Blocked Drains: Cleared Fast, 24/7
Gurgling toilets, sewer smells, water backing up through the floor waste: we diagnose blocked drains with CCTV cameras and clear them on the spot, day or night, across Sydney's Northern Beaches and North Shore.
Who clears blocked drains on the Northern Beaches?
Ready Plumbing is a 24/7 emergency blocked drain service covering Sydney's Northern Beaches, North Shore, Inner West and Eastern Suburbs. We use the latest equipment, including CCTV drain cameras, high-pressure water jetting and pipe locating gear, to find the blockage fast, clear it on the spot, and fix the underlying cause so it doesn't come back.
Your Local Experts
Your local blocked drain experts
Ready Plumbing is your trusted local expert for blocked drains, servicing homes and businesses across Sydney's Northern Beaches, North Shore, Inner West and Eastern Suburbs.
- Homes and businesses covered: We clear blocked drains in kitchens, bathrooms and laundries inside, and in the sewer and stormwater lines outside.
- Fast diagnosis and clearing: Advanced equipment and a highly experienced team diagnose and clear blocked drains fast, with minimal disruption.
- Latest technology: We use the latest technology to locate the blockage quickly and fix the issue efficiently.
- Clean, tidy finish: Residential and commercial jobs alike are left clean and tidy when we’re done.
Know The Signs
Signs you have a blocked drain
Recognising the early signs can save you a sewage clean-up. Watch for:
- Toilets gurgling, or the water rising before it drains
- A sewer smell around your house or yard
- Gurgling sounds from sinks and pipes when water drains
- Water backing up through floor wastes, especially in the bathroom or laundry
- Overflow at your boundary trap, the fitting near your property line with a visible white cap or cast-iron lid
- Sewage discharging from an external gully: the overflow relief gully is designed to release sewage outside when your line blocks, so it doesn’t overflow inside your home
If any of these are happening, you almost certainly have a blockage, and it won’t fix itself. That’s when to call an emergency plumber.
A blocked toilet is often the first place a drain problem shows up, since it’s usually the lowest fixture in the house.
What Happens On The Day
How we clear blocked drains
Whatever the fault, the process is the same: find it, clear it, then fix the cause so it doesn't come back.
Camera first
A CCTV drain camera inspection shows us exactly what and where the problem is, whether roots, grease, a collapsed section or backfall, and our locating gear pinpoints its position and depth from the surface. You get the real picture and an accurate price, not a guess.
Clear it on the spot
For most blockages, high-pressure water jetting cuts through roots and scours the pipe walls clean, far more effective than an old-school electric eel.
Fix the cause
If the camera shows cracks or root entry points, we'll show you the footage and the options, from scheduled maintenance to permanent no-dig pipe relining, so the 3am blockage doesn't become an annual event.
Learn more about our CCTV drain camera inspections, how high-pressure water jetting clears blockages, and when no-dig pipe relining is the permanent fix. We handle the full drainage picture too, including stormwater drainage and sewer pipe repairs.
24/7 Emergency Service
24/7 emergency blocked drain service
Blocked drains don't wait, and neither do we. Our emergency team is available around the clock across all our service areas, arriving equipped to diagnose and clear blocked drains on the spot, preventing further damage and keeping your property safe and hygienic. For non-urgent bookings, we offer convenient 2–4 hour arrival windows with a confirmation call before we arrive.
Service Areas
Servicing the Northern Beaches and beyond
We provide professional blocked drain services throughout Palm Beach, Narrabeen, Frenchs Forest, Manly, Cromer, Wheeler Heights, Terrey Hills, Curl Curl, Queenscliff, Manly Vale, Allambie, Beacon Hill, Brookvale, Dee Why, Davidson and Clontarf on the Northern Beaches; Hornsby, Pymble, Chatswood, St Ives, Lindfield, Lane Cove, Castle Cove, Northbridge, North Sydney, Mosman, Neutral Bay, Clifton Gardens, Balmoral, Hunters Hill and Ryde on the North Shore; plus Bondi, Balmain, Newtown, Leichhardt, Marrickville and surrounding suburbs.
Last reviewed: 8 July 2026 by the Ready Plumbing team.
