Drain blocked right now? See our blocked drains page or call 0451 001 503, 24/7.
Quick answer: Most blocked drains in Ryde, Epping and Eastwood are caused by tree roots, fat and grease, wet wipes, hair and soap, foreign objects, or broken and sagging pipes.
Most of the blocked drains I clear in Ryde, Epping and Eastwood come down to the same six things. Knowing which one you’ve got tells you whether it’s a one-off or something that’ll keep coming back.
1. Tree roots
The big one. These suburbs are full of mature trees and older houses with clay sewer pipes. Roots find their way in through cracked joints and grow into a mat that catches everything. If your toilet gurgles and the gully trap overflows after rain, roots are a good bet. I’ve written more about this in tree roots in sewer pipes.
2. Fat and grease
Fat goes down the kitchen sink as a liquid, then cools and sets on the inside of the pipe. Over months it builds up until the sink drains slowly, then stops. I see this a lot in apartments, where several kitchens share the same stack. Wipe greasy pans with paper towel before washing them, and never pour oil down the sink.
3. Wet wipes
“Flushable” wipes don’t break down like toilet paper. They twist into ropes and snag on anything: a rough joint, a root, a bend in the pipe. If there’s one habit I’d get everyone to change, it’s this one. Put wipes in the bin.
4. Hair and soap
Showers and basins block slowly. Hair binds with soap scum and builds up until the water sits around your feet. A cheap hair catcher over the drain saves a lot of trouble.
5. Things that shouldn’t be there
Kids’ toys, cotton buds, sanitary products, bits of renovation rubble. If a toilet suddenly blocks and won’t clear with a plunger, there’s often something solid stuck in the trap or just past it.
6. Broken or sagging pipes
Older pipes can crack, shift or sag as the ground moves. Water then sits in the low spot, and waste settles there and builds up. You can clear it, but it’ll keep happening until the pipe is fixed. This is where a CCTV camera inspection earns its keep, because it shows the exact spot.
When to call a plumber
- More than one fixture is backing up at once
- Water is coming up through the gully trap outside
- The same drain keeps blocking
- There’s a sewer smell in or around the house
- A plunger hasn’t fixed it after a few goes
When we come out, we’ll clear the blockage with a high-pressure jetter, or a drain eel on small 50mm pipes like sinks and showers. If it looks like it’ll come back, we’ll put the camera down so you can see why before you decide on anything else.
Blocked drain in Ryde, Epping, Eastwood or nearby? Call me on 0451 001 503.
Quick questions
Tree roots getting into old clay sewer pipes through cracked joints.
When more than one fixture is backing up, water comes up through the gully trap, the drain keeps blocking, or a plunger has not cleared it.
