Blocked Drains

Types Of Blocked Drains

There are a couple of different types of drains that can be blocked, by giving the Plumber accurate information it helps them identify the problem quicker and pack the correct tools and machines needed. It’s important to give the Plumber as much information when you first contact them so they can accurately diagnose over the phone and give you a price for the work. At a minimum you would be asked the following questions;

1. Whats blocked? Toilet? Kitchen sink? Sewer? Stormwater?
2. How bad is it ? Some jobs are urgent, some other jobs can be scheduled in at your convenience.
3. How old is the house / what area are you in
4. Are you on main sewer or septic tanks
5. Has this occurred before

To work out what is blocked, there is a few things you can do around the house or business to work out what’s going on:

• If your Hand basin / Vanity Basin / Bathroom sink is blocked – or slow to drain, and everything else in your house / property / business is working fine – then you have a single fixture which is blocked – As it doesn’t interfere with any other drainage plumbing or fixtures. Could also be called a Clogged bathroom sink, Blocked basin. This also works for any other fixture in your house, if one fixture (Toilet, sink, basin, laundry trough, bidet etc) is blocked and nothing else is.
• If a group of fixtures are blocking up however others are free running, then you have a blockage or clog on a branch drain, meaning there is a junction somewhere that picks up both sides of your house. Fairly common on new homes and skinny block homes.
• If your entire house is blocked – this would be indicated by toilets not flushing (slow to drain or not draining at all), kitchen sink backing up, dishwasher flooding and showing drain error codes, showers filing up and basins not draining. Another indication of this is to find your overflow relief gully outside – if this is allowing sewerage to flow out when you use any fixture inside you have a complete blockage on your house or property. This is an urgent job that requires a Plumber as soon as possible. This isn’t a job that can usually be fixed by anyone without specialist tools.
• Another type of blockage occurs when the main sewer backs up, pushing sewerage out to all properties upstream of the blockage. You can identify this by checking your overflow relief gully – If there is a large amount of effluent being pushed out of the gully this is a good sign of a main sewer blockage – If you are experiencing this problem, check your neighbours properties and ask if the same thing is happening to them – if it is you need to call the water corp faults line on 13 13 75. There website for faults is located here.

Blocked Drain Prevention

The good news is that some blocked drains are preventable. By following a few simple steps, you can prevent some common blockages. Its all about being mindful with what you flush down your drains.

Be careful with what you flush down your kitchen sink and toilet. Large food scraps, excessive grease, kitty litter, flush-able wipes, sanitary products and paper towels don’t belong in any sewerage system! They don’t break down and can cause significant blockages that can be very hard to clear. Grease blockages can be reduced by being careful with how much grease you put down your drain, by running hot water through the kitchen sink after washing dishes and wiping down your dishes before putting them in the dish washer. Root blockages cannot really be prevented – it’s usually a small crack in the pipe that causes the roots to get into the pipe, and the only way to fix this is with a drain machine or jetter. The pipe really needs to be repaired or else the problem will reoccur, usually every 12 months.