How To Unblock A Drain Outside In 3 Easy Steps

by BPD Team | Dec 1, 2021

Sink all backed up? Toilet mess won’t flush down? Bathwater still sitting there from the night before? Every blocked drain is frustrating – but luckily unblocking them can sometimes be a breeze. Some elbow grease with a plunger, a kettle of (nearly) boiled water, some baking soda and vinegar – there are plenty of pretty easy things to try. But what if you’re dealing with a blocked drain outside your home?

First, we’ll be honest – dealing with how to unblock a drain outside is generally trickier than unblocking your drain inside your home’s four walls. And in some cases, a slow-draining kitchen sink – for instance – may actually be a symptom of a blockage outside. Some other signs of trouble include:

• Water coming up elsewhere when you flush the toilet
• Water coming up in an outside outlet
• Gurgling/bubbling
• Slow-draining plumbing line
• Funny drain smell.

Don’t forget, if that outside blockage is still within the boundaries of your property, it’s no one else’s responsibility to put right than yours. That’s because if a minor problem evolves into a major one, it’s you that will be dealing with flooding and potential water damage – even to the very foundations of your home itself.

How to unblock a drain outside in 3 easy steps

The good news is that while trying to unblock outside drain problems is generally more difficult than inside drains, there are still some simple steps you can follow that might just stave off a phone call to a Brisbane plumber near you for another day. So let’s try them now:

1. Inspect the problem

If you cannot easily trace the signs of a blocked drain to the outlets in your home, it’s time to head outside. You’re likely to locate a few such drains, and if they’re obviously clogged with debris including dirt, leaves, and tree branches, there’s your problem.

Any sink discharge points may also be blocked by the usual culprits like fats and food scraps, but also possible is that the problem is located out of sight – and for that, you’ll probably need your plumber.

Don’t forget to replace any covers or grates once inspecting your outside drains.

2. Test the blockage site

If you can narrow the issue down to an actual drain, it’s possible to test that drain to see if you really have correctly identified a blockage. If it’s a waste relief outlet, you can test it with a simple toilet flush, while a stormwater drain blockage can be confirmed by pouring water into the top of the system.

3. Get stuck in with DIY solutions

Ready to get your hands dirty with a few outside drain unblocker methods? That’s the spirit! But first, why not put on some gloves to give you a barrier between you and any bacteria nasties.

Now you’re ready to go about unblocking outside drains by:

• Using those hands: After prying open the drain top, simply reach in and see if you can scoop up any gunk.
• Using a drain rod: Grab one from the hardware store, and then try to break up the blockage with very firm but still cautious pressure, remembering to turn and twist the rod as well as pushing it in and out.
• Trying water & bleach: A bucket of hot water combined with a few cups of bleach is a good brew for a DIY outside drain blocker.

How did you go? Success? Or is it time to call in Brisbane’s blocked drain cleaning experts? If your efforts have not borne fruit yet, it’s no sweat for the experienced and friendly team at Brisbane Plumbing & Drainage to quickly and inexpensively deal with just about any problem with any blocked drain outside. Our fully-licensed guys don’t leave base without state-of-the-art plumbing & drainage equipment in their vans, including:

Brisbane’s drain experts can clear your outside drain

• Sophisticated plumbing CCTV camera technology
• Powerful plumbing augers
• Ultra-high pressure water jetting equipment
• Innovative no-dig pipe relining tools, techniques & more.

Remember, Brisbane Plumbing & Drainage can unblock outside drain problems at any time in a flash – so get in touch with the friendly team today.

How To Unblock A Bath Drain At Home In 6 Ways

by BPD Team | Nov 22, 2021

How much do you enjoy your daily bath or shower? It may seem like the obvious way to get clean and hygienic after a long and productive day, but maximising your enjoyment of regular baths and showers are also linked with decreased anxiety, increased energy, boosted energy and a confidence boost. But all of those benefits go straight down the drain if a blockage means the water cannot follow suit.

