Clear it, then look
Mechanical clearing using a drain machine and a cutter head clears most blockages (roots, soap or grease, foreign objects) in a single visit. After clearing, the CCTV camera shows you the pipe wall, joint condition, any root intrusion, any pipe-bellying. With that information you can choose: clear and forget, schedule annual preventive clears, or pipe-line repair (relining) if the camera footage warrants it. We don't push relining unless it does.
Brisbane's main causes
Tree roots are number one — older clay-jointed sewer pipes find the smallest hairline gap and roots expand inside over time. Soap and grease build-up in kitchen and bathroom drains is second. Foreign objects (wipes, sanitary products, kids' toys) round out the top three. Storms cause stormwater blockages when gutters and drains aren't kept clean — usually fixable with a clear-out plus better drain capture.
Same-day on active backups
An actively-backed-up sewer is a genuine emergency — usually within a few hours during business hours, 1–3 hours after hours. Tell whoever answers what's overflowing and from where. If you can hold off using anything that drains into the line until we arrive, that limits the damage.
Who we work with
Residential
Sewer and stormwater blockages, recurring tree-root issues, kitchen and laundry lines.
Commercial
Hospitality and food-service grease blockages, scheduled clearing routines.
Body Corp
Shared sewer line clearing, root maintenance, camera-inspection routines.
Questions, answered.
Six to eight evergreen Q&As — the things customers actually ask before booking us for blocked drains.
What's the first step when a drain is blocked?
Don't keep using the fixture (a backed-up sewer drain that keeps getting water will overflow). If you can shut off appliances draining into the same line (washing machine, dishwasher), do that. Then call us. We start with mechanical clearing using a drain machine and a cutter head — this clears most blockages (tree roots, soap or grease build-up, foreign objects) in a single visit. After clearing, we recommend a CCTV camera inspection so you can see what was causing it and whether the pipe itself needs further work.
What causes most drain blockages in Brisbane?
Tree roots are the number-one cause — Brisbane's older sewer and stormwater pipes are typically clay-jointed and tree roots find the smallest hairline gap, expand inside, and over time form a root mass that catches everything else. Soap and grease build-up in kitchen and bathroom drains is the second. Foreign objects (wipes, sanitary products, kids' toys) round out the top three. Storms can cause stormwater blockages from leaves and debris when gutters and drains aren't kept clean.
Why bother with a camera inspection after the blockage is cleared?
Because clearing a blockage doesn't fix the cause — and if the cause is a cracked pipe with tree roots, the same blockage will recur every few months. The camera shows you the pipe wall, the joint condition, any root intrusion, any pipe-bellying (low points that hold water). With that information you can choose: clear and forget, schedule annual preventive clears, or pipe-line repair (relining) to fix the root cause once. We don't push relining unless the footage clearly warrants it — most blockages don't need it.
What's a pipe relining and when does it make sense?
Trenchless pipe relining inserts a resin-impregnated liner inside the existing pipe and cures it in place — effectively a new pipe inside the old one, without digging up the yard. It makes sense when: the existing pipe is cracked or root-infiltrated in multiple sections, the cost of repeated clearing is exceeding what the reline would cost, or excavation isn't practical (under a slab, under landscaping, through a driveway). For a single small blockage, relining is overkill. We'll show you the camera footage and the price comparison.
What about stormwater blockages?
Stormwater blockages (overflowing pits, water sitting around the house in heavy rain, downpipes draining into the wall cavity) we clear the same way as sewer — mechanical clearing first, camera inspection second, and we'll trace the line to see where the blockage is. Sometimes the issue isn't a blocked pipe at all — it's the original install having no fall on the pipe, or a buried connection that's been crushed by a tree or shed. Camera tells us which.
How quickly can you respond to an actively backed-up sewer?
Same day — usually within a few hours during business hours, and within 1–3 hours after hours. A blocked sewer that's flooding inside is a genuine emergency. Call straight through, tell whoever answers what's overflowing and from where, and we'll dispatch. If you can hold off using anything that drains into the line (shower, washing machine, second toilet) until we get there, that limits the damage.
How do you charge for a drain clear — fixed or hourly?
Standard residential drain clear: usually a fixed call-out plus a fixed clearing fee for blockages reachable from an accessible inspection point — we quote this on the phone before we book. Complex blockages (no accessible point, multiple drain lines, sewer blockage requiring excavation to reach the council connection) are quoted on inspection. The camera inspection if you add it is a separate fixed fee. You'll know the numbers before we start.