Why does my drain keep blocking? What I’ve learned from clearing blocked drains on the Gold Coast
There’s nothing quite like the sound of a toilet that doesn’t want to flush properly.
You plunge it, it clears, everything seems fine and you think you’ve fixed the problem.
Then a few weeks later, it happens again.
I see this quite a lot with blocked drains. The frustrating thing for homeowners is that the blockage itself is usually only part of the problem.
A drain doesn’t normally just decide to block for no reason.
A blockage is often a symptom, not the actual problem
When I attend a blocked drain, the first question I’m usually asking myself isn’t “How do I unblock this?”
It’s “Why did this block in the first place?”
Sometimes it really is just a simple blockage. A bit of grease, too much paper, something that shouldn’t have gone down the drain or a buildup over time.
But when a drain keeps blocking, there’s usually something else going on.
It could be tree roots growing into the pipe, a damaged section of pipe, a pipe that has moved or collapsed, or even an issue with the way the drainage was originally installed.
That’s why I don’t love the idea of simply clearing the drain and walking away when a customer tells me it’s happened several times.
You might have a perfectly clear drain when I leave, but if we haven’t worked out why it blocked, there’s a good chance we’ll be having the same conversation again.
Tree roots are a big one!
If you live around the Gold Coast, you’ll know we have plenty of established trees.
They look great, but unfortunately the roots don't really care where your sewer pipes are.
A small crack or joint in a sewer pipe can be enough for roots to find their way inside. Once they get in, they can continue growing and start catching toilet paper and other material travelling through the pipe.
Eventually, you end up with a blockage.
Sometimes the first sign is a toilet that drains slowly. Other times you might hear bubbling or notice that multiple fixtures around the house are draining slowly.
And sometimes you get absolutely no warning at all.
Not every blocked drain needs to be dug up.
This is one of the reasons we always use a drain camera when attending a blocked drain Gold Coast.
Getting a camera into the pipe allows us to actually see what is happening rather than guessing.
We can often identify things like:
Tree root intrusion
Cracked or damaged pipes
Poorly connected joints
Bellies or low points in the pipe
Foreign objects
Heavy buildup
Sections of pipe that have deteriorated with age
This can make a big difference when deciding what to do next.
If the pipe is in good condition and the problem is simply a buildup, clearing it properly might be all that's needed.
If the camera shows a damaged section of pipe, we can then talk about repairing the actual problem rather than continuing to clear the same drain blockage every few months.
Sometimes the cheapest option isn't the cheapest option.
I completely understand why people want to keep the cost of a blocked drain down.
If you've got water backing up into the house, you don't necessarily want to hear about cameras, repairs and replacement pipework. You just want the thing unblocked.
And sometimes that's exactly what we do.
But if you've already had the same drain cleared two or three times, spending money to clear it again might not actually be saving you money.
There are situations where it makes more sense to spend a little more investigating the problem properly.
I'd much rather explain what I've found, give you your options and let you decide what you want to do than tell you that you need thousands of dollars of new drainage without being able to show you why.
What should you do if your drain keeps blocking?
If it's the first time it's happened, there may not be much to worry about.
But if you're noticing a pattern, I'd recommend getting it looked at before it becomes a bigger problem.
Especially if you notice:
The same drain keeps blocking
Multiple fixtures are draining slowly
Your toilet is bubbling or gurgling
You can smell sewer gases around the property
The drain clears but blocks again shortly afterwards
You've had to use drain chemicals or a plunger repeatedly
The earlier you investigate a recurring drainage problem, the more options you generally have.
Sometimes it's a simple fix.
Sometimes it isn't.
The important thing is knowing which one you've got.
A quick word from ME.
One of the things I like about plumbing is that you don't always know what you're going to find when you turn up. A blocked drain can be a five-minute job, or you can put the camera down and discover a much bigger story underneath the property.
My approach is pretty simple: clear the problem, work out why it happened where possible, and explain what I've found. You shouldn't need to know anything about plumbing to make a decision about your own home.
That's my job.
If you've got a drain that's becoming a regular problem, don't just keep waiting for the next blockage. It's worth getting someone to have a proper look at it.
Got a blocked drain Gold Coast? You can find us here at:
Sunday Plumbing
Better Plumbing - Every Day.