No-one wants a blocked drain. You have better things to do than worry about your waste. But the fact of the matter is that blocked drains happen and that the problem can often be handled at home, by yourself. Yes, you! And we’ll show you exactly how. But if being a handyman is not your thing, you can always call on our passionate team at Drain Surgeon, where no job is too deep, too dark, or too dirty. And our workmanship is guaranteed.

If you suspect you have a plumbing problem, don’t panic! Check out our FAQ page to identify your concern. You can also do a basic inspection to see where the blockage is located. Even if you don’t unblock it yourself, you’ll have a much better idea of what’s going on when your call Drain Surgeon for a quote. Click here for contact details, or fill in your details and we’ll call you back within 15 minutes, any time of the day or night. 

So what causes a blocked drain? In general – soil pipes are blocked when foreign objects enter the system, or build-up over time. This could include sanitary products, nappies, your toothbrush or kids toys. Grease, fat and hair accumulates over time until causing a blockage. Your system can also be exposed to leaves and tree roots that can cause cracks and blockages. 

Start at the source of your discomfort by exploring the blocked sink, basin or shower waste pipe as shown in the video (How to unblock sink, basin & shower waste pipes) or discussed in this article (link to What happens when drains are blocked article). Pro tip: Always start at the problematic drain inside your home, before progressively moving downstream in the system by tracing the pipes and opening the cleaning eyes one at a time until you find the obstruction.   

If your drain is still blocked, don’t panic. Blocked drains are one of the most common plumbing problems. To find the best blocked drain solution, do the following:

INSPECT

1. Start by finding the sewer connection where your sewerage joins the public sewer system. This is usually outside in your yard, pavement or driveway.

2. Determine your access to this system. This could be any one of the following:

• A manhole at sewer connection and manholes at strategic points on the system.

• A manhole at the sewer connection, with buried inspection eyes at junctions.

• A manhole at the sewer connection with rodding eyes on the surface of the ground.

• A rodding eye at the sewer connection with an inspection eye immediately downstream of the rodding eye. Followed by rodding eyes at strategic points on the system. 

3. Remove the cover of your identified connection.

4. Inspect the connection for sewage. If sewage can be seen within the manhole or rodding eye, this shows that the blockage is either within the sewer connection or in the public sewage system. 

5. In this case, the property owner should contact the local municipality.

6. If no sewage is seen in the manhole or rodding eye, you have a blocked drain that you can attempt to remove. Or of course, you can rather leave it to the experts at Drain Surgeon.

To do it yourself, get your catch stick and corkscrew attachment and let’s do this:

MANUAL REMOVAL

1. Remove all accessible manhole covers, rodding eye covers or inspection eye covers immediately downstream of the sewer connection until the blockage is located. Blocked Drain Solutions

2. Insert a catch stick in the downstream side at the next clear manhole between the blockage and the connection manhole.

3. Securely attach a corkscrew attachment to 3 or 4 clearing rods and insert the corkscrew and rods into the upstream side of the drain. Use more rods as required until the blockage is reached. Blocked Drain Solutions

4. Rotate the rods in a clockwise direction so that the corkscrew enters the blockage material. Withdraw the rods, still turning them in a clockwise direction. Remove the blockage from the corkscrew and repeat this procedure until sewerage is flowing freely.

5. Remove the catch stick. Flush a number of appliances with water to ensure the drain is functioning correctly.

If the blockage is not removable or inaccessible from a manhole, you might have to excavate the buried inspection eyes and attempt to unblock the drain through the inspection eyes. Blocked Drain Solutions

You can also watch a video on how to unblock drain pipes here. If you’d rather leave the job to the professionals, you can also download the Drain Surgeon app here and save R150 on your first job!

WHY CALL US

Drain Surgeon is the largest plumbing group in the Southern Hemisphere. We will give you quick and professional service no matter what your plumbing and drainage needs may be.

Call us today and our plumbing team will take care of it – any time of day or night. We offer plumbing services 24 hours a day across South Africa and we’ll take care of any plumbing problem that’s arisen in your home, regardless of its severity. We’ve been in the business for a long time and we’ve seen it all, so you can enjoy peace of mind in knowing that one of our expert plumbers will be with you soon. 

Check out our testimonials here to hear what other happy customers have to say. We hope to add your testimonial there next!

Why call Drain Surgeon? We offer all general and specialised plumbing services, 24 hours a day.

• We are on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

• Your call will always be answered by our helpful staff – never an answering machine.

• You do not pay extra for services outside office hours.

• We will keep you informed throughout the process.

• Our technicians will always be professional, highly competent and wear our easy recognisable uniform.

• The Drain Surgeon vehicles carry all the equipment to complete most jobs immediately.

• We leave all work areas clean and tidy.

• When you call us we will endeavour to solve your problem quickly and professionally.