Blocked drains are one of the most common plumbing call-outs I attend in Canberra. The frustrating part is that most of them are completely preventable. A few small changes to your daily habits can save you the cost and hassle of a blocked drain. Here are five practical tips that actually work.
1. Do Not Pour Grease Down the Sink
This is the number one cause of blocked kitchen drains. Cooking oil, fat, and grease might flow down as a liquid when they are hot, but as they cool in the pipe, they solidify and stick to the inside of the drain. Over time, layers of grease build up and narrow the pipe until nothing can get through.
It does not matter how much hot water or dishwashing liquid you run after it. The grease will still solidify further down the line where the water cools.
What to do instead: Let cooking oil and grease cool, then scrape it into the bin. For small amounts, wipe the pan with a paper towel before washing it. Keep an old jar or tin near the stove to collect used cooking oil. Once it is full, throw it in the bin.
2. Use Drain Guards and Strainers
A simple mesh drain guard over your shower, bath, and kitchen sink drains catches hair, food scraps, and debris before they enter the pipe. They cost a few dollars from any hardware store and take two seconds to install.
Hair is one of the biggest culprits for bathroom drain blockages. A single shower can send enough hair down the drain to start building a blockage, especially in households with long hair. A drain guard catches it before it becomes a problem. Just clean the guard out after each use.
In the kitchen, a sink strainer catches food scraps that would otherwise accumulate in the pipe. Even small pieces of food can build up over time, particularly in the U-bend (trap) under the sink.
3. Be Careful What You Flush
Toilets are designed to handle human waste and toilet paper. That is it. Everything else should go in the bin. The most common items I pull out of blocked sewer lines include:
- Wet wipes (even the ones labelled "flushable" cause blockages)
- Cotton buds and cotton pads
- Sanitary products
- Nappies
- Paper towels and tissues
- Dental floss
"Flushable" wipes are a particularly common problem. Despite what the packaging says, they do not break down like toilet paper. They catch on joints and rough spots inside the pipe and create a web that traps everything else. I have pulled solid masses of "flushable" wipes out of blocked sewer lines that were almost impossible to shift without high-pressure jetting.
4. Schedule Regular Maintenance
An annual drain clean is cheap insurance against a major blockage. A plumber can use a high-pressure jetter to flush out the buildup that accumulates in your drains over the course of a year, including grease, soap residue, hair, and mineral deposits.
This is especially important for older Canberra homes. Properties built in the 1960s and 70s often have clay or earthenware drainage pipes that are prone to tree root intrusion and joint displacement. Regular maintenance catches these issues early before they become a full blockage or pipe collapse.
If you have had a blockage before, maintenance is even more important. A cleared blockage does not mean the underlying cause is gone. Tree roots that have been cut will grow back. Grease buildup will return. A regular maintenance schedule keeps things flowing and catches problems before they turn into emergencies.
5. Watch for Early Warning Signs
Drains rarely go from perfectly fine to completely blocked without warning. There are usually early signs that something is building up. Watch for:
- Slow draining: If your sink, shower, or bath is draining noticeably slower than usual, something is partially blocking the pipe. Catching it now is much easier and cheaper than waiting until it blocks completely.
- Gurgling sounds: If you hear gurgling from your drains, particularly when other fixtures are in use, it usually means air is being trapped by a partial blockage somewhere in the system.
- Bad smells: Unpleasant odours coming from your drains can indicate a buildup of organic matter, grease, or even a partial sewage blockage. This is not normal and should be investigated.
- Water backing up: If water comes up through one drain when you use another (for example, water appearing in the shower when you flush the toilet), you likely have a blockage in the main sewer line. This needs professional attention.
When to Call a Professional
If you have a slow drain, you can try a plunger first. A good old-fashioned cup plunger often works for minor blockages in sinks and showers. Avoid chemical drain cleaners if you can. They are harsh on your pipes, bad for the environment, and rarely solve the underlying problem.
If plunging does not work, or if you are dealing with recurring blockages, it is time to call a plumber. We use CCTV drain cameras to see exactly what is causing the problem, whether it is grease buildup, tree roots, a collapsed pipe section, or something else entirely. Once we know the cause, we can fix it properly rather than just treating the symptoms.
For stubborn blockages, we use high-pressure water jetters that blast through even the toughest buildup. For tree root intrusion, we can cut the roots and recommend a long-term solution to prevent them from coming back. Learn more about our blocked drain services.
Dealing with a blocked drain?
Call Jack for fast, effective drain clearing across Canberra.