Professional Blocked Drain Repairs in Canberra
How much does it cost to unclog a drain?
The type of blockage in your drain, the length and the access you have into your drains will affect the cost of unclogging it. If access into the drain is good, grease is relatively easy to clear from drains with a water jetter, and should take one to two hours.
If a drain is blocked with tree roots, it too, should take one to two hours to properly unclog the drain. Most ethical plumbers will charge you an hourly rate for drain cleaning. Their charges will be X amount for the first hour and X amount for every 15 minutes after.
Be wary of plumbers who quote you an upfront flat fee to unblock a drain or they seem extremely cheap, as there is always a catch. An ethical plumber will not be able give you a fixed price for blocked drains, but they can give you a reasonable idea of costs you may be up for before they start.
Instead of asking the plumber, How much does it cost to unclog a drain?, you should ask, What are all of the costs associated with unblocking a drain, how long does it usually take them, what will the plumber do for the money you pay them and are they a member of a trusted industry association?
Who is responsible for clearing blocked drains?
This really does depend on where you live and what the local tenancy, strata, utility and local government rules are. In Canberra Australia, homeowners are responsible for blockages up to and including the connection to ICON water's ( the utility) sewer network. This connection is usually within 1m of the property boundary.
This includes blockages caused by tree roots from the nature strip or a neighbouring property. In neighbouring Queanbeyan NSW, homeowners are generally responsible for blockages in their own drains and the branch drain serving that property.
This responsibility may extend well beyond the property boundary. In most circumstances, a good plumber will have enough knowledge of their local rules to help you understand what the rules of responsibility are in your area.
Is a blocked drain an emergency?
Most blocked drains are emergencies. Overflowing sewer is a health risk to humans and animals and the cause of the blocked drain should be addressed immediately where practicable.
If a sewer drain is not overflowing it is still an emergency, as it could begin overflowing at any time. Blocked stormwater drains are only emergencies if the rainwater can cause damage to a structure, can possibly cause flooding or poses some other safety risk.
This definitely does not mean you should panic and accept the first quote for a repair from a plumber you have not used in the past or have not built up some trust in.
Before accepting a quote for an emergency drain repair get two or three quotes and seek advice from an industry association. In Canberra that is the Master Plumbers Association.
Is a blocked drain covered by insurance?
No, in most cases, clearing of a blocked drain is not covered by insurance. Real damage (the loss) caused as a result of a blocked drain is covered by insurance in most cases.
For example, if sewerage overflows onto carpet and damages it by contamination (the loss), the cost of replacing the damaged carpet should be covered by the insurance, and the cost of clearing the blockage that caused sewer to overflow and damage the carpet is not.
If the drain becomes blocked due to accidental damage to the drain, then the cost of the repair should be covered by insurance. Before making an insurance claim and before speaking to your insurer, speak to your plumber to understand the cause and your loss, read your insurance policy carefully, write down what the cause and your loss is.
Reasons why homeowners should choose us for help for a blocked drain and other drainage-related problems
Digging up drains to repair them is very expensive. At the first sign of a blockage, you should call a licensed plumber to check your drains. The longer you leave a drain blocked, the more likely you will need to dig the drain up.
Tips for a blocked drain in Canberra
Our drain cleaning experts were able to remove this monster tree root without digging up the whole drain.
Call us on 0448 844 911 for expert drain cleaning now.
- Don’t use root pellets, tablets or chemicals to unblock your drain as they only remove the fine roots. The larger roots continue to grow and eventually become too big for an electric eel and jet rodding machine. The end result is a very expensive dig up of your drains.
- Home owners should choose 6 Star Hot Water and Plumbing for all their blocked drains and drainage problems, is that our owner; Robert Edwards is a former president of The Master Plumbers Drainers and Gasfitters Association of the ACT and a former Director of Master Plumbers Australia. He guarantees that he can provide:
Drain Repair Services for Canberra and Queanbeyan
- Prompt service from a locally owned business – In an emergency, we can attend your house within the hour to fix your blocked drains or drainage problem. We can also visit that same day, within an agreed time frame.
- Experienced tradespeople – We have cleared more than 5,000 blocked drains and fixed many other drainage problems in Canberra and Queanbeyan. If we can’t unblock your blocked drains, we won’t charge you for trying.
- Modern equipment – We have colour CCTV drain camera technology in Canberra to accurately locate all the problems in your blocked drains. We also have the latest in drain cleaning electric eels and jetting equipment.
- We can unblock almost any sewerage drain and help you save thousands on unnecessary drain dig-ups.
- Good workmanship and value for money – We know that doing the job right the first time will keep your drains and drainage systems working for much longer. When we clear a blocked drain we attempt to clear the whole drain to beyond the property boundary. This saves our customers money as they don’t have to call a plumber out to fix another blockage further down the drain.
- Responsible tradespeople – We don’t use sub-contractors. Your health and safety are important to us.
- Competitive rates – We constantly monitor our competitors and suppliers’ prices and services to ensure the best pricing for our customers.
- Honesty – We will give you the best advice when it comes to the maintenance of your drains and the design of your drainage systems. We will never try to talk you into any expensive and unnecessary drainage repairs. We know that many of our competitors will happily give a cheap price to get onto your property, knowing that by the time they leave they will have stung you for thousands of dollars.
- Convenience – You don’t have to do a thing. You call us, we do all of the dirty work and any paperwork that may be required.
- Up-to-date information – We will keep you informed regarding the cause of any blockages and our progress. While we dislike giving our customers bad news, we like to keep them in the loop all the way through the job. We are kept up to date by ACTPLA regarding any changes in local drainage regulations. The ACT Master Plumbers, Drainers and Gasfitters Association constantly updates us with any technological breakthroughs.
- Reliable warranty, service and backup – We are a locally owned business and we do not use sub-contractors. Therefore, when something goes wrong with your water drainage system we fix it and we fix it fast.
- Emergency drain cleaning services and drain cleaning pipe inspections.
