Kitchen sink drains
Fat, oil and food scraps cool and set inside the pipe until nothing gets through. Chemical cleaners rarely shift a solid grease plug and can damage older pipes.
DRAIN CLEARING · CCTV INSPECTION · PIPE RELINING
Blocked Drains Caboolture
A blocked drain rarely fixes itself. Caboolture Plumbing and Hot Water clears kitchen, bathroom, toilet, sewer and stormwater blockages across Caboolture, Morayfield, Burpengary, Bribie Island and the wider Moreton Bay region, finds out what caused it and gives you a plan so it does not come back.
QBCCLicensed plumbersCCTVDrain camerasJetterHigh-pressure clearingNo-digPipe relining
Camera, jetter and relining on the vanBook online or call
Drains we clear
Which fixture is blocked, and whether more than one is affected, tells us a lot before we arrive. A single slow basin is a local blockage. Every drain in the house backing up, or water at the overflow relief gully outside, points to the main sewer line.
Shower, bath and basin drains
Hair, soap scum and toothpaste build up in the trap and the first metre of pipe. Slow draining and a smell from the waste are the early signs.
Toilets and sewer lines
Wipes, sanitary products and too much paper block the pan or the line beneath it. A toilet that gurgles when the shower runs usually means the shared sewer line is restricted.
Stormwater drains and downpipes
Leaves, silt and roots block stormwater lines, which shows up as overflowing gutters and pooling in the yard during heavy rain. Clearing these before storm season avoids water against the house.
How we find and clear the blockage
The equipment on the van is chosen so most blockages are diagnosed and cleared in one visit, and so the cause is found rather than just the symptom.
CCTV drain camera
A camera on a flexible cable travels down the pipe and shows exactly what is blocking it and where: roots, a cracked section, a bellied pipe or a foreign object. You can watch the screen with us.
High-pressure water jetting
A jetter uses water at high pressure to cut through roots, grease and debris and flush the pipe wall clean. It clears more than a hand auger and reaches further along the line.
Pipe locating
A locator picks up the camera head from above ground, so if a section needs repair we mark the exact spot and depth instead of digging along the whole run.
Pipe relining
For a cracked or root-damaged pipe, a resin-soaked liner is inserted and cured inside the existing pipe, creating a new smooth pipe within the old one. No trench through the driveway or the garden.
| What you notice | Likely cause | What we do |
|---|---|---|
| One basin or sink drains slowly | Hair, grease or a foreign object in the trap or first section of pipe | Clear the trap and local line; check the vent if it gurgles |
| Toilet gurgles when the shower or washing machine drains | Partial blockage in the shared sewer line | Camera inspection, then jet the line and confirm it is clear |
| Water or sewage at the overflow relief gully outside | Main sewer line blocked between the house and the connection point | Jet from the gully or inspection opening; camera to find the cause |
| Gutters overflow and water pools in the yard in rain | Blocked stormwater pipe, downpipe or silted pit | Clear the line and pit; check falls and outlets |
| Recurring blockages in the same spot | Tree roots or a cracked, sagging or collapsed section | Locate the fault, then reline or replace that section |
What a drain clear involves
The camera shows what is blocking the pipe and where, and the jetter cuts through it and flushes the line clean. Where roots or damage were involved, a second look with the camera confirms the result.
Why drains block in Caboolture homes
Caboolture is an older town, so many homes around the town centre and along the Caboolture River still have earthenware sewer lines. The joints in those pipes let tree roots in, and roots are the most common cause of repeat blockages we see in established streets. Camphor laurels, figs and other thirsty trees find a sewer line quickly.
In the newer estates around Bellmere, Morayfield, Upper Caboolture and Burpengary the pipes are PVC and roots are less of an issue. Blockages there are usually about what goes down the drain: wipes that do not break down, cooking fat, and stormwater lines that were never cleared of builder's debris.
Heavy summer rain puts stormwater systems under load across the whole region. A stormwater line that is half full of silt copes in light rain and fails in a storm, which is why we suggest clearing stormwater before the wet season rather than during it.
What to do before we arrive
Stop using the affected fixtures, and if drains throughout the house are backing up, stop using water altogether so nothing overflows inside.
Do not pour chemical drain cleaners down the pipe. They rarely clear a real blockage, they can damage older pipes, and they make the job more hazardous for the plumber who then has to open the line.
Find your overflow relief gully. It is a grated outlet in the yard, usually near the kitchen or bathroom wall, set lower than the floor of the house. If sewage is coming out of it, that is the system working as designed to keep waste outside, and it confirms a main line blockage.
Clear access to the drain, the gully and any inspection openings so we can get equipment to them quickly.
On the tools
How it works
1
Call or book online
Tell us which drains are affected and whether water is coming up anywhere. That helps us bring the right equipment the first time.
2
Diagnose on site
The plumber checks the fixtures, the overflow gully and the inspection openings, and runs the camera if the cause is not obvious.
3
Price before work
You get the price for clearing the drain before we start. If the camera shows damage that needs relining or replacement, that is quoted separately and you decide.
4
Clear, confirm, advise
The line is jetted or cleared, checked with water running and, where roots or damage were involved, inspected again with the camera. We tell you what caused it and how to stop it recurring.
Questions answered
How do I know if it is the sewer main or just one drain?
If only one fixture is slow, the blockage is local to that fixture. If several drains are affected, a toilet gurgles when other fixtures drain, or water appears at the overflow relief gully outside, the main sewer line between the house and the connection point is blocked.
Who is responsible for a blocked sewer: me or Unitywater?
In the City of Moreton Bay, Unitywater owns and maintains the sewer mains in the street. The property owner is responsible for the house drain from the fixtures to the connection point on the property. If our camera shows the blockage is in Unitywater's main, we tell you so you can report it to them rather than paying us to clear it.
Will you need to dig up my yard?
Usually not. Most blockages are cleared through the overflow gully or an inspection opening. If the camera shows a cracked or root-damaged section, pipe relining repairs it from inside the pipe. Excavation is only needed when a pipe has collapsed or its fall is wrong.
Are chemical drain cleaners safe to use first?
We advise against them. They rarely dissolve a real blockage such as roots or a grease plug, caustic products can damage older earthenware and galvanised pipes, and they leave a hazard in the line for whoever opens it next. Boiling water down a greasy kitchen sink is the only home remedy we suggest.
Do you clear stormwater drains as well as sewer drains?
Yes. Stormwater lines, downpipes, pits and surface drains are cleared with the same jetting and camera equipment. Blocked stormwater is worth dealing with before the summer storm season.
Can a blocked drain damage my home?
It can. Sewage backing up inside the house is a health issue, and stormwater that cannot get away can pool against the slab or under the house. Both are reasons to deal with a slow drain before it becomes a full blockage.
Blocked drain in Caboolture?
Stop running water, find the overflow gully, then call 1300 568 203 or book online.