Blocked Drain Prices
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Blocked sewer prices
Simple waste blockage — $380 FIXED PRICE
If your blocked sewer is caused by simple waste and I can access the drain through a suitable outdoor cleanout, I will clear and inspect the drain for a fixed price of $380.
Water jetting to clear a sewer waste blockage is the simplest most basic type of drain blockage to clear.
If the blockage is caused by tree roots, a foreign object, damaged pipes or a collapsed pipe, the $380 fixed price doesn't apply, and the work is charged at my Do & Charge rates.
How does it work?
You probably don't know what's causing your blocked sewer — and neither do I.
The blockage is underground and hidden inside your sewer pipe.
So, when I arrive, I first need to:
1. Access the sewer
To clear the blockage, I need a suitable outdoor cleanout to access the underground sewer line.
2. Clear the blockage
I use a water jet to clear the backed-up waste from the pipe so that I can properly inspect it.
3. Inspect the drain
I use a CCTV drain camera to look inside the sewer to show you what caused the blockage.
4. Confirm the price
If the pipe is sound and the blockage was simply waste, the fixed price to clear the sewer is $380.
$380 Fixed Price
Simple Waste Blockage
$380
This fixed price applies when:
✔ The blockage can be accessed through a suitable outdoor cleanout
✔ The drain is structurally sound
✔ The blockage is simply waste material
✔ No tree roots, foreign objects or damaged pipes are involved
Simple sewer waste blockages are generally the most straightforward type of sewer blockage to clear.
Do & Charge
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Complicated sewer blockages
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Stormwater blockages
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CCTV drain camera inspection / location services
Some blocked sewers are extremely unpredictable
Blockages caused by tree roots, foreign objects and damaged or collapsed pipes are more complicated than waste blockages and can take very different amounts of time and equipment to clear.
For these types of blockages, I charge according to the actual work required.
My Do & Charge Rates
Service call
$80 per callout
My time
$160 per hour
Water jet equipment
$80 per hour
CCTV drain camera
$80 per hour
Minimum charge
$400 for the first hour
After the first hour:
$160 per 30 minutes
All prices include GST.
Why don't I quote a fixed price for every blocked sewer?
Blocked drains can be unpredictable, and not all plumbers approach them in the same way.
Want to understand why some blocked drain prices look too good to be true?
I have cleared over 30,000 blocked drains and no two have been the same.
Every blocked sewer is different.
The sewer is underground, and every property has its own unique sewer layout.
Unless I am working for an existing customer, before I start work, I usually don't know:
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Where the sewer runs
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Where the blockage is located
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What has caused the blockage
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How difficult it will be to clear
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How long the work will take
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Whether there is a suitable cleanout
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Whether the pipe is damaged or collapsed
Some properties have one or more accessible cleanouts.
Some have cleanouts that are difficult to find or unsuitable for clearing the blockage.
Some properties have no suitable cleanout at all.
There is simply no reliable way to know how long some blocked sewer jobs will take until I have access to the pipe and can see what I'm dealing with.
That's why I offer a fixed $380 price for straightforward waste blockages with suitable cleanout access, but use Do & Charge pricing for complicated blockages or difficult access.
What caused your blocked sewer?
There are four common causes:
🌳 Tree Roots
Tree roots enter damaged sewer pipes and grow inside the pipe. The roots catch waste and eventually cause a blockage.
🚽 Waste
Waste material flushed down the sewer builds up inside an otherwise sound sewer pipe and causes a blockage.
🧸 Foreign Objects
Objects such as toys, bathroom items, plastic products and other items can become stuck inside the sewer.
💥 Damaged Pipes
An old, damaged or collapsed sewer pipe can prevent waste from flowing through the drain.
The important thing to understand is that the above ground symptoms of a blocked drain underground are exactly the same for all the common causes above, so you normally won't know which one is causing your blockage until the drain has been cleared and inspected.
Clear it ➟ Inspect it ➟ Explain it
I don't believe in guessing what's wrong with your sewer.
I clear the blockage, inspect the pipe with a CCTV drain camera and show you what I've found.
If it's a simple waste blockage and the conditions for the fixed price are met:
$380 FIXED PRICE
If I find tree roots, a foreign object, damaged or collapsed pipes, I'll show you what I've found and explain what needs to be done.
At that point, the choice is yours. You can ask me to continue with the additional drain cleaning work, or you can simply have me leave the drain flowing as it is.
If you decide not to proceed with further drain cleaning work, the charge will be $380, and I'll leave you with a flowing drain.
Keep in mind that if the underlying problem has not been removed — for example, tree roots are still present in the pipe — the drain may block again.
No guessing. No unnecessary repairs. Just an honest assessment of your blocked sewer.
Clearing the blockage is not the same as removing the cause
Getting a blocked sewer flowing and removing the underlying cause are two different jobs.
Provided there is a suitable outdoor cleanout to use I can normally get a blocked sewer flowing relatively quickly using a penetrating water-jet nozzle. This gets the waste moving again and clears the drain but is not designed to completely remove tree roots.
Once the drain is flowing, I can inspect it with a CCTV drain camera to see what's causing the blockage.
If tree roots are present and you want them removed, I can use specialised hydraulic root-cutting nozzles to remove them. How long it will take to cut and remove the tree roots will depend on a number of factors. You can read more about the factors that influence the removal of tree roots from drains here on my website or visit my YouTube channel to see me carrying out this type of drain cleaning work.
You don't have to decide to do that work immediately.
Once I've shown you what's inside the pipe, the decision is yours.