Blocked Stormwater Drains Sydney
We clear and diagnose blocked stormwater drains across Sydney, from yard pits and downpipes to the main line out to the street. The camera shows exactly where the water stops, so the work goes to the point the water is actually stopping rather than to the pit. Book before the next storm, or call if water is already pooling.
Stormwater drains, cleared and diagnosed
They are two separate systems and they fail in different ways. Sewer carries waste water from inside the property and is treated. Stormwater carries rain off the roof and the ground, untreated, to the street or a council system.
The practical test is what is affected. A blocked stormwater line floods the yard, the driveway or the garage while every tap, shower and toilet inside keeps working normally. If fixtures inside the house are backing up as well, the problem is the sewer line and it is more urgent.
Where stormwater lines actually block
Five failure points cover almost all of them. Two mean the pipe needs work rather than another clear.
Yard and garden pits
Surface pits fill with leaves, soil and mulch washed in from the garden. The grate looks clear because the material sits below it, in the sump, and the line out of the pit is what actually blocks.
Downpipes from the roof
Downpipes carry everything the gutters collect, including roof grit and seed pods. The blockage usually forms at the bend where the downpipe turns into the ground, which is also the hardest point to see.
Channel and strip drains
Driveway and courtyard channel drains catch silt continuously and have very little fall to carry it away. They block gradually and then flood the whole paved area during the first serious storm.
Collapsed or crushed lines
Stormwater pipe is often laid shallower than sewer, which puts it within reach of vehicle loads and landscaping work. A crushed section traps silt at the low point and blocks there repeatedly no matter how often it is cleared.
Roots in the stormwater line
Stormwater lines are wet intermittently rather than constantly, but roots still find the joints and the same pattern follows: clears easily, blocks again, in the same spot.
What we do about a blocked stormwater drain
Four steps. The third one is what separates a clear that lasts from one that fails at the next storm.
Find where it stops
A camera goes down from the pit or the downpipe to find where the line is blocked and how far along it sits. Stormwater runs are often longer and shallower than sewer, so guessing wastes more time here than it does elsewhere.
Clear the pit and the line
The sump is emptied first, then the line out of it is cleared along its full length rather than just at the opening. Clearing the pit alone is the most common reason a stormwater drain floods again at the next storm.
Scour the run
High pressure jetting takes silt off the pipe wall along the whole run. Silt is what stormwater lines fill with, and it rebuilds quickly if only a channel is opened through it.
Check it takes flow
The line is run with water and watched, because a stormwater drain that looks clear at low flow can still back up under the volume a real storm puts through it.
How the price works
There is no charge for coming out and looking at the problem.
Drain clearing starts at $69. What a job costs depends on the cause and where it sits.
You get the price before any work begins, and nothing goes ahead until you agree to it.
We take calls through the night, on weekends and on public holidays.
Stormwater drain questions
What is the difference between stormwater and sewer?
They are two separate systems. Sewer carries waste water from inside the property to the sewer main and is treated. Stormwater carries rain off the roof and the ground to the street, a creek or a council system, untreated.
That matters practically, because a blocked stormwater line floods the yard while every fixture inside the house keeps working normally. If fixtures are affected as well, the problem is the sewer line instead.
Why does it only flood when it rains hard?
Because a partly blocked line still copes with ordinary rain. A narrowed pipe passes low flow without difficulty and only fails when the volume exceeds what the remaining bore can carry.
That is also why clearing should be checked under flow rather than signed off because the water drained away when a hose was run into it.
Can you clear a stormwater pit that is full of soil?
Yes. The sump is emptied and then the outlet line is cleared, which is the part that actually matters. A pit that has been dug out but whose outlet is still blocked will fill again in the next downpour.
Is a blocked stormwater drain urgent?
Usually less urgent than a sewer backup, because the water is rain rather than waste. It becomes urgent when water is pooling against the building, running under a slab or entering a garage, since that causes damage rather than inconvenience.
If water is already entering the building, treat it as an emergency rather than waiting for the rain to stop.
Related drain services
Book a stormwater drain clear
A stormwater line that floods once will flood again, and the damage is usually to whatever the water runs into. Tell us where it pools and we will tell you what is likely holding it up.
NSW Licence 306733C. Fully insured. $0 call-out fee. Blocked drains cleared from $69.