What to do if you have a blocked sewer

Blocked sewer drains are a common plumbing problem in Melbourne and most residential and commercial property owners will have to deal with a clogged drain at some stage.  Without the technical knowledge and expertise that comes with more than 33 years of unblocking drains it can be difficult to know what to do when you have a blocked sewer line.

Sometimes blocked sewer pipes can occur even after following the 3 Ps guide of only flushing Pee, Poo and (toilet) Paper down your toilet.  Tree roots, broken or collapsed drainpipes and ground movement can all cause your sewer to block.  So how do you know if you have a blocked sewer pipe and what do you do if you do?

How to know if you have a sewer blockage

Clogged sewer drains usually happen over time and there are generally early signs your sewer might be clogging up.  Some common signs are:

• gurgling sound in your drains when you flush a toilet, have a shower or empty the sink
• sewer smells starting to emanate around your property
• sinks, baths, basins or showers are draining slowly
• toilet bowl is filling up when flushed or completely draining of water after a flush letting sewer smells into your home
• overflow relief gully outside your home has signs of paper or sewage around it

What to do if you have a blocked sewer

First thing to do if you suspect you have a blocked sewer is to STOP flushing. Continually flushing the toilet or draining sinks will not unblock your drains but it could cause your sewer to overflow and leave a nasty mess on your floor.

The second thing to do is check your overflow relief gully located outside your property.  It’s usually located on the ground on the blind side of your house.  This gully is used to relieve any surcharge of sewer caused by a blocked drain in either your property or the main sewer pipes.  If this pipe is full of water or there are signs of toilet water around the grate, then you have a blocked sewer drain.

The next thing to check is your property sewer boundary trap (BT) or inspection shaft (IS) if you have one. The BT or IS can be found at your property boundary where your property sewer pipes meet with the water authority’s main drains.  By lifting the cap on your BT or IS and inspecting the drain you will be able to tell if the pipe is full of sewage.  If it is full or has been overflowing then your sewer is blocked.

The last thing to check is if your plumbing fixtures are draining properly.  If any of them are draining slowly or gurgling then it’s most likely you have a blocked drain. Place the plugin your sink or basin and fill the bowl up, release the plug and if it drains slowly or doesn’t drain completely then you have a blocked drain.

Call an expert blocked-drain plumber

An expert, local blocked-drain plumber will have all the professional equipment and local knowledge to be able to unblock your sewer drain quickly and get your home sewer system running freely again.

After unclogging your drain with either a high-pressure water jet or sewer snake the team at Essendon Plumbing Services will carry out an extensive CCTV sewer camera inspection of your drains to identify where and what caused your blockage and if any further repairs need to be carried out.  For any further repairs required we will supply you with a FREE detailed fixed-price quotation and a copy of the CCTV footage of your drain that you can use for any additional quotes you need, saving you having to pay for additional CCTV drainage inspections.

Essendon Plumbing Services has been in business for more than 33 years and has over 100 years of combined experience of unblocking sewer drains in Melbourne.