Blocked drains and high-pressure jetting
Clearing the blockage is the easy part. The useful part is finding out why it blocked, so you are not calling someone again in six weeks.
What you're probably seeing
Air being forced back through the trap — usually a partial blockage further down the line.
More than one fixture draining slowly points to the main line rather than the individual trap.
Water surfacing at the overflow relief gully means the line is blocked between there and the sewer.
A sewer smell around the yard or a downpipe often means a cracked or broken line.
The strongest sign of a structural defect rather than a one-off blockage.
Water escaping from a damaged stormwater or sewer line below ground.
Clear it properly, then find out why
We run truck-mounted high-pressure water jetting. Unlike an electric eel, which punches a hole through the blockage, jetting scours the full diameter of the pipe — cutting roots off flush at the pipe wall and flushing out grease, silt and debris.
Then we put a camera down it. This is the step that most jobs skip, and it is the one that tells you whether you have a maintenance issue or a structural one.
What the camera usually shows
- Root intrusion — through a cracked joint or a failed seal. It will come back unless the entry point is dealt with.
- Partial collapse — common in older earthenware lines, and it will not fix itself.
- A belly or sag — a section holding water where solids settle and build up.
- Poor fall — often a legacy of an old renovation or an extension done on the cheap.
- Foreign objects and misconnections — including the occasional illegal stormwater connection.
Drain repairs and replacement
Some lines are past the point where clearing helps. When that is what the camera shows, we do the repair as well.
Sewer & stormwater repairs
Replacing collapsed, cracked or root-damaged sections of line, and correcting fall where the original work was wrong.
Water service replacement
Renewing failed or leaking water service lines from the meter to the building.
New drainage
Stormwater lines, pits and connection work, set out with proper fall.
Blocked drain questions
Why does my drain keep blocking after it's been cleared?
Because clearing a blockage and fixing the cause are two different jobs. If a line has root intrusion, a partial collapse, a belly holding water or a poor fall, an electric eel will punch a hole through the blockage and get things flowing again, but the defect is still there. Six weeks later it blocks again. That is why we camera the line after clearing it.
What is the difference between jetting and an electric eel?
An eel cuts a hole through the blockage. High-pressure water jetting scours the full diameter of the pipe, cutting roots off at the wall and flushing out grease, silt and debris. The line goes back to full bore rather than just flowing again.
Will jetting damage my pipes?
Not when the pressure and nozzle are matched to the pipe. That judgement is the whole skill. On older earthenware or a line we suspect is already compromised, we will camera it first and tell you if jetting is the wrong approach.
Do you clear blocked toilets and sinks as well?
Yes. Not every blockage is a major drainage fault, and plenty of jobs are a straightforward clear and go. We will tell you which one you have.
Can you tell me whether the blockage is my responsibility or Sydney Water's?
Often, yes. A camera inspection and a locate will show where the fault sits relative to your boundary and the connection point. That can be the difference between a bill you pay and one you do not.
Is it cheaper to reline a pipe than dig it up?
Sometimes, and sometimes not. Relining suits a structurally sound pipe with a defined fault. It is not a fix for a collapsed section, a badly sagging line or a pipe with no fall. A camera survey tells us which situation you are in, and we will give you the honest comparison rather than the one that suits us.
Blocked again?
If this is the second or third time for the same drain, stop paying to have it cleared and let us find out what is actually wrong.
0439 405 708