That’s right: a blocked bath or blocked shower drain doesn’t just disturb your daily soak, it could lead to water damage, burst or leaky pipes, or even health and safety issues if the resulting plumbing emergency is serious enough. It sounds like you need to know how to unblock a bath drain … now!

How to unblock a shower drain or bath drain

We know you’re here to learn how to unblock a bathroom drain at your place so you can reach for that rubber ducky once again, but we need to start with a quick “tut tut” – have you been looking after your drains? If not, naughty-naughty – because a blocked shower drain almost certainly didn’t develop overnight.

Luckily, most of our blocked bath drain remedies work not just for a post-blockage remedy, but also as a pre-blockage preventative measure. So if your blockage prevention routine has fallen off the radar, read on: and consider doing one or more of the following things whether you have a blocked shower drain or not!

Bonus Read: How To Unblock A Drain

1. Start with water … very hot water

While not always perfectly effective, it’s certainly the best place to start – by flicking on the kettle.

That’s because your blocked bath or shower drain could be something as simple as a build-up of soap scum – and a little visit from boiling hot water could send it on its way. So just wait until the water is a few degrees below the boiling actual point (so as not to damage your pipes), and pour it in.

2. Now take the plunge

If you don’t already have a plunger under the bathroom sink, here’s the best news you’ll hear today – buying one will only cost a few bucks! Don’t be shy to unload some serious plunging effort after ensuring the seal over the drain is complete and tight, and you may just draw out a blockage that’s not too far from the top.

3. Want some vinegar with that?

If you love white vinegar with your fish n chips, you’re about to discover another awesome use for this versatile clear liquid. Vinegar is essentially just acetic acid, which is particularly good at eating through the sort of organic gunk build-up typical with a blocked shower drain. First, we’re going to start with another pantry staple – a cup of baking soda – which you’re going to pour down the blocked bath drain first. Follow up with a cup of vinegar, and let it bubble and fix for a while before washing it all down with another kettle of super-hot water.

4. Get in that drain!

Now, we don’t mean dive in head-first … but we are talking about how to unblock a bath with your hands. Simply get that drain cover off, and see how much of your hand you can carefully pry inside to fish out some blockage gunk. If that’s a losing struggle, unfurl a wire coat hanger and use that as a hook, or bite the bullet and head to the local hardware store for a simple and inexpensive drain snake.

5. Let rip with the chemicals

No joy yet? Curse that blocked shower drain! You may think as a last resort to go shopping for household drain-specific chemical cleaners and unblockers. We don’t recommend it, so if you do, be careful to read those instructions carefully because some of those chemicals are quite harsh indeed. And that applies not only to your skin and eyes but to your precious drains as well.

Bonus tip #6 – Call in the professionals

But let’s face it: learning how to unblock a bath may seem simple, but we all know deep down that only the professionals have all the specialised skills, training, qualifications and – most importantly – the on-the-job experience to really fix each and every simple and complex bathroom drain blockage.

So as a bonus How To Unblock A Bath Drain Tip #6, let us introduce you to your most effective local bathroom plumbing service – Brisbane Plumbing & Drainage. Your bathroom is one of the most important rooms in your entire house, so don’t neglect its precious plumbing by putting it all in the hands of our friendly and skilled blocked drain plumbers who’ve seen it all before. Get back to what you love doing in the bathroom by giving our Brisbane plumbing company a call today.

The 4 Most Powerful PRO Drain Cleaning Tools

by BPD Team | Nov 9, 2021

Do you fancy yourself as a bit of a DIY all-rounder? If so, you probably already know a little bit about that most common of pesky everyday plumbing problems – the clogged up drain. And in many, many cases, your little DIY tricks can actually be extremely successful. However, we’re also going to dive into some of the key differences between the drain cleaning tools and tricks you might use at home, and the really serious tools used to unclog drains by the true professionals – the friendly local plumber Brisbane recommends the most.

But first things first: Do you sniff a drain blockage?

