Our Services
Blocked Drains
Your local drain specialists
We clear blocked drains for homes and businesses right across Sydney's Eastern Suburbs, from a slow kitchen sink or gurgling toilet to a fully blocked sewer line. The right tool for the job, a fixed price agreed up front, and your water flowing again fast.
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Send your details and we'll call you straight back. $0 callout, fixed pricing.
Blocked drains are one of the most common jobs we handle for homeowners and businesses across the Eastern Suburbs. Over time, grease, food scraps, hair, soap and everyday debris build up inside your pipes, and in older suburbs, tree roots and ageing clay pipes add to the problem. Left too long, a slow drain becomes a full blockage, an overflow, or an expensive repair, so it is worth dealing with early.
Whatever is causing it, we clear it quickly and cleanly. Most household blockages are running again in the same visit with high-pressure water jetting equipment. For bigger or recurring problems, we send a CCTV camera down the line to find the exact cause. Every job is a fixed price, agreed up front, and we are a local, family-run team.
Our Process
How we handle blocked drains
CCTV drain camera inspection to identify the blockage location and cause
High-pressure water jetting (up to 5,000 PSI) to clear the obstruction
Root cutting for tree root intrusion
Drain repair or relining if the pipe is damaged
Post-clearing CCTV verification to confirm the line is clear
Need blocked drains sorted? Get in touch.
Get a Free QuoteTree Root Blocked Drains
Tree root blocked drains - our end-to-end process
Tree roots are the #1 cause of blocked drains in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs. Mature trees send roots into even tiny gaps in pipe joints, especially in older clay and terracotta pipes common in suburbs like Coogee, Bondi, and Randwick. A simple clear is often just a temporary fix - roots grow back unless the entry point is sealed.
CCTV drain camera inspection to locate exactly where roots have entered and assess pipe condition
High-pressure water jetting or mechanical root cutting to clear the blockage completely
Post-clearing CCTV to check whether roots have cracked or displaced the pipe
If the pipe is intact: clear and monitor. We can schedule annual maintenance clears to stay ahead of regrowth
If the pipe is damaged: no-dig pipe relining creates a seamless new pipe inside the old one, permanently sealing root entry points. 50-year design life. See our pipe relining service for details
Why Norton
Why choose Norton Plumbing
$0 Callout Fee
No charge just to show up. You only pay for the work.
Fixed Pricing
Quoted upfront before we start. No surprises, ever.
30-Min Response
Based in Coogee. 30 minutes to most Eastern Suburbs locations.
5★ Google
101 five-star reviews from real customers.
Licensed & Insured
Licence #397768C. Master Plumbers NSW member.
15+ Years Local
Adam, Rebecca and the team know Eastern Suburbs plumbing inside out.
Pricing
We provide upfront, fixed pricing, quoted and agreed before any work begins. We'll work with you to find the best-value repair that meets your needs and budget.
Quoted and agreed upfront before any work begins.
When to Call
- Slow-draining sinks, showers, or bathtubs
- Gurgling sounds from drains or toilets
- Foul odours coming from drains
- Water pooling around floor drains
- Multiple fixtures draining slowly at once
Prevention Tips
- Never pour cooking oil or grease down the sink - let it cool and bin it
- Use drain strainers in showers and basins to catch hair and debris
- Flush drains monthly with boiling water to dissolve soap and grease buildup
- Know where your trees are relative to your drain lines - roots are the #1 cause of blockages in the Eastern Suburbs
- Don't flush wet wipes, even if the packet says flushable - they don't break down and cause blockages further down the line
Common Questions
Blocked Drains FAQ
Most blocked drains are cleared within 1-2 hours. If we discover pipe damage that needs relining or repair, we'll give you a separate quote for that work.
Yes - we're available 24/7 for emergency drain blockages. Based in Coogee, we can reach most Eastern Suburbs locations within 30 minutes.
A slow drain is usually the early stage of a blockage. If you're noticing gurgling sounds, bad smells, or multiple drains running slow at the same time, you likely have a blockage forming. Better to get it checked early before it backs up completely.
Tree roots are the number one cause of blocked drains in the Eastern Suburbs. Roots seek out moisture and can infiltrate even tiny gaps in pipe joints. Older clay and terracotta pipes are especially vulnerable. We clear the roots with high-pressure jetting or mechanical root cutting, then use CCTV to check if the pipe is damaged. If roots have cracked the pipe, we can reline it without digging up your yard - creating a seamless new pipe inside the old one with a 50-year design life.
If the pipe has gaps or cracks where roots entered, yes - they'll regrow within 12-18 months. That's why we always camera the line after clearing. If we find damage, pipe relining permanently seals the entry points so roots can't get back in. If the pipe is intact, we can schedule annual maintenance clears to stay ahead of regrowth.
