Blocked Drains Wellington — Cleared Same Day
Slow draining sink? Toilet that won’t flush? Gully overflowing in the back yard? Southern Plumbing has been clearing Wellington drains for 40+ years — about 29,000 jobs across every suburb from Seatoun to Paekakariki. Our drainage trucks carry hydro-jetters, electric eels, CCTV cameras and locator gear, so we can find and clear most blockages in a single visit.
Call 0800 484 353 for 24/7 emergency drain unblocking. 99.9% success rate where the drain isn’t structurally broken.
What Causes a Blocked Drain?
About 80% of the blockages we clear come down to the same handful of causes:
- Tree roots — finding their way into joint cracks in clay or concrete pipes
- Fats and grease — congealing inside the pipe wall over years
- Wet wipes and “flushable” cleaning cloths — they don’t break down like toilet paper
- Hair and soap scum in shower wastes
- Food scraps and coffee grounds in kitchen sinks
- Pipe collapse or misalignment — old earthenware drains, ground movement, vehicle loading
- Foreign objects — toys, sanitary products, dental floss build-up
If your drain keeps blocking in the same spot, the cause is almost always structural — and a CCTV inspection will show exactly what’s going on.
Watch: How We Clear a Blocked Drain
This short walk-through shows the gear we put on a typical Wellington drain unblock — CCTV camera down the line first to see what we’re dealing with, then water-jet or electric eel depending on the cause. We mark the location and depth on the surface in case excavation is needed later.
Most jobs are cleared and tested within an hour. If we find a structural issue, you get a written quote for the repair before any digging starts. Call 0800 484 353.
CCTV Drain Inspection
Guessing where a drain runs and what’s wrong with it is how property owners end up with a $5,000 trench across the lawn that finds nothing. Our self-levelling CCTV camera goes down the pipe, records the issue on screen, and uses an above-ground locator wand to mark exact depth and position on your property.
What CCTV typically shows us:
- Tree root intrusion at joints
- Cracked or collapsed pipe sections
- Off-set joints (ground movement)
- Foreign objects lodged in the line
- Fat and grease build-up coating the pipe wall
- Pipe sagging (“belly”) holding standing water
Camera footage stays with you for insurance, council reports or onward sale of the property.
How We Actually Unblock the Drain
Different blockages need different tools — chemicals are almost never the right answer:
- High-pressure water blaster (hydro-jet) — best for tree roots, fat, sediment and general scouring. Cleans the full pipe diameter back to bare wall.
- Electric eel / drain machine — rotating cable that cuts through hair, wet-wipe ropes and root mats. Used where access to water is limited.
- Plunger and rods — first line of defence on traps and short waste runs.
- Excavation — last resort, only when CCTV confirms the pipe is broken or collapsed and a section needs replacing (typically 2-metre repairs).
Chemical drain cleaners are off the table — they damage pipework, harm the operator, and rarely clear the actual blockage.
Our Wellington Blocked Drain Services
- Drain unblocking — wastewater and stormwater
- CCTV inspection & locating
- High-pressure water blasting
- Tree-root cutting and removal
- Trap cleaning (residential and commercial kitchens)
- Stormwater and gully cleaning
- Drain repair and pipe relining (no-dig where possible)
- Certifying drainlayer on staff for full replacements
- Preventative maintenance contracts for cafes and restaurants
- 24/7 emergency response — every public holiday, every weekend
Sister company Go With The Flow handles the heavy drainage work where excavation, relining or replacement is needed.
Fixed-Price Drain Unblocking
Most drainage companies bill by the hour, which means you’re paying for their guesswork. Southern offers fixed-price packages for the most common scenarios — a standard water-blast and CCTV investigation has a single up-front price, and we tell you before we start whether it’s likely to clear the line.
If CCTV reveals a structural problem (collapsed pipe, broken joint, root-shattered section), you get a written quote for the repair before anyone picks up a shovel. Your Job On Time, or It’s Free.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Tree roots into old earthenware pipes, fats and grease in kitchen lines, hair and soap in shower wastes, and “flushable” wipes in toilet drains. Wellington’s older suburbs in particular have a lot of clay drain pipe with joints that roots find easy.