Kitchen sink, bathroom basin or laundry tub. A few quick questions say what to try first, when it is really the drain, and what it usually costs in Ipswich.
Every litre you add has to go somewhere. If something was dropped, running water pushes it further.
If other sinks, the shower or the toilet are slow too, or the gully outside is overflowing, it is the drain, not the sink.
A cup plunger, with the overflow hole or the second bowl blocked by a wet cloth. Kitchen sinks: hot tap water and dishwashing liquid first.
A bucket under the U-bend, undo the nuts by hand, tip it out and refit. Still blocked? It is past the trap: call a plumber.
Typical Ipswich ranges from the price guide Toilet blocked instead? Start here
| Job | Typical range | When |
|---|---|---|
| Simple blockage, one sink | $100–$200 | An Ipswich plumber’s figure for a basic blockage |
| Blocked drain clear | $180–$550 | When the blockage is past the sink, in the wall or the drain |
| Clear with a camera and jetting | $350–$900 | Fatty kitchen lines, or when it keeps coming back |
Sewage from a manhole or the street, or the same problem next door, means the sewer main is blocked, not your sink. It is Urban Utilities’ to clear, 24 hours a day. Stop running water in the house until they have been.
Typical cost: Nothing to you if the fault is in the main.
When other fixtures are slow or gurgling too, or the gully outside is overflowing, the blockage is in the pipe they share. A plunger or a trap clean won’t reach it. A plumber clears it with a drain machine or a jetter; kitchen lines full of fat usually need jetting.
Typical cost: $180–$550 for most Ipswich drain clears; $350–$900 with a camera and jetting.
Turn the tap off. Most things that go down a sink stop in the trap, the U-bend under it. Put a bucket underneath, undo the trap’s nuts by hand (plastic traps unscrew without tools) and tip it out. Don’t plunge or pour anything in first: that pushes it further down.
Typical cost: Free if you get it out; $100–$200 for a plumber to retrieve it.
A smell from a sink that still drains is usually build-up in the trap: fat in a kitchen sink, soap and hair in a basin. In a sink that is rarely used, the water seal in the trap may have dried out: run the tap for a minute. If it still smells after the trap is clean, or the sink gurgles, the drain or its vent is the next thing to check.
Typical cost: Free to try; $100–$200 if a plumber clears it.
Kitchen sinks block with fat and food scraps. Run hot tap water with a squirt of dishwashing liquid and let it sit for a few minutes. Then plunge with a cup plunger: on a double sink, plug the other bowl with a wet cloth so the plunger can build pressure. Still blocked? Clean the trap over a bucket.
Typical cost: Free if it clears. If not, $100–$200 for a plumber.
Basins and laundry tubs block with hair, soap and lint. Lift out the plug (most pop-up plugs pull or unscrew straight up) and clear the hair. Then cover the overflow hole with a wet cloth and plunge with a cup plunger. Still blocked? Clean the trap over a bucket.
Typical cost: Free if it clears. If not, $100–$200 for a plumber.
If the plunger and a clean trap didn’t clear it, the blockage is in the pipe in the wall or under the floor. A plumber clears it with a drain machine, or a jetter for a fatty kitchen line. If it keeps happening, ask about a camera inspection.
Typical cost: $100–$200 for a simple blockage; $180–$550 if it is further down the drain.
A simple sink blockage is usually $100–$200 in business hours. If it is further down the drain, most Ipswich drain clears are $180–$550, more with jetting for a fatty kitchen line. After hours adds $100 to $250.
Run hot tap water with dishwashing liquid, then plunge with a cup plunger while the other bowl is plugged with a wet cloth. If that doesn’t work, put a bucket under the trap, undo it by hand and clean it out. Past the trap, it needs a plumber.
Fat. It goes down warm and sets in the pipe, and food scraps stick to it. Scrape plates into the bin, wipe fat out of pans with paper towel, and if it keeps happening, a plumber can jet the line and check it with a camera.
No. Chemical cleaners rarely clear a real blockage, can damage pipes and seals, and leave caustic water in the sink and the trap for whoever opens it next.
Probably not. Turn the tap off straight away. Most things stop in the trap under the sink: put a bucket underneath, undo the trap and tip it out.
Send what is happening and your suburb. A licensed local plumber who covers your area gets back to you with a price before any work starts.