forever. 

Jet blast plumbing has a pump that’s power can be lowered or heightened so that the water coming out is controlled by our experts and carefully manipulated so that it won’t damage your house’s drains. Jet blast plumbing has many benefits for blocked drains in Canberra. The versatile attachable nozzles can be used to remove all blockages, and the power of the water allows it to clear the whole way around the drain’s circumference, making it as clear as day.

But jet blast plumbing isn’t always the best choice for all stormwater drains in Canberra. Many older services have been installed in concrete pipework and concrete drains can become brittle with time, which makes them particularly susceptible to damage from jet blasting. Luckily, the sewer drains that are clay don’t become brittle like their concrete counterparts. We will always do pre-screening and choose the right route for your situation.

Canberra Plumbing & Drains has built up an extensive range of only the best specialised equipment over the years, that’s the best for the job of unblocking your drains:

• Our blocked drain plumbers have been set up with customised service vehicles that are completely equipped for any emergency, with a CCTV camera, electric eels, high pressure water jetters, and of course, all the general plungers and standard equipment needed to successfully perform drain services.
• We have environmentally friendly root inhibitors in stock that can be applied down the sewer drains that are in need of this service.
• The blocked drain plumbers onsite at your home have immediate access to plans, maps and a plethora of digital data about your sewage system and drains so that they can make informed decisions and act immediately rather than wasting everyone’s time.
• We are very lucky to have a wonderful administrative team that assists our drainage team and plumbers to ensure all aspects of the job are communicated effectively and efficiently to all parties, so you can expect excellent customer service all round. 

Canberra Plumbing & Drains has been serving the Canberra region for over twenty years. We don’t need to play hard to get anymore – we provide upfront pricing and don’t bother playing games and having hidden costs. All our drain plumbers in Canberra are highly skilled and professional and just want to get the job done.

You are probably asking this question because you have, unfortunately, been experiencing ongoing issues with your drains for some time. Only a small percentage of drains are unable to be cleared at all, and that can be because one of these two main reasons:

• The blockage is inaccessible. Even the extremely specialised equipment like the electric eel or high pressure water jet are physically unable to reach the blockage;
• The blockage is being caused by an item that can’t be cut through using the jaws of the eel or blasted away by the water of the high pressure water jetter. This could be a toy ball, a toilet deodoriser, tree root infestations or even a collapsed drain.

Depending on where the location of the blockage is, what item is creating the blockage, the drain’s age and the infrastructure above the drain – the expert plumber will make a recommendation on what the best solution might be. Our recommendations often include:

• Modification – we recommend this if we are able to add an access point in the network to gain access to the blockage.
• Rediversion – we recommend this when we identify a more efficient way to run a new drain while leaving the existing drain right where it is in its current location.
• Replacement – we recommend this when we have access to the drains but they are beyond repair.
• Pipe relining – we recommend this excellent service when drains are inaccessible, for example, being under the house slab. But, there are numerous restrictions on the successfulness of pipe relining so it is not commonly recommended. Canberra Plumbing & Drains has many years of vast experience working with pipe relining and drain relining, so we know when pipe relining is an appropriate option and when it will be successful or not. Unfortunately, companies often recommend pipe relining prematurely and don’t realise its drawbacks. Our experts never take shortcuts or cut corners, so you can trust that we only recommend something we back fully.

Clearing blocked drains can be daunting if it means that your sewer drains could be old and broken and need replacing. Sometimes stormwater drains could need to be replaced sometimes too, but because their symptoms are less severe, you can get away with putting it off.

However, in our professional opinion, stormwater and sewer drains that are left in a poor condition in need of replacement can become dangerous and begin to undermine the home’s structural components such as the footings. If someone on our drain services team recommends replacing your drains, they are giving advice for the long term (that might be expensive in the short term) but will absolutely be cheaper than leaving it and creating an even bigger and more expensive problem.