A drain that keeps blocking almost always has something wrong with the pipe itself, not just with what is sitting in it. Clearing it moves the blockage, but if roots are getting in through a cracked join, or a section has sagged or collapsed, the same spot catches waste again and the drain blocks again. The only way to know which is to put a camera down the line.
What makes a drain block over and over?
When Blockage Bros puts a camera down a drain that keeps coming back, it is usually one of four things.
- Roots through cracked joins. Older clay (terracotta) sewer pipes are made of short lengths joined with mortar or rubber rings. Once a join cracks, fine roots find the moisture, grow into the pipe and form a net that catches everything going past. Cut them out and they grow back.
- A sag or a collapse. Reactive clay soils across Melbourne's western plains shrink in dry summers and swell in wet winters. Over the years that movement shifts pipes and opens joins, and it can crack or crush a section until it partly or fully collapses.
- Grease and fat. Fat poured down a kitchen sink cools and sets on the pipe wall. Each layer narrows the pipe a little more until food scraps and soap start to catch on it.
- Wipes and other things that do not break down. Wet wipes, sanitary items and paper towel hold together in the pipe and snag. In newer PVC lines, wipes, fat, builder's debris, shallow falls and ground settlement are more common causes than roots.
Grease and wipes are a use problem. Roots, cracks and collapses are a pipe problem, and most drains that keep blocking have one.
Why does clearing the drain only buy time?
Clearing does exactly what it says. A high-pressure jetter or a mechanical cutter scours the pipe and gets water moving again, and done properly it removes the roots, fat or sludge back to the pipe wall rather than just punching a hole through.
What clearing cannot do is fix the pipe. A cracked join is still cracked after the roots are cut, so they grow back. A partly collapsed section still has a broken edge for waste to catch on. So the drain runs well for a while, then the same symptoms return: slow to drain, gurgling, water coming up the shower or floor waste, the gully trap overflowing.
If the same drain has been cleared more than once, that pattern is the clue: something in the pipe is letting the blockage come back.
How does a camera show what is causing it?
On every job, Blockage Bros puts a CCTV drain camera down the line. You see the footage on screen on the day, so you are looking at the same thing the crew is: every join, every crack, any roots and any section that has dropped or broken.
The camera answers the questions that matter:
- Is it roots, fat, wipes or debris?
- Is the pipe cracked, broken at a join or collapsed?
- Is it one bad spot or several along the run?
- Where exactly is it, and how deep?
The last question is the locator's job. Once the camera finds the fault, the locator pinpoints it and its depth from the surface, so if anything needs digging, the dig is small and in the right place. There is more on how this works on the CCTV drain camera inspections page.
The line is then jetted clear and tested so we know it holds, and the footage shows the cause.
What are the three options to stop it blocking?
Once the camera shows the cause, you get three priced options in writing before any work starts. The written quote refers to the footage, and you choose.
- Option 1, the quick fix. Clear it: jet the line and cut the roots. This costs the least today and gets the drain working, but if the pipe is damaged it will block again. See drain cleaning and hydro jetting.
- Option 2, the proper repair. Dig and replace the damaged section at the spot the locator found. One small dig, the bad section swapped out, then tested. This suits a single crack, a single bad join or a short collapse. See drain repairs and replacements.
- Option 3, the permanent solution. Reline or replace the whole run. Pipe relining puts a new pipe inside the old one, sealed at every join and crack so roots cannot get back in, without a trench through the yard. A collapsed section cannot be relined, and if that is what the camera shows, we say so and price the repair instead.
Prices depend on what the camera finds, so the options come after the footage.
Is regular clearing ever the right answer?
Sometimes. If a full repair is not the right call right now, for example a rental between tenants or an older home where the big trees are staying, regular jetting and root cutting on a set schedule can keep the drain running. That is what preventative drain maintenance is for. It works when you know what is in the pipe, because the camera has shown it.
Which homes are most likely to have a drain that keeps blocking?
Older homes in suburbs like Footscray, Sunshine, Brunswick and Essendon often still have clay sewer pipes, and with gums, liquidambars or figs nearby, roots are the classic cause. Homes on 1970s to 1990s estates in places like Melton, Werribee and Hoppers Crossing often have a mix of clay and early PVC. Newer estates are PVC, where wipes, fat and ground settlement turn up more often than roots. Blockage Bros covers Melbourne's west and north-west, Geelong, Ballarat and Kyneton, with someone on call 24/7.
If your drain has blocked more than once, get in touch with Blockage Bros. The camera goes down first, you see what is causing it, and you choose from three written options.
