Blocked drains · Sydney's North Shore
Blocked drains, cleared and explained
Sink not draining, toilet backing up, the same blockage back again a month later. We clear it, then show you on camera why it blocked, so it doesn’t keep happening.
- Available 24/7
- Free phone quotes
- Licensed and insured
Sound familiar?
- Gurgling sink or toilet
- Water draining slowly
- Water rising somewhere else when you flush
- The same blockage keeps coming back
Any of these? Send a photo and we’ll tell you what it is and what it’ll cost.
Send a photo, get a price
Show Peter the problem
Most blocked drains can be quoted from a photo, so you’re not waiting on a site visit to find out what it’ll cost.
Phone quotes are free. If it’s urgent, skip the form and call
Get an obligation free quote
How a blocked drain job runs
We find the cause, not just the clog
Four steps, the same every time. You see the camera footage, and you decide what happens next.
Diagnose first.
We ask what’s been happening and check where the blockage sits before we start. One fixture, or the main line?
Clear it.
Depending on the blockage, that’s an electric drain machine or a high-pressure jetter that scours the pipe walls clean.
Look inside.
A CCTV drain camera shows what caused it: roots, a cracked pipe, a sag, or just years of build-up. You see the footage too.
Fix the cause.
If the pipe is damaged, we explain your options, including relining where it suits, so you’re not paying for the same clear every few months.
No unnecessary work
Clear it, or fix it for good?
If a clear is all it needs, that’s all we do. If the camera shows damage, we tell you what your options are and what each one costs, and you decide.
A clear is enough when
It’s the first time it has blocked.
The camera shows a sound pipe with build-up only.
The blockage was grease, wipes or a one-off.
No cracks, sags or roots in the line.
Worth repairing or relining when
The same spot blocks again and again.
Roots are getting in at a joint or a crack.
A section has cracked, sagged or collapsed.
You’re paying for the same clear every few months.
Relining repairs a damaged section from the inside, without a trench through the garden.
Why North Shore drains block
Tree roots and older North Shore pipes
A lot of North Shore homes still have their original clay (earthenware) sewer pipes. They’re joined every metre or so, and those joints are exactly where tree roots find their way in. Add the big, established street and garden trees across Ku-ring-gai and Willoughby, and roots are the most common reason we see drains block again and again.
Jetting clears the roots out. A camera inspection tells you how bad the damage is and whether it’s worth relining or repairing that section before the next blockage. We also clear blocked stormwater drains and downpipes, which tend to fill with leaves after a big storm.
Where the blockage was, what caused it, how far roots have travelled, and whether the pipe around them is sound. You get the footage, so the next decision is yours.
Have this ready and we can usually quote on the spot
What's happening
Which sink, shower or toilet, and when it started.
Where the water goes
Does it come up anywhere else when you flush or run a tap?
What you've tried
Plunger, chemicals, a previous clear. It all helps.
A photo
The gully, the overflow or the fixture. It tells us most of what we need.
Phone quotes are free. You know the price before any work starts.
What North Shore customers say
They have been so helpful, simplify the issues so we can understand what needs to be done and gives us multiple options on rectification
Have already recommended to family and friends!
All issues were resolved impressively quickly and they worked around my busy schedule
Highly recommended see you next time!
I honestly can’t speak highly enough of Peter. He replaced my dishwasher in a pretty cramped cavity, which was tricky as the cavity was designed for the old model.
The kitchen cupboard door was also quite challenging to fit onto the new dishwasher, especially with a confusing installation manual. Peter was incredibly patient and got everything sorted perfectly in about 1.5 hours.
His attention to detail was fantastic. He wiped down the cavity floor, took the old dishwasher out, cleaned up after the job, checked that everything was working properly and made sure there were no leaks. He even fixed a couple of little things along the way.
The dishwasher looks great and fits perfectly. I’m really happy with the job and would definitely recommend Peter to anyone looking for a professional, reliable and genuinely caring installer!
Highly recommended
If you’re looking for a plumber who won’t leave you stuck in Neverland waiting forever, this is your guy. Highly recommend.
Why Peter Pan Plumbing
Why customers call us back
01
You see what we see.
Camera footage of the inside of your pipe, so you know what you’re paying to fix.
02
No unnecessary work.
If a clear is all it needs, that’s all we do.
03
Clean finish.
Drains are messy work. We clean up properly and leave your place as we found it.
Common questions
Blocked drain questions
Straight answers from Peter. Still not sure? Call and ask.
Why is my toilet gurgling?
It usually means a partial blockage further down the line. Air is being forced past the build-up when water drains. It’s worth sorting now, while it’s still a simple clear. [Link: Read the full answer]
What causes repeated blockages?
Usually tree roots, a cracked or sagging pipe, or grease building up in the line. A camera inspection tells us which, so we can fix the cause instead of clearing the same blockage again.
Are supermarket drain chemicals worth trying?
We’d skip them. They rarely clear a real blockage, they can damage older pipes, and they make the drain unsafe to work on when we arrive.
Can you clear it without digging up the garden?
Nearly always. Jetting and the drain machine work from the existing access points, and relining repairs a damaged section from the inside without a trench.
Who pays for a blocked drain in a strata building?
It depends on where the blockage is. Shared pipes are usually common property, while pipes serving only one lot can be the owner’s responsibility. Your strata manager can confirm. [Link: Read our strata guide]
If it's not the drain
Water showing up where it shouldn’t, with the drains running fine, is usually a leak. We find the source, not just the damp patch.
Sewage backing up into the house or yard is urgent. Call any time, day or night, and it goes to the front of the queue.
A shared stack blocking in a unit block affects everyone on it. We work with the strata manager, quote first and report back with photos.
Contact Peter Pan Plumbing 24/7
Get your drain sorted
Call, tell us what’s happening, or send a photo. Blocked drains are often urgent, so we’re available 24/7, and phone quotes are free.
Peter answers, or calls you straight back if he’s under a house. He’ll ask a few questions, give you a price, and tell you honestly when he can get there.