By Matthew Baring-Gould, Kingscliff-based drainage plumber. Servicing Tweed Heads for 4 years. 5.0 stars across 173 Google reviews. Licensed NSW 383340C and QLD 15036450. ABN 74 605 392 348.
Blocked sewer on the Gold Coast. Cleared the line with the hydrojet and root ranger attachment, then camera’d the line. Found a cracked junction into the main line that was letting tree roots into the pipe. Quoted the repair.
What the customer called us for
Owner called us out for a blocked sewer at their Gold Coast home.
What we found when we got there
After the jet pass and the root ranger pass, we ran the camera through. The blockage was caused by tree roots entering through a cracked junction into the main sewer line. The crack itself was clearly visible in the camera footage, and the roots had grown through the gap and spread downstream.
Why we did it this way
A cracked junction is a slow-burn problem. Every rain cycle moves the ground a little, the crack opens a little, and the next season’s root growth finds the new gap. Clearing the roots restores flow on the day, but without repairing the junction the roots return within one to two seasons. Honest advice to the customer: get this repaired now while the access and the quote are fresh.
What we did on site
- Extended the hydrojet downstream and flushed the blockage through.
- Switched to the root ranger attachment and cut out the tree root ingress.
- Ran the CCTV camera along the line and located the cracked junction.
- Documented the crack and the root pathway for the quote.
- Marked the surface location for the repair dig.
- Cleaned up on completion.
The result
Line flowing clean on the day. Cracked junction marked and quoted. Customer did not book the repair at this stage; the camera report is on file so when it blocks again we can go straight to the repair.
If you have the same issue
If your sewer blocks and the camera shows roots at a junction, clearing the roots is only half the fix. Without repairing the crack that let them in, you are booking a callback. Repair it once, not every year. Call Matty on 0447 188 394 or request a quote.
Customer names and addresses have been withheld. Individual results vary. Drain Masters Plumbing is licensed in NSW (383340C) and QLD (15036450).
Frequently asked
Why do junctions crack more than straight runs?
Junctions are structural weak points. Two pipes meet at an angle, there is a joint, and the fitting has less wall strength than a straight pipe. Ground movement, root pressure, and temperature cycling all stress the junction first.
If I do not fix it now, what happens next?
Roots regrow through the same crack, usually within one to two growing seasons. The line blocks again. The clear-and-defer costs more over three to five years than the one-off repair.
How do you locate a cracked junction without digging?
The CCTV head has a transmitter. We use a locator wand above ground to pinpoint the transmitter’s position as the camera sits at the crack. That gives us a mark on the surface to the millimetre.
Related services
Related case studies
Browse all our case studies.
Residential, commercial, stormwater, sewer, drainage installs across Tweed Heads, the Northern Rivers, the Gold Coast and Brisbane. See the full collection →