Blocked drain costs depend on the cause and method needed — a high-pressure jetting clear is a smaller job than a CCTV inspection and root cut, which is smaller again than pipe relining if the pipe is damaged. We quote on-site after assessing the blockage, and you agree to the price before we start. $0 callout fee during business hours. Call 0477 858 951 for a same-day assessment.
No — and especially not in older Eastern Suburbs homes. Chemical drain cleaners like caustic soda or sulfuric acid corrode the copper pipes and clay joints that are common in pre-1980s plumbing in suburbs like Coogee, Bondi, and Randwick. They dissolve soft blockages temporarily but don't fix the underlying cause — hair, grease, and root intrusion come back. Repeated use thins pipe walls and can cause leaks. For any blockage that doesn't clear with boiling water or a basic plunger, call a plumber. It's a cheaper fix in the long run.
It's a common industry bait-and-switch. The $49 covers a basic cable snake — if they find anything more complex (tree roots, pipe damage, CCTV inspection needed), the price jumps immediately once they're already at your door. You've committed to having them there. We don't work that way. We charge $0 to come out, look at the problem properly, and give you an honest assessment. Then we quote a fixed price before starting. You decide whether to proceed — no pressure, no surprise charges.
Yes — and the longer it's left, the worse the damage tends to be. Pressure builds up behind the blockage and stresses joints and pipe walls, which can crack older clay or cast iron pipes. A blocked sewer line can force wastewater back up through floor wastes, toilets, or shower drains — that's a health hazard and a significant clean-up, not just a plumbing job. If tree roots are the cause, they grow through the joint while it's blocked, turning a clearable job into something that needs relining or pipe replacement. Early-stage blockages are usually quick and inexpensive to clear. Left until they cause damage, the repair conversation is different. If your drain is slow, gurgling, or backing up at all, it's worth a call — $0 callout fee, same-day in most cases.
Usually yes. When a single drain is slow, the blockage is typically in the branch line — the smaller pipe serving just that fixture. When multiple drains are slow, gurgling, or backing up at the same time, the problem is almost always in the main sewer line — the larger pipe that all your drains feed into. A main sewer line blockage won't clear with a plunger, and if it backs up fully, wastewater can come up through floor wastes, shower drains, or toilets across your home. If two or more fixtures are slow simultaneously, it's worth calling sooner rather than later. We'll run a CCTV camera down the main line to find exactly where the blockage is — tree roots, grease buildup, or a collapsed section — then give you an upfront quote to fix it.
Yes — and the cost difference between maintenance and emergency is significant. Most recurring blockages in Eastern Suburbs homes have an underlying cause: minor root intrusion that wasn't caught early, grease accumulation in older pipes, or a cracked joint that's slowly collecting debris. A CCTV drain inspection every 2-3 years finds these before they close off completely. We run the camera down your main sewer line, show you exactly what's there, and if there's minor root growth or buildup, we can clear it while it's still a small job. If you're in a pre-1985 home, or you've had a blocked drain in the last few years, it's worth scheduling a maintenance check. The call-out is $0 — you only pay if we find something that needs fixing.
It depends. A drain that's slow but still draining can usually wait a day or two for a scheduled visit. Treat it as an emergency if: your toilet is blocked and it's the only one in the house; wastewater is backing up through any other fixture (shower, floor waste, or basin); nothing in the affected area drains at all; or there's any smell suggesting sewage backup. Wastewater coming back up is a health hazard and needs same-day attention. For anything less urgent, we offer same-day or next-day scheduled service with a $0 callout fee — no need to pay after-hours rates if it can wait until morning.
Blocked Drains by Suburb
Recent jobs
Real Blocked Drains jobs across the Eastern Suburbs
A look at how Norton Plumbing has handled real blocked drains jobs for local homes and strata buildings, with photos from the job.
Case study · 5 min read
Blocked kitchen sink in Coogee: fixed
A Coogee kitchen sink that would not drain, cleared by Norton Plumbing. Why fat build-up blocks kitchen lines and what actually clears it.
Adam Norton · 23 July 2026
Case study · 5 min read
South Coogee drain crack: tree roots
Tree roots had cracked a drain pipe in a South Coogee garden. Norton Plumbing dug down, cut out the damaged section, and replaced it with new PVC pipe.
Adam Norton · 22 July 2026
Case study · 6 min read
Blocked drain Point Piper: tree roots
A Point Piper renovation uncovered a drain packed with tree roots. Here is what the CCTV camera found and how high-pressure jetting cleared the line.
Adam Norton · 7 July 2026
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