When you have a blocked drain inside your house, you tend to know about it pretty quickly, with the water not draining away from your sink or shower like it normally would. But when it comes to external or outdoor drains, it can be a little trickier to tell if they are blocked, and it’s certainly not easy to find out what’s blocking them.
Blocked drains in the Eastern Suburbs are common – particularly in older homes or those with a lot of trees around the home. Living surrounded by leafy green is fantastic for your family, but it isn’t always so great for your drains.
While clearing a blocked drain inside your home is pretty easy, clearing blocked drains outside the home isn’t as straightforward.
What Causes a Blocked Drain in Sydney?
If you’ve ever had an external blocked drain before, you probably understand just how many things that could cause a blocked drain in Sydney. Tree roots are extremely common, as are items being flushed down the toilet that shouldn’t be.
As a blocked drain plumber in Sydney, the things we clear the most from external drains are:
- Tree roots
- Fat and oil build-up
- Non-flushable items such as sanitary items and wet wipes (and yes, kid’s toys as well)
- Hair
How to Clear Blocked Drains in the Eastern Suburbs
The first thing we need to do is establish whether the issue is in a pipe that is the homeowner’s responsibility or the responsibility of another body (a neighbour, the council etc.). If the blockage is within the drains that are owned by Council, a call to them will be placed to advise of the issue.
You can certainly clear a blocked drain yourself if it is something like hair, toys or wet wipes that are blocking the drain. Be aware that it is a messy and often smelly job.
Ensure you have a pair of good quality gloves that won’t tear, a face mask and a bin at hand. The blockage also needs to be close to the drain cover, otherwise it will be almost impossible to do it by hand.
The first step is to get the drain cover off, taking care to not break the cover nor drop it back into the drain. You will then need to get your arms into the pipe and pull out the blockage (if you can reach it).
Once you’ve cleared the majority of the blockage, you can use a drain rod to try and push the remaining blockage through the pipe.
You will eventually find that the blockage will be easier to move, which means it is clearing, however it’s important to ensure that it won’t just block up further down the pipe.
Using a Blocked Drain Plumber in Sydney
If the blockage is too far down the pipe for you to reach by hand, or it is a bigger blockage such as tree roots, you will need to call out a blocked drain plumber in Sydney. These plumbers have all the right equipment to ensure your drain is unblocked and clear.
The plumber will first put a camera down the drain to see where the blockage is and what is causing it. They will then either use a high-pressure water jet to blast water through the pipe or use a drain auger or root cutter to get through the tree roots.
If tree roots are the issue, you may find that you need to replace a section of the drain, so the issue doesn’t reoccur.
Do you have blocked drains in the Eastern Suburbs? Instead of doing the messy task of unblocking the drains yourself, save the time and the mess and give the team at Pro Flush a call. We can get your external drains unblocked quickly and with less mess.