Blocked Drains Services
Explore our blocked drains services
FAQ
Blocked Drains: your questions answered
Plumbing problems can be extremely frustrating. Our licensed Sydney plumbers are here to provide fast, reliable answers and solutions.
What are the signs of a blocked drain?
Toilets gurgling or water rising before it drains, a sewer smell around the house, gurgling sounds from sinks, water backing up through floor wastes, overflow at your boundary trap (the fitting with a white cap or cast-iron lid, usually near your property line), and sewage discharging from external gullies. Any of these means a blockage that needs urgent attention.
Why is sewage coming out of a drain in my yard?
That's your overflow relief gully doing its job: it's designed to release sewage outside your home when the main line blocks, instead of letting it overflow inside through your toilets and floor wastes. It means the blockage is real and downstream, and it's time to call an emergency plumber.
How do you find where the blockage is?
We run a CCTV camera through the line to see exactly what's happening, whether roots, breaks, obstructions or backfall, and use locating equipment to pinpoint the position and depth from the surface. That's how we quote accurately instead of guessing.
What causes blocked drains?
Tree roots are the big one in older Sydney suburbs: they enter through tiny cracks and joints, then grow until they choke the pipe. Beyond roots: grease and food waste, wet wipes, collapsed or back-falling pipe sections, and debris washed into stormwater drains.
Will the blockage come back after you clear it?
If we just cleared roots or debris from a damaged pipe, eventually yes, which is why we camera the line after clearing. If there's a crack or break letting roots back in, we'll show you the footage and your options, including no-dig pipe relining that seals the pipe permanently.
Guides & Real Jobs
Helpful reading from our plumbers
Guide
Blocked Drain: Can You Fix It Yourself, or Do You Need a Plumber?
Most blocked drains start small: a sink that's draining slower than it used to. A few household items can genuinely clear that. But if sewage is coming up rather than water going down, that's a different problem entirely, and it won't wait until morning.
Case Study · Balgowlah
Blocked Kitchen Drain in Balgowlah: Years of Grease Finally Caught Up
An emergency call to a blocked kitchen drain in Balgowlah traced back to years of grease and oil hardening in the gully, cleared the same visit with high-pressure water jetting.
Case Study · Seaforth
Blocked Sewer Pipe in Seaforth: Cleared With Jetting, Confirmed Clear on Camera
A Sunday afternoon call-out to a blocked sewer pipe in Seaforth: gully overflow traced to root intrusion in an 80-year-old pipe, cleared with high-pressure water jetting and confirmed clear on CCTV camera.
Case Study · Seaforth
Broken Sewer Pipe in Seaforth: Blockage Backs Up and Floods the Bathroom
A Friday afternoon emergency in Seaforth: a sewer pipe cracked by ground movement had been catching baby wipes for months until it blocked solid and sewage backed up into the lower bathroom. Cleared in three hours, then rerouted around the break.
Case Study · Wheeler Heights
Garage Flooding in Wheeler Heights: Fixing 30 Years of Water Seepage Behind the Slab
A Wheeler Heights garage had water seeping in behind it for 30 years because the ag-line and blue metal drainage was never wrapped in geotextile fabric and the brick and slab were never waterproofed. Here's how we fixed it without adding more pipe.
Case Study · Allambie Heights
Sloping Block Drainage in Allambie Heights: Stopping Stormwater Pooling Against the House
A retaining wall in Allambie Heights was holding back a sloping block, but runoff from the hill and the house above kept finding its way through the backyard and pooling against the house below. Here's how we caught it and redirected it away for good.
Case Study · Mona Vale
Water Under the House in Mona Vale: Old Terracotta Pipes and No Subsoil Drainage
A Mona Vale home had water leaking through the brickwork and running under the house. The cause was old terracotta stormwater pipe, cracked and full of tree roots. New PVC piping and a subsoil drainage system stopped it for good.
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Learn moreGet In Touch
Contact Your Local Plumber in Sydney
Ready Plumbing is a Sydney-based and fully-licensed plumbing business with more than 20 years of experience, offering a range of residential and commercial plumbing solutions and emergency plumbing 24/7. Get in touch and we'll respond promptly.
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