There’s no doubt about it: living at your place without a working sewage system wouldn’t be much fun at all. And it’s not just for the stuff that goes down the toilet, but also all the waste from your kitchen, bathroom and elsewhere. Together with the pipes, vent and other sewer-related plumbing, all that waste is efficiently whisked away. If you have a sewer blockage in Brisbane though, you’ll have a messy and unhealthy disaster on your hands. That’s why today we’re looking into how to unblock a sewer drain.
Do you know how to unblock a sewer drain outside?
First things first: is your sewer drain really blocked? If it’s not obvious, here’s how to tell:
- Multiple drains are backed up
- There’s water in your sewer clean-out
- Water is overflowing into other fixtures
- Water is coming out of the floor drains when using the washing machine or flushing the toilet
- Toilet water rises when you use the sink
- There’s a foul smell coming from your drains and plumbing fixtures.
If one of these is happening at your place, but especially if you’ve got more than one symptom of a blocked sewer drain, you’re going to have to know how to unblock a sewer drain. And the easiest way, of course, is simply to reach for the number of your trusty and friendly local Brisbane plumber!
But although most work on your property’s entire plumbing system needs to be carried out by a fully-licensed plumber, there might be a bit of DIY or troubleshooting you can do to improve or resolve the situation before it gets a full fix.
1. Release the pressure
Before you do anything, turn off your home’s mains water supply. Then locate the property’s sewer clean-out, and remove the cap. Hopefully, this will relieve excess pressure in your sewer line and free the backed-up waste. Be warned, the sewage could overflow so if this hygiene nightmare puts you off, time to make that call.
2. Remove a clog
From here, you can also work to unblock sewer drain backups – but unlike some of the more standard drains inside your home, this can’t be done with a plunger – you’ll need to use a plumber’s snake, an auger, or hose – best yet – a high-pressure drain jetter.
But again, we caution that this should really be done by an actual plumber.
3. Use some chemicals
Again, normal home remedies for clearing drains like boiling water or baking soda + white vinegar aren’t going to cut it – especially as a sewer drain blockage is much more likely to be something serious like a tree root incursion. It’s possible some chemical drain products might cut it, while certain herbicides may be able to kill the tree roots – but that can actually take months.
Unblock a sewer drain with Brisbane’s masters
In reality, knowing how to unblock a sewer drain outside isn’t anything to do with DIY – because Queensland laws and plain old common sense dictate that you definitely need to call in a pro for this critical part of your plumbing system. As our name implies, Drain Masters Plumbing are the true experts in everything drain-related at your home and business premises, and we zip all across Brisbane and surrounding areas like Ashgrove, Woolloongabba, Jindalee, Wakerley and beyond each and every day with fully-stocked vans and friendly smiles.
We are also out taking care of blocked drains in Tweed Heads and the Gold Coast! So….
How to unblock a blocked sewer drain the really easy way? It’s as simple as calling Drain Masters Plumbing right now!
