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 kitchen waste at a Tweed Heads West rental. Disconnected the under-sink trap, it was clean. Went outside to the disconnector gully and found a large fat deposit in the trap and on the 50mm bend leading from the kitchen into the gully. Set up hydrojet and CCTV, jetted the trap and downstream into the main line to clear the fat. Set up the whip hose and cleaned upstream into the kitchen. The new PVC pipe installed during the renovation was clean. The old pipe we connected onto was the problem. Filled the sink with hot soapy water to verify, walked the tenants through how to prevent repeat.
What the customer called us for
Landlord (via the tenant) called us out for a blocked kitchen waste at a rental property. The tenants had not been able to clear it themselves.
What we found when we got there
The newer pipe installed during the renovation was clean (good install, good spec). The blockage was in the old pipe on the outside of the house. The disconnector gully trap had a large fat deposit, and the 50mm waste bend leading from the kitchen into the gully was packed with solidified fat as well. When you connect a new renovation to old pipework, the old section is almost always the choke point because it has decades of fat lining the walls already.
Why we did it this way
Kitchen-fat blockages in outside disconnector gullies are the single most predictable blocked-drain job we do on the Tweed coast. The trap sits outside in the cold, fat hits it, solidifies, builds up around the full circumference of the pipe, drain blocks. Even with a brand new kitchen renovation the old external trap keeps blocking because the new pipe does not change the old trap. The two-part fix: hydrojet to physically remove the fat buildup today, and a weekly hot-water-plus-dishwashing-liquid flush routine to stop it coming back. Backcharging the tenant for future blockages caused by kitchen habit is a reasonable landlord clause.
What we did on site
- Attended site and investigated the blocked kitchen waste.
- Disconnected the under-sink trap and confirmed it was clean.
- Went outside to the disconnector gully next to the kitchen.
- Found a large fat deposit in the trap and on the 50mm bend leading from the kitchen.
- Set up hydrojet and CCTV at the gully.
- Jetted the trap and downstream into the main sewer line.
- Set up the whip hose attachment and cleaned upstream into the kitchen.
- Confirmed the newer reno pipe was clean and the blockage was all in the old pipe.
- Filled the kitchen sink with hot soapy water and confirmed free-flowing on completion.
- Walked the tenants through the weekly flush routine to prevent repeat.
The result
Drain cleared on the day. Old pipe is clean for now but the fat will rebuild if kitchen habits do not change. Tenants have the maintenance routine and the landlord has written advice that future blockages caused by kitchen habit are a tenant cost.
If you have the same issue
If you own a rental on the Tweed coast or Gold Coast and your kitchen drain blocks every winter, the fix is partly in the pipes and partly in the kitchen. A full hydrojet clears the pipes once. A weekly hot-water-and-detergent flush keeps them clear. Train the tenants on the flush and backcharge any future callbacks caused by negligence. 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 does a brand new kitchen renovation still have fat-blockage problems?
Because the new pipe ends where it connects to the old pipe. Beyond that connection, the old pipe is still there, still lined with decades of fat, still choking at the same places. Unless the reno extends all the way to the main sewer line, the old pipe is still the weak link.
What is the weekly hot-water flush?
Fill both sides of the kitchen sink with hot water (not warm, hot). Add a splash of dishwashing liquid. Pull both plugs at the same time. The volume plus the heat plus the detergent flushes through the kitchen line in one surge, which is enough to break down any fresh fat before it adheres to the pipe wall. Do it once a week.
Can a landlord actually backcharge a tenant for a blocked drain?
In NSW and QLD, yes, if negligence can be shown. A recurring kitchen fat blockage where the tenant has been told how to prevent it and ignored the advice is a reasonable example. Most leases have a clause about tenant-caused drainage issues. It is worth getting legal advice on your specific lease wording.
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