Blocked drains
Cleared, and then explained. Knowing what actually caused the blockage is the difference between a fix and the same phone call in six months.
When to call us
Where it is backing up tells you roughly how far down the problem sits.
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01
More than one fixture backing up
A single slow sink is a local problem. A toilet and a shower going at once means the blockage is further down, in the line they share.
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02
Gurgling after you flush
That is air being forced back past a partial blockage. It usually becomes a full one, and it is a smaller job before it does.
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03
Water rising in the shower or gully
The main is full and looking for the lowest opening it can find. Stop using fixtures and call, because the next flush has to go somewhere.
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04
A drain that blocks again and again
The same spot every few months is almost always roots or a broken section, rather than anything that went down it.
What is involved
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01
We work out where it is
Which fixtures are affected, and in what order they went, narrows down whether it is a branch or the main before anything is opened up.
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02
It gets cleared
Through the right access point for that line, rather than the most convenient one, so the mess stays outside the house.
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03
We look at why it happened
A blockage that had a cause worth knowing about, like roots or a collapsed section, is worth finding while we are already there.
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04
You get told what we found
Including when the honest answer is that the line needs more work than a clear. You decide what happens next, with a written price.
What comes out of a blocked line
Three sections cut out of one drain. What is left of the bore is the reason it kept blocking, and no amount of clearing the blockage would have changed it.
What customers say
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We had a blocked toilet and found Sate Plumbing. Jonathon promptly responded and organized to come asap, on the same day. He thoroughly went through the issues and provided clear insightful information. Gave me the flexibility of options and then fixed it within the hour! He went above and beyond and explained what to do to avoid the problem reoccurring.
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We also had a serious clog and they came to our house after already a long day, which turned out was more serious than expected and they had to come back the next day, and they pulled out the biggest thickest tree roots from a main pipe I’d ever seen in my life!
More drain work
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Cleared through the right access point rather than the nearest one, so the mess stays outside the house. -
The section that came out. When the bore has closed up like this, clearing the blockage only buys time.
Common questions
Why does the same drain keep blocking?
Because the clear treated the blockage and not the cause. Repeat blockages in the same place usually mean roots in a joint or a section of pipe that has broken or dropped. Until that is found you are paying to clear the same spot over and over.
Should I try a supermarket drain cleaner first?
On a slow sink it sometimes helps. On anything more than that it tends to sit in the pipe on top of the blockage, and it is then sitting there when someone opens the line up. Tell us if you have used one.
What should I do while I wait?
Stop using the fixtures on that line, including the washing machine and dishwasher, because everything that goes in has to come out somewhere. If water is already rising, turn off anything that drains automatically.
Do you clear stormwater as well as sewer?
Yes, both, along with the downpipes and gully traps that feed them. Stormwater blockages tend to announce themselves in the first heavy rain after they start.
Get a quote
Say what is backing up and whether it has happened before. A recurring blockage is a different job to a one-off, and the price says so. Either way you get it in writing before anything starts.