Blocked drain

Blocked drain quotes, without the guesswork

One slow basin is a local problem. Every fixture in the house backing up at once, or water rising out of the gully in the yard, is a main-line problem — and the two need different equipment. Describing which fixtures are affected is the single most useful thing you can do before a plumber arrives, because it tells them whether to bring rods, a jetting machine or a camera.

Request a quote

Symptoms

What you are probably seeing

A bath, shower or basin that drains slowly, or stands full long after you have finished.
A toilet that fills and drains back slowly, or will not clear at all.
Gurgling from a nearby drain when you flush or empty a bath.
Water or sewage rising out of the gully, inspection eye or manhole in the yard.
A sewer smell in the garden, the bathroom or along the boundary wall.
More than one fixture affected at the same time — a strong sign the blockage is in the main line.

Causes

What usually turns out to be wrong

Wet wipes, cotton buds and sanitary products, which do not break down the way toilet paper does.
Cooking fat and food waste solidifying in the kitchen drain and gully.
Tree roots finding the joints in older clay or fibre-cement sewer lines.
Sand, cement and rubble washed into drains during building or paving work.
A collapsed, cracked or bellied section of pipe, which blocks repeatedly no matter how often it is cleared.
Hair and soap build-up in bath and shower traps — the easiest and cheapest of the lot.

Preparation

What to tell the plumber

These are the details that let a plumber arrive with the right equipment and quote without a second visit.

Which fixtures are affected, and whether it is one of them or all of them.
Whether the outside gully, inspection eye or manhole is overflowing.
Whether the property is on a municipal sewer, a septic tank or a conservancy tank.
Whether this has happened before, and how often — repeat blockages point at the pipe, not the user.
Where the access points are, and whether they are under paving, decking or a flowerbed.
Any building, paving or landscaping work done recently.
Whether you are in a freestanding house, a townhouse complex or an estate — on shared lines the body corporate may be responsible.

Pricing

What changes the price

We do not publish rates. These are the variables that move the number the plumber gives you.

Method: plunging and rodding a trap is a different job from high-pressure jetting a main line.
Whether a CCTV camera inspection is needed to find out why it keeps blocking.
Depth, length and material of the affected line.
Root cutting, and whether the roots will simply come back through a broken joint.
Excavation and pipe replacement if a section has collapsed.
Access, and whether paving, tiles or a wall have to be lifted to reach an inspection point.
After-hours callouts — a sewer backing up on a Sunday is priced differently to a Tuesday morning.

Standards and paperwork

Compliance you should know about

South African plumbing has real standards behind it. Knowing which ones apply is how you tell a proper quote from a cheap one.

As a general rule in South African metros, the property owner is responsible for the drainage on their side of the connection point and the municipality maintains the sewer main. Confirm the boundary with your own municipality before you pay for work on a line that may not be yours.
If the blockage is in the municipal main — several properties affected, or sewage surfacing in the road or on a verge — log it with the municipal water and sanitation call centre and keep the reference number.
In a sectional-title complex or estate, shared drainage is usually the body corporate's responsibility. Get written approval before you instruct a plumber to work on a common-property line.
Caustic and acid drain products can damage older galvanised, clay and fibre-cement pipework and make a plumber's job more dangerous. Say what you have already poured down the drain.
Sewage is a health risk. Keep children and pets away from standing water and wash down affected surfaces once the line is clear.

If sewage is coming up right now

01Stop using water in the house — no toilets, no washing machine, no showers. Every litre you add has to go somewhere.
02Do not keep flushing to test it. That is how a contained blockage becomes a flooded bathroom.
03Keep children and pets away from any standing water, and open windows for ventilation.
04Check whether neighbours are affected. If they are, log it with the municipality as well as getting a plumber out.
05Photograph the overflow and note the time — useful for both municipal reports and insurance.

Next step

Get this quoted in your suburb

One request, one local plumbing business, and a price from the person who looked at the job.

Request a quote

Cities

Blocked drain pages by city

Each city page adds the local municipality, the conditions that change this job there, and the paperwork that applies.

Questions

Blocked drain: common questions

Who pays if the blockage is in the road?

Generally the municipality maintains the sewer main and the owner maintains the drainage inside the property boundary. If the plumber finds the problem is past your connection point, that becomes a municipal report rather than your invoice — ask for that finding in writing so you have something to submit.

Is high-pressure jetting safe on older pipes?

It is the standard way to clear fat and root debris, but pressure and nozzle choice matter on old clay, fibre-cement or galvanised lines. If your line is old or has blocked repeatedly, ask the plumber to camera it first so nobody is jetting blind into a pipe that is already cracked.

Why does the same drain keep blocking?

Because clearing a blockage and fixing its cause are different jobs. Roots through a joint, a collapsed section, a belly that holds water or a badly laid fall will all re-block. A camera inspection turns a recurring callout into a defined repair you can get quoted.

Will you have to dig up the garden?

Not for most blockages — rodding and jetting work through existing access points. Excavation comes in when the pipe itself has failed. A camera inspection is what tells you which of the two you are dealing with, before anyone lifts paving.

My property is on a septic tank. Is that different?

Yes. A full or failing septic or conservancy tank presents like a blocked drain but needs emptying and a soakaway assessment rather than rodding. Say so up front so the plumber arrives with the right plan.