The handy DIY plumber may see, smell and hear the most common signs of a developing drain blockage. Fail to spot them, or fail to act upon them, and you’re risking property and asset damage and unhealthy situations for your family and pets.

Those signs include:

• The sights: Is water or waste slow to drain or already backed up?
• The smells: Catching a whiff of rotten-eggs-meets-sewage? Those drain smells are from bacteria feasting on drain gunk.
• The sounds: Hear gurgling, bubbling and other odd drain sounds? That’s your drains struggling to cope with their job due to a burgeoning blockage.

So now that you’ve detected a problem, what should the hopeful and handy do-it-yourselfer do about it? It’s time to compile a decent list of all the most common and easy-to-use tools you can handle for unblocking a drain.

They include:

• A kettle: You may associate it with a cup of tea, but a full kettle of almost-boiling water poured down the offending drain can really soften up and dislodge some of the most common causes of blockages like grease and oil.
• Bi-carb: You’ve probably got it in the pantry, so put it in a cup and turn it into liquid by using white vinegar. Pour it down the drain, follow it up with another kettle of hot water, and leave it to fix and fizzle for a while.
• Commercial cleaner: Head to the supermarket and get a bi-carb-like solution with some serious chemical power added to the mix. It’s great for blockages more serious than that lump of grease encountered by the humble kettle. (But be extra wary in using it as it may cause serious pipe damage!)
• Plunger: We’ve all got one, and it’s probably already under the sink that’s backed up. Just ensure it makes a perfect seal around that drain opening, and pump away.
• Drain snake: You’ll find these for just a few bucks in the hardware store, and it’s a simple, hand-held coil that can slither down the drain to hack away at what’s blocking it up. Just be careful not to hack away at the pipes.

Are you going to need a PRO drain cleaning tool?

However, we’re sad to report that – while extremely helpful in many cases – the DIY tools listed above are simply not going to be powerful enough for really complex blockages. That’s because a blocked drain isn’t always because of a wad of grease and hair – it’s sometimes a tree root, a deeply-embedded object, pipe calcification, or even pipe damage or collapse.

In these cases, you’re going to have to call in the cavalry. In their fully-stocked plumber’s van, you’re likely to find the following professional and heavy-duty drain unblocking tools that go way beyond the abilities of the household tools listed above.

1. CCTV

This sophisticated drain inspection camera won’t do the actual unblocking, but it will pinpoint with HD-precision exactly what’s causing the problem – even if it’s hidden in one of the deepest and darkest corners of your plumbing system.

2. Water jetter

With the information from the CCTV camera, our plumbers can get to work with their high-powered, ultra-high-pressure, super-hot water or jet rodding equipment. Getting their power from thousands of PSI of water pressure, they’re so good at blasting away blockages that they’ll leave the insides of your pipes so shiny and slippery that debris will find it hard to stick to them again.

3. Motorised auger

This is the drain snake’s Big Daddy – powered not by your forearm, but by a powerful motor. With its heavy-duty, coiled auger with a powerful debris-smashing front end, it can snake all the way down there just like the CCTV camera, and then carve through a blockage almost like it’s not there.

4. Excavation/pipe relining

It’s an unfortunate fact that some blockages are so problematic that actual invasive and destructive excavation can sometimes be necessary for pipe repairs or replacements. However, in many cases, an ultra-modern technique can be used – pipe relining. Using this state-of-the-art drain cleaning tool, all that’s needed is a single drain opening, and the entire offending section of pipe can be completely relined without digging up a speck of dust.

Brisbane’s drain masters use all the best tools

Who better to come to your professional drain unblocking rescue than Brisbane’s drain masters themselves? Brisbane Plumbing & Drainage has ‘drainage’ in our name, because ‘drainage’ is our game. Don’t stress about the limitations of your DIY drain cleaning tools and knock the problem on its head once and for all with a single visit from our friendly crew. Give us a call today – and we’ll be there in a flash.