Blocked Drains in Cape Town: Clearing and Unblocking

Which drain is blocked?

Start with how many drains are affected, because that tells you where the blockage is likely to sit. One slow sink or one toilet that will not flush usually means a blockage in the pipe serving that fixture alone. Several fixtures that drain slowly, gurgle, or back up together point to a blockage further along, in the main line that carries everything away. An outside gully that overflows when you run the bath or the washing machine points the same way.

If raw sewage is coming up inside or outside the house, keep people and pets away from it and avoid contact. Stop using the affected toilet or drain. The City says blocked and overflowing sewers can be dangerous to your health. If it is spreading through the house, treat it as an emergency plumber call.

When you request a quote, describe what you see.

How is a blocked drain cleared?

A plumber clears a blocked drain with rods or water jetting, chosen by what is blocking it and where. A plunger or a drain rod, which is a flexible rod pushed along the pipe, breaks up a soft blockage or pulls it back out. Water jetting flushes the pipe with high-pressure water to push the blockage away and clean the pipe walls.

A camera inspection is different, because it clears nothing. It sends a small camera through the pipe so the plumber can see the cause, and where it sits. Rods and plungers suit simple blockages near a fixture, and jetting suits heavier build-up in longer runs. Each one has limits. A plumber will often start with the simplest and move up if it does not clear. If the pipe itself is damaged, clearing it will not repair it, and the plumber will tell you what the camera shows.

Is it your pipe or the City's?

That depends on where the blockage sits, and the guide on who clears a blocked drain, you or the City explains how to tell. In short, City guidance is to call a registered plumber for a blockage on private property. For a blockage in the street or on public land, call the City on 0860 103 089 and follow the prompts.

The City's Wastewater and Industrial Effluent By-law, 2013 also lets it serve a written notice, with a deadline, on the owner of a blocked private sewer. If the owner does not clear it, the City can clear it at the owner's cost. That is a summary; the guide goes into the detail. For a plumber in Stellenbosch, the municipality is Stellenbosch Municipality, not the City of Cape Town. For a water or sewer fault there, call 021 808 8215, or 021 808 8890 after hours.

Why does the drain keep blocking?

A drain that blocks again and again usually has a cause that rods and jets only move for a while, so the blockage returns. Finding that cause is what stops the cycle. Common causes are grease that sets inside the pipe, and wipes and other items that do not break down. Tree roots that have found a gap, or a pipe that has shifted or collapsed, are others. A camera inspection is worth asking for when a drain has blocked more than once. The footage shows which of these you have, and whether the pipe needs repair rather than clearing.

Rainwater is another cause you can control. The City says that all stormwater from a property must go to the street or into the City's stormwater system, never into the sewer. If a gutter or yard drain is connected to your sewer line, it is worth having that checked.

What does clearing a blocked drain cost?

The price depends on the method, how far along the pipe the blockage sits, how easy it is to get to, and whether a camera is needed. The plumber assesses the job and quotes. The page on what a plumber costs shows what a published guide lists for rodding, jetting and a camera inspection, with its source and date.

Where we do this: plumber in Durbanville, plumber in Brackenfell, plumber in Mitchells Plain and plumber in Somerset West. See all plumbing services or where we work.