Water coming up through the shower or a floor waste usually means the main sewer line out of the house is blocked, often by tree roots. Waste from the toilet, basins and washing machine has nowhere to go, so it backs up and comes out at the lowest drain inside, which is usually the shower or a floor waste. Stop using water, check the gully outside, keep people away from any sewage, and call. Someone at Blockage Bros is on call 24/7.
What does water coming up the shower mean?
Every drain in the house feeds into one sewer line that runs out to the property connection point. When that line blocks, everything sent down any drain stops at the blockage and backs up. It rises until it finds the lowest opening, and inside the house that is often the shower or a floor waste in the bathroom or laundry.
Signs it is the main line, not just the shower:
- Water comes up when the toilet flushes or the washing machine empties.
- More than one drain is slow, or the toilet is slow to flush too.
- Drains are gurgling.
- The water smells of sewage, or there is a sewer smell inside or outside.
- The gully trap outside is overflowing.
If the shower is only slow to drain and nothing rises anywhere else, hair and soap in the shower's own waste are the more likely cause. Water rising up from below is a different problem.
What blocks the main sewer line?
In older homes with clay sewer pipes, the most common cause is roots that have grown in through cracked joins and formed a mat across the pipe. Reactive clay soils across Melbourne's west shrink and swell with the seasons, which moves pipes and opens joins further. Other causes are a cracked or collapsed section, built-up fat, or wipes. In newer homes with PVC pipes, wipes, fat and builder's debris turn up more often than roots.
What should I do right now?
- Stop using water. No showers, no flushing, no washing machine or dishwasher, no taps running. Every litre adds to what is backing up. Tell everyone in the house.
- Check the gully trap outside. The gully trap, also called the overflow relief gully, is the grated drain outside, usually near the bathroom, kitchen or laundry. It is there so a sewer blockage can spill outside rather than indoors. If it is overflowing or its grate has lifted, that points to the line beyond it being blocked. If the grate is buried under soil, mulch or pavers, clear around it so it can do its job.
- Keep people and pets away from sewage. Keep children and pets out of the affected room and away from the gully. Do not touch sewage with bare hands, and wash well if you do come into contact with it.
- Do not keep testing it. Running water to see if it has cleared only pushes more waste back up.
When should I call?
Now. Water or sewage coming up inside does not fix itself, and it gets worse each time someone uses water. Blockage Bros is open 24/7, with someone on call after hours and on weekends, so a blocked sewer at night or on a Sunday is something we answer.
Before you ring, take a quick look at which drains are affected and if the gully outside is overflowing. It helps the crew know what to expect, and it is the first thing we will ask.
What does the crew do when they arrive?
The same six steps as every job:
- The problem. You tell us what the drains are doing: which ones, when it started, and if it has happened before.
- Diagnose. A CCTV drain camera goes down the line, and you see the footage on screen.
- Locate. The locator pinpoints the fault and its depth from the surface.
- Clear and test. The line is jetted clear, then tested so we know it holds.
- Identify the cause. Roots, a crack or a collapse: the footage shows what put the blockage there.
- The permanent solution. Repair, replace or reline, priced in writing.
Once the camera shows the cause, you get three priced options in writing before any work starts. Option 1 is the quick fix: clear the line and cut the roots, which costs the least today, though a damaged pipe will block again. Option 2 is the proper repair: dig and replace the damaged section at the spot the locator found. Option 3 is the permanent solution: reline or replace the whole run. You choose.
There is more detail on the sewer repairs, tree root removal and blocked drains pages.
Could it be the water authority's sewer?
Sometimes. The water authority looks after the sewer main, and the drain from the house to the property connection point is usually the owner's. If the camera shows the blockage is past the connection point, in the main, the footage shows that, and it is worth checking with your water authority. In a rental, a blocked sewer is generally an urgent repair for the rental provider to arrange, so let them know straight away.
How do I stop it happening again?
That depends on the cause. If it was wipes or fat in a sound pipe, clearing it and changing what goes down the drain may be enough. If roots are getting in through cracked joins, they will grow back unless the joins are sealed by relining or the damaged pipe is replaced. For a drain that is known to block but is not being repaired yet, preventative drain maintenance keeps it jetted and the roots cut on a schedule.
Water coming up the shower right now? Contact Blockage Bros. Someone is on call 24/7 across Melbourne's west and north-west, Geelong, Ballarat and Kyneton.
