Need Help with Blocked Drain Repairs in Canberra and Queanbeyan?
Need help with Blocked Drains in Canberra or Queanbeyan?
Homeowners should choose us to help with blocked drains and other drainage-related problems.
Digging up broken and blocked drains to repairing them may be very expensive. You should call a licensed plumber to check or clear your drains at the first sign of a blockage. The longer you leave a drain blocked, the longer and thicker roots can grow, and the more likely you will need to dig the drain up and replace it. Tree roots can easily crack and destroy a drain if left to grow, especially with older earthenware clay or concrete pipes.
Tips and tricks for blocked drains in Canberra and Queanbeyan
Our drain cleaning experts removed the monster tree root pictured above without digging the whole drain.
Call us on 0448 844 911 for expert drain cleaning in Canberra and Queanbeyan.
- Don’t use root pellets, tablets or chemicals to unblock your drain; they only remove the delicate roots. The more extensive roots continue to grow and eventually become too big for an electric eel and jet rodding machine. The result is a very expensive dig-up of your drains.
- 6 Star Hot Water & Plumbing Canberra’s director, Robert Edwards, is a former president of The Master Plumbers Drainers and Gasfitters Association of the ACT and a former Director of Master Plumbers Australia and has been clearing drains in the ACT and Queanbeyan since 1991.
Professional Blocked Drain Repairs in Canberra
How much does it cost to unclog a drain?
The type of blockage in your drain, the length and the access you have into your drains will affect the cost of unclogging it. If access into the drain is good, grease is relatively easy to clear from drains with a water jetter, and should take one to two hours.
If a drain is blocked with tree roots, it too, should take one to two hours to properly unclog the drain. Most ethical plumbers will charge you an hourly rate for drain cleaning. Their charges will be X amount for the first hour and X amount for every 15 minutes after.
Be wary of plumbers who quote you an upfront flat fee to unblock a drain or they seem extremely cheap, as there is always a catch. An ethical plumber will not be able give you a fixed price for blocked drains, but they can give you a reasonable idea of costs you may be up for before they start.
Instead of asking the plumber, How much does it cost to unclog a drain?, you should ask, What are all of the costs associated with unblocking a drain, how long does it usually take them, what will the plumber do for the money you pay them and are they a member of a trusted industry association?
Who is responsible for clearing blocked drains?
This really does depend on where you live and what the local tenancy, strata, utility and local government rules are. In Canberra Australia, homeowners are responsible for blockages up to and including the connection to ICON water's ( the utility) sewer network. This connection is usually within 1m of the property boundary.
This includes blockages caused by tree roots from the nature strip or a neighbouring property. In neighbouring Queanbeyan NSW, homeowners are generally responsible for blockages in their own drains and the branch drain serving that property.
This responsibility may extend well beyond the property boundary. In most circumstances, a good plumber will have enough knowledge of their local rules to help you understand what the rules of responsibility are in your area.
Is a blocked drain an emergency?
Most blocked drains are emergencies. Overflowing sewer is a health risk to humans and animals and the cause of the blocked drain should be addressed immediately where practicable.
If a sewer drain is not overflowing it is still an emergency, as it could begin overflowing at any time. Blocked stormwater drains are only emergencies if the rainwater can cause damage to a structure, can possibly cause flooding or poses some other safety risk.
This definitely does not mean you should panic and accept the first quote for a repair from a plumber you have not used in the past or have not built up some trust in.
Before accepting a quote for an emergency drain repair get two or three quotes and seek advice from an industry association. In Canberra that is the Master Plumbers Association.
Is a blocked drain covered by insurance?
No, in most cases, clearing of a blocked drain is not covered by insurance. Real damage (the loss) caused as a result of a blocked drain is covered by insurance in most cases.
For example, if sewerage overflows onto carpet and damages it by contamination (the loss), the cost of replacing the damaged carpet should be covered by the insurance, and the cost of clearing the blockage that caused sewer to overflow and damage the carpet is not.
If the drain becomes blocked due to accidental damage to the drain, then the cost of the repair should be covered by insurance. Before making an insurance claim and before speaking to your insurer, speak to your plumber to understand the cause and your loss, read your insurance policy carefully, write down what the cause and your loss is.
Drain Repair Services for Canberra and Queanbeyan
- Prompt plumbing services from a locally owned business – In an emergency, we can attend to your house within an hour to fix your blocked drains or drainage problem. We can also visit that same day within an agreed time frame.
- Experienced tradespeople – We have cleared over 5,000 blocked drains and fixed many other drainage problems in Canberra and Queanbeyan. We won’t charge you for trying if we can’t unblock your blocked drains.
- Modern equipment – We have colour CCTV drain camera technology in Canberra to accurately locate all the problems in your blocked drains. We also have the latest in drain-cleaning electric eels and jetting equipment.
- We can unblock almost any sewerage drain and help you save thousands on unnecessary drain dig-ups.
- Good workmanship and value for money – Doing the job right the first time will keep your drains and drainage systems working much longer. When we clear a blocked drain, we attempt to remove the whole drain beyond the property boundary. This saves our customers money as they don’t have to call a plumber to fix another blockage further down the drain.
- Responsible tradespeople – We don’t use sub-contractors. Your health and safety are important to us.
- Competitive rates – We constantly monitor our competitor’s and suppliers’ prices and services to ensure the best pricing for our customers.
- Honesty – We will give you the best advice regarding the maintenance of your drains and the design of your drainage systems. We will never try to talk you into expensive and unnecessary drainage repairs. We know that many of our competitors will happily give a low price to get onto your property, knowing that by the time they leave, they will have stung you for thousands of dollars.
- Convenience – You don’t have to do a thing. You call us; we do all the dirty work and any paperwork that may be required.
- Up-to-date information – We will keep you informed regarding the cause of any blockages and our progress. While we dislike giving our customers lousy news, we like to keep them in the loop through the job. We are kept up to date by ACTPLA regarding any changes in local drainage regulations. The ACT Master Plumbers, Drainers and Gasfitters Association constantly update us with any technological breakthroughs.
- Reliable warranty, service and backup – We are a locally owned business and do not use sub-contractors. Therefore, we fix it quickly when something goes wrong with your water drainage system.
- Emergency drain cleaning services and drain cleaning pipe inspections.
