What to Do When Your Drain Blocks on a Weekend

Step 1 — Stop Using Water Immediately

Sounds obvious, but the moment you suspect a blockage, stop running every tap, washing machine and dishwasher in the house. Continuing to fill a blocked drain can push waste water back through floor wastes or shower bases and cause real damage.

Step 2 — Identify How Bad It Is

• Single fixture (e.g. kitchen sink) blocked: usually a localised blockage in the trap
• Multiple fixtures slow or gurgling: likely a main drain or vent issue
• Sewage backing up onto the floor: stop, ventilate, and call a plumber immediately

Step 3 — Things You Can Safely Try

• Boiling water down a kitchen sink (NOT on PVC traps — use hot tap water instead)
• A cup of baking soda followed by a cup of vinegar — leave for 20 minutes, flush with hot water
• A proper rubber plunger over the drain with the overflow blocked
• Manually removing hair and gunk from a shower waste with gloves

Things to Avoid (Seriously)

• Caustic drain cleaners from the supermarket — they damage seals, traps and the environment
• Wire coat hangers shoved down the drain — they scratch enamel and rarely reach the blockage
• Renting a drain snake without experience — you can punch through old earthenware pipes

"Nine times out of ten the cause is roots or wipes — not what you put down the sink that day. A CCTV camera tells us exactly what's going on without guesswork."

When to Call Us

If a basic plunge and hot water flush hasn't cleared it within 30 minutes, stop and call. We arrive with a high-pressure water jetter, CCTV drain camera and electric eel — most blockages we clear in under an hour and you get to enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Frequently Asked Questions