Drains stay out of sight until they fail, and then they are all you can think about. This page covers everything below the floor and under the lawn: clearing blockages, cleaning and camera work, repairs, new drainlaying, stormwater, septic systems and private pump stations, for homes and businesses from Wellington city out to the Kāpiti Coast.
To choose, think about how often it happens. A one-off blockage just needs clearing. One that keeps coming back needs a camera to show why. A pipe with cracks, a dip or a root mass inside needs a repair or a liner. If you are building or extending, bring in a drainlayer from the start.
Our Blocked Drains Services
Blocked Drains
For a sink, shower or outside drain that has stopped draining or keeps gurgling, cleared with an eel or jetter on the spot.
View serviceDrain Cleaning
Scheduled cleaning for lines that are slow rather than stuck, especially near big trees, in rentals or under busy kitchens.
View serviceCCTV Drain Inspection
A camera run through your pipes to see roots, cracks or sags before you buy, build or pay for repairs.
View serviceHydro Jetting
When grease, silt or roots coat the whole pipe wall, high-pressure water scrubs it back to bare pipe.
View serviceDrain Repairs
For broken, collapsed or root-damaged sections that need digging up and replacing, with council sign-off arranged when the work needs it.
View serviceDrainlaying
New wastewater and stormwater lines for extensions, new houses, minor dwellings and subdivisions, laid and certified by a drainlayer.
View servicePipe Relining
Fixes a cracked drain from inside the existing pipe, so driveways, decks and established gardens stay exactly where they are.
View serviceStormwater Drains
For ponding lawns, overflowing sumps and downpipes that back up, so heavy rain leaves your section instead of pooling against the house.
View serviceSeptic Tanks
For rural and lifestyle homes off the town sewer, from the tank and its pipes through to a soakage field that is struggling.
View serviceBlocked Toilets
When the bowl rises instead of emptying or the toilet blocks every few weeks, cleared without damaging the pan.
View serviceGully Trap Repairs
For the outdoor trap that overflows, smells, has cracked or has disappeared under paving or garden beds.
View serviceWastewater Pump Stations
Servicing and repairs for private pump stations and grinder pumps on homes that cannot drain to the sewer by gravity alone.
View serviceWhich drain service fits the problem?
Slow water in one fixture is usually a local blockage, and clearing blocked drains or blocked toilets sorts it. Several fixtures backing up at once, or a gully trap overflowing outside, points further down the line towards the main lateral.
Repeat problems are the signal to stop clearing and start looking. A CCTV drain inspection shows whether roots, a sag or a broken joint is to blame. From there the choice is digging and replacing through drain repairs, or no-dig pipe relining where the pipe runs under something you would rather keep.
What drain work costs
That clearing fee is waived if we then fix the pipe for you.
Repairs, relining, drainlaying, septic work and pump stations vary too much with depth and access to price blind, so we quote them free.
Drains on Wellington sections
Clay pipes in older suburbs and big established trees are a common pairing here, and roots finding their way into old joints cause a lot of repeat blockages. Steep sites bring their own issue: roof water and the drainage behind retaining walls should be piped to the stormwater system, never left to run onto a bank.
Responsibility for the sewer lateral changes from council to council. In Wellington City the council looks after the section under public roads, Lower Hutt owners own the lateral to the main, and Porirua owners own it to their boundary. After a big quake, homes on soft ground such as Petone or the Kilbirnie flats are worth a camera check.
- Bin wipes, fat and cotton buds rather than flushing or rinsing them away
- Keep gully trap grates above ground level and clear of leaves
- Plant trees well back from known drain lines
- Book a camera check before buying an older home
Blocked Drains Questions
How do I tell a blocked drain from a broken one?
A blockage usually clears and stays clear. A broken or root-filled pipe keeps blocking, may smell, and sometimes leaves a soft or sunken patch of ground above it. A camera inspection settles the question with footage you can watch yourself.
Is relining better than digging up the drain?
Not always. Relining suits pipes under driveways, buildings or gardens you want to keep. Where a pipe has collapsed badly or access is easy, digging and replacing can be the better value. We price both wherever both are possible.
Do you work on septic tanks outside town?
Yes. We service septic systems on farms and lifestyle blocks throughout the region, including the pipes linking the house to the tank and on to the soakage field, and we clear outlets that have blocked.
What should I do while I wait for a plumber?
Stop running taps, showers and the washing machine so nothing more goes down the line, and keep children and pets away from any overflow. Avoid pouring chemical cleaner in, as it can harm pipes and the person clearing the drain.
Other Services
Blocked Drains Across Wellington
We send blocked drains specialists to every suburb. Find your area: Central Wellington, the Eastern and Southern Suburbs, the Western and Northern Suburbs, the Hutt Valley, Porirua, the Kāpiti Coast.
