Two ways in, both shut
In November 2024 we were sent to a Subiaco home to clear a blocked drain. On most jobs the quickest way into the line is the drain gully, the grated outlet outside where the kitchen, laundry or bathroom wastes discharge. Here, the gully had an air conditioner unit sitting over it. We couldn’t get a jetter or a camera into it.
The next option was the reflux valve. A reflux valve is a one-way valve in the drain that stops sewage flowing back towards the house. We exposed it. On many valves the mechanism lifts out, which gives us a clear path into the pipe. This one was a type where the mechanism can’t be removed, so that way in was closed too.
Cutting a way in
With both access points blocked, we went in through the 50 mm vent pipe on the wall. Cutting into the vent gave us an opening to the drain without moving the air conditioner.
From the vent we jetted the line and ran the camera through it.
What the camera found
The cause wasn’t roots or a build-up of waste. It was a large piece of building rubble lodged in the pipe, sitting just upstream of the reflux valve, on the house side. We located its position from above so the spot is known.
Rubble like this usually gets into a drain during building or renovation work, when an open pipe or an uncapped gully is left exposed. Once a solid piece is wedged in the line, water can only trickle past it, and anything else coming down the drain catches on it.
Why it needs digging
Normally a lump in the line is something we’d try to break up or push through from an access point. The problem here was the valve. Because its mechanism can’t be removed, the rubble couldn’t be taken out through it.
So the recommendation was to expose the drain at the located spot and cut out a section of pipe to remove the rubble, then reinstate the line. It’s a targeted dig: because the camera pinpointed the obstruction, only that short section needs to be opened, not the whole run. Our drain repairs page covers how that kind of work is done.
Worth knowing if you’re renovating
- Keep your gully clear. An air conditioner, deck or paving over a drain gully turns a quick clear into a much longer job.
- Cap open pipes during building work. It’s the easiest way to stop rubble ending up in your drain.
- Know your access points. If your reflux valve can’t be opened, it helps to know where else a plumber can get in.
If your drain is blocked and the usual access points are covered, call 0499 281 430 and we’ll work out the best way in.
More on blocked drains in Subiaco, or see more recent jobs.
