Clearing Blocked Toilet Drains – Canberra & Queanbeyan

Don’t go another day with blocked toilets or toilet drains

Call now for our professional plumbers who can get your toilets working in no time

Call 0448 844 911 today

Unblocking and clearing blocked toilet drains and pipes

We can help when a repair or replacement is needed to unblock toilet drains, as clearing blocked toilets can be tricky in Queanbeyan and Canberra.

We are called to clear around 700 blocked sewer drains and 100 stormwater drains in Canberra and Queanbeyan every year. We successfully clear 98% of all choked drains that we tend to and most are due to multiple tree root blockages.
Those that we cannot clear with an electric eel, we try to clear with a high-pressure water jetter.

Oncewe clear the blockage, we then continue with the drain cleaning process until we reach the boundary connection. You can read our blog about how to unblock drains with an electric eel.

Don’t take risks with blocked toilets and drains

We can provide fast, professional help today

We have been called to many homes where the sewage overflowing from drains has destroyed carpets and timber floors, has seeped into the walls, and flooded subfloor areas.

The resulting stench and health risks can be worse than the visible damage. Most drains that have overflowed from toilets are the result of homeowners not understanding or reacting to the symptoms of blocked drains soon enough.

One of the first signs of a blocked drain may be a bubbling or smelly toilet. You may find that your drains are overflowing outside, or worse – overflowing inside your home. This sewage may be overflowing from a floor drain or you may have discovered an overflowing toilet.

Tree roots in drains are a major problem in Canberra and Queanbeyan. Unfortunately, there are some drains that just can’t be cleared with an electric eel or jet rodder.

They may have too many tree roots in them, the drain may have collapsed or there is no access into the section of blocked sewer pipe. In these cases, the sewer drain needs to be dug up and repaired.

Unblocking toilets can be tricky as there is limited access into the branch lines connecting toilets to the main house sewerage system. If it is a matter of access into the drain, an experienced plumber will know where to dig to find the inspection opening (IO) attached to the top of the drain.

A blocked toilet may highlight the limited access into sewer drains in Canberra and Queanbeyan. Electric eels and jetters cannot be put through toilets as they are likely to crack the pan.

Newer toilets are fixed to the floor with silicone. Therefore, they are easier to remove and the drain can usually be accessed from inside the house. However, using drain cleaning equipment inside can be very messy and can cause damage to bathroom fixtures, floors and walls.

The best access point is likely to be buried directly outside, under a path or garden.

Fig. 1) Toilet branch line blocked with tree roots

The plumber will dig down to the top of the IO and remove the cap. Once access is made, the plumber will send the cutter into the drain, back towards the toilet. One plumber is usually inside, ready to warn the plumber when the cutter can be heard close to the pan. The plumber uses the cutter to remove the tree roots from the toilet branch line.

Once the blocked toilet drain is cleared, the plumber will send the cutter in the opposite direction, down the drain, ensuring the blockage is moved all of the way to ICON Water or Queanbeyan Council’s sewer main.

Fig. 3) Electric eel being used to push residual tree roots into the sewer main

Once the drain is cleared, the plumber will install a piece of pipe between the inspection opening and ground level. This pipe will have a cap that can be easily removed. This raised access point (IO) will make drain cleaning easier in the future when tree roots inevitably grow back.

Fig. 4) A plastic UPVC riser is installed on the toilet drain for future access when the tree roots grow back

According to the Australian Standards for Sanitary Plumbing & Drainage AS/NZS 3500, every toilet drain that is blocked with tree roots, cracked, overflowing or has collapsed, should be excavated and repaired. The Standard requires all sewer drains to be functioning and sealed to prevent egress of sewer into the surrounding soil and groundwater, and to prevent ingress of groundwater into the sewer.

Don’t risk your drains overflowing inside your home
Call us for professional help now 0448 844 911

Unblocking toilet drains is tricky. Clearing blocked toilets is our trade. We can help when a repair or replacement is required in Canberra or Queanbeyan.

You can speak to a qualified tradesman now by calling 0448 844 911