Blocked Drains

Rich Gets His Hands Dirty (Literally) to Clear a Seriously Clogged Line

It’s another classic Plumbdog moment — Rich on site in Waikiki, drain jetter roaring in the background, face covered in drain gunk, and the WA sun doing its best to make things harder.

This job was a prime example of what we deal with when someone says,

“The drain’s a bit blocked — probably just hair or something.”

Spoiler alert: it was not just hair.

🔍 What We Found in the Drain

After setting up the CCTV camera and water jetter, Rich gets stuck in and starts pulling out all sorts of nonsense:

• 🪵 Timber
• 🪨 Stones, rocks, and rubble
• 🧱 A mystery material list worthy of a backyard construction site

💬 “Some days, it’s like the drain’s been used as a skip bin. Welcome to plumbing, folks.”

💦 What We Did Next

Once the blockage was cleared and the drain was flushed:

• Rich ran the basin, bath, and shower inside the house
• Checked the inspection shaft to ensure full, smooth flow
• Confirmed the system was draining exactly as it should

✅ No backups
✅ No gurgling
✅ No drama (well… except the mess)

🐾 Real plumbers. Real blockages. Real face full of drain gunk. 
📞 Call Plumbdog if your drain’s not flowing — we’ll clear it, clean it, and cop the mess so you don’t have to. 

From Basin Back-Up to Clean Flow – A Vomit Situation Turned Plumbing Victory!

We’ve all been there — kids, chaos, and a clogged basin. This time, Hugh drew the short straw and responded to a bathroom blockage in Melville, WA, where a young one had an accident, and the basin didn’t stand a chance. Welcome to plumbing, mate!

But instead of freaking out, Hugh did what a good Plumbdog does — stayed calm, set up his drop sheets, and got to work.

🔧 Here’s What Went Down (Besides the Water):
• 🧼 Drop sheets down — no mess left behind
• 🚿 Broke up the basin blockage from the top
• 🌀 Cleaned the line all the way to the shower floor waste
• 📹 Confirmed everything was flowing with a CCTV inspection
• 🚰 Reassembled, tested the basin and shower, and cleaned up
✅ Job done. Pipe clean. Bathroom ready for round two (hopefully not literally).

💬 “Massive props to Hugh for staying cool and professional on his first filmed job. If you’ve ever wondered what happens when puke meets plumbing – now you know!”

🐶 Real jobs. Real plumbers. Real results (with a side of child spew). 
📞 Got a blocked drain? Don’t stress — call Plumbdog and we’ll sort it (and even smile while doing it). 

A Start-to-Finish Look at How We Tackle Blockages the Right Way

When drains block up, it’s often a case of tree roots creeping into the system — and that’s exactly what Darius found on this Perth call-out.

In this job, you’ll see Plumbdog’s full blocked drain process in action, using all the right gear to locate, clear, and confirm the issue is fully resolved.

🔍 Step 1: Locate the Blockage

After arriving on site, Darius:

• Found the inspection opening (I/O)
• Immediately saw tree roots visible in the pipe
• Dropped in the CCTV camera to assess how far the roots had spread

💬 “You can often see roots right from the I/O, but the CCTV gives us the full picture — how deep they go, and where they’re coming in.”

💦 Step 2: Clear the Roots with High-Pressure Jetting

Once the blockage was confirmed, Darius:

• Fired up the high-pressure water jetter
• Used the jetter in tandem with the CCTV camera for precision cleaning
• Methodically worked through the pipe, breaking up and flushing out the roots
• Retrieved a bucketful of roots — a satisfying result!

✅ Step 3: Confirm It’s Clear

After clearing the blockage:

• Ran the CCTV one more time to confirm the drain was root-free
• Flushed the toilet inside the house to check for proper flow
• Backfilled the inspection point and relaid the pavers neatly

Job done. Drain cleared. Customer sorted.

When the Fence is in the Way and the Apprentice Doesn’t Know It’s a Septic Tank

This one’s a little messier than most — in every sense.
Rich was called out to follow up on an emergency job where one of our Plumbpups had been sent to assess a blocked drain sewerage issue at a commercial site.

He meant well… but quoted to bring the van and jetter around the back — completely unaware there was a giant fence in the way, and that access would involve a 5–10 minute walk around the block.

💬 “Blockages usually take a dozen trips to the van and back — this would’ve been a nightmare.”

Needless to say — Rich wasn’t particularly impressed. 😂

🔎 Step 1: Quick Site Assessment

Rich arrives and starts piecing it together:

• Above-ground pipework visible — traces what’s feeding what
• Spots a rock that seems a little out of place… sure enough, it’s covering the septic tank access lid
• Lifts the lid and sees what no one wants to see:

Backed-up sewerage in the inspection square

🪠 Step 2: Improvised Fix

Without the jetter (thanks, fence), Rich grabs a length of spare waste pipe lying nearby and gives the system a few plunges.

• The blockage clears — likely wet wipes (and a few mystery items)
• Classic moment of the day:

“Oh, there’s your lunch — a little bit of sweet corn!” 🌽

🚽 Step 3: Test & Recommendation

To finish off:

• Rich flushes the customer’s toilet to confirm the flow
• Water passes through cleanly — job temporarily sorted
• Recommends a jetter clean-out in the near future to ensure the system stays clear

💬 “Not ideal, but we made it work. And we’ll come back with the right gear to finish the job properly.”