Blocked drains can cause waste water to flow up drains and lead to flooding, property damage, and health hazards if not addressed quickly. This article will help you identify a blocked drain and provides tips on how to fix it.
Signs of a Blocked Drain
Promptly addressing early warning signs of a blocked drain is vital to prevent damage to your home.
Signs of a blockage can include:
- Water backing up in sinks or toilets
- Slow drainage
- Gurgling sounds from pipes
- Foul odours
- Overflowing toilets
- Dangerous gas leaks through unsealed toilets
Causes of Blocked Drains Inside Your Home
Drains and plumbing pipes inside your home can build up with debris over time. This material can include hair, soap, and foreign materials such as baby wipes. Broken drains and pipes, poor drainage, and incorrectly installed backfalls can also cause blockages.
Tree Roots Blocking Drains
Blocked drains can also be caused by tree roots breaking their way into waste water, sewer, or storm water drains in your garden or on the front nature strip. This process is called root intrusion.
Tree roots are naturally drawn to sources of moisture, and underground drains and sewer pipes provide an attractive water supply. Even small cracks or joints in the pipes can release moisture that attracts roots.
Pipes carry not only water but also oxygen, nutrients, and minerals that can attract tree roots. The chemical composition of wastewater can also be appealing to roots seeking nourishment.
Invasive Tree Species
Some tree species are more prone to aggressive root growth. Trees with strong and invasive root systems, such as such as the Jacaranda Tree, Willows or Figs, are more likely to damage drains.
Tree roots can expand and multiply, gradually filling the pipe space. This expansion exerts pressure on the pipes, contributing to their deterioration and the potential for more extensive damage.
And as tree roots grow inside the pipes, they can create blockages. This leads to reduced water flow, slow drainage, and eventually a complete obstruction.
Pipe Degradation in Old Pipes
In older Queensland homes pipes are often made of clay or concrete which can degrade over time. As these materials deteriorate, they can develop cracks or openings that allow tree roots to invade the pipe space.
Brisbane Combined Drains
Combined sanitary drains can also be impacted by blockages. These drains are common in federation suburbs across inner city Brisbane and can serve up to six homes. Often these drains are not clearly marked on town planning maps. These drains are prone to decay and they can be expensive to fix as replacement pipes may need to be rerouted through neighbouring yards.
How do Plumbers Clear Blocked Drains?
Taylor’d Plumbing Works specialise in pipe inspections and clearing blocked drains. We use CCTV cameras that are fed into a drain to look for blockages or damaged pipe.
Once we identify a blockage, we can use a drain eel to dislodge clogs, and then a high-pressure water jet to blast remaining debris.
Thermal Cameras Water Leak Detection
Taylor’d Plumbing also uses a FLIR thermal camera to identify water leaks and plumbing pipe blockages. By detecting temperature changes, we are able to pinpoint the source of blockages, and reduce the need for invasive work.
Blocked Toilet Waste Pipe
Recently, Taylor’d Plumbing did an emergency plumbing call out to a Brisbane home with a blocked toilet and a leaking sewer pipe.
We found metres of tree roots overgrown within the toilet pipe. The roots were blocking waste water from flushing away. There was also the risk of backflow spreading water borne bacteria and other nasties into the home.
The root system inside the pipe was extensive, but we were able to clear out all roots and debris, and then repair the leaking sewer pipe. The home owner, Linda Nevell, was very happy with the result:
“Sean and apprentice Hayden did an amazing job unblocking my toilet pipe. They were professional, friendly and knowledgeable.
Sean even returned after payment to put finishing touches on the job and make sure the concreting around the pipe looked tidy. In addition, the price was very competitive. Highly recommended – 10 Stars”
Linda Nevell – Petrie, Brisbane
Blocked Drains Plumbing Service
Routine plumbing checks are important to prevent blocked pipes, water leaks, and water damage in your home.
Plumbing inspections by master plumbers such as Taylor’d Plumbing can help identify problems early on. Our preventative maintenance can then help extend the life of your home’s plumbing system. This will save you time and money in the long run.
