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A slow sink, a gurgling toilet or a bad smell from the yard: nearly every Johannesburg homeowner meets a blocked drain sooner or later. After more than 40 years of plumbing across the northern and central suburbs, we can tell you that blocked drains are rarely bad luck. They almost always have a cause, and once you know the cause you can usually stop it happening again.
The warning signs
Drains seldom block overnight. They clog gradually, and they warn you first:
- Water in the basin, bath or shower drains slowly.
- The toilet gurgles when you run the washing machine or empty a bath.
- A sewer smell comes from a drain or gully trap.
- Water backs up in one fixture when you use another.
- Damp or very green patches appear in the garden over the drain line.
If you notice two or more of these, act now. A partial blockage is a cheap fix. A full overflow inside the house is not.
The most common causes
1. Grease, fat and oil in the kitchen
Cooking fat is liquid when it goes down the sink and solid once it cools in the pipe. Layer after layer builds up on the pipe wall until water barely passes. Hot water alone does not clear it, because the fat just moves further down the line and sets again.
2. Hair and soap scum in bathrooms
Hair binds with soap residue to form a dense plug just below the plughole. Hard water makes it worse. Johannesburg water is relatively soft compared with some regions, but mineral scale still builds up in older pipes and gives hair and soap something to grip.
3. Things that should never be flushed
Wet wipes (even those labelled “flushable”), sanitary products, nappies, cotton buds and paper towel do not break down like toilet paper. They catch on rough pipe joints and collect everything else that follows.
4. Tree roots
Johannesburg is one of the most heavily treed cities in the world, and that is lovely until roots find a joint in an old clay or earthenware pipe. Roots are drawn to the moisture and nutrients in sewer lines. They enter through tiny cracks and grow into a thick mat that traps debris. If a drain keeps blocking in the same spot every few months, roots are the first suspect.
5. Collapsed or misaligned pipes
Many of our older suburbs were built with clay or pitch-fibre pipes that are now decades past their best. Ground movement, heavy vehicles driving over a driveway and age can crack, sag or offset a section of pipe. Water pools in the low spot and leaves solids behind. No amount of plunging fixes a broken pipe, and the repair has to be physical.
6. Stormwater and sand
After heavy summer thunderstorms, silt and sand wash into gullies and stormwater lines. If a stormwater connection has been wrongly joined to the sewer line, which sadly happens, a big storm can overload the system and push water back up through your floor drains.
What you can safely try yourself
For a minor, localised blockage in a single basin or sink:
- Remove the visible debris. Lift out the plug and pull out hair or gunk by hand (wear gloves).
- Use a plunger properly. Block the overflow opening with a damp cloth, cover the plug hole with water and plunge firmly in a steady rhythm.
- Clean the trap. Place a bucket under the U-bend or bottle trap, unscrew it by hand, clear it and refit it. Check the washer is seated properly.
- Try a plumber’s snake or drain rod on short runs, working gently so you do not scratch the pipe.
What we would advise against
- Caustic drain cleaners. Strong chemicals generate heat and can soften PVC, damage old metal pipes and burn skin. They also leave a hazard for the next person who opens the pipe. If they fail to clear the blockage, you now have standing caustic water in the drain.
- Forcing a rod through a main sewer line. You can punch through a weakened pipe or push a blockage further down so it becomes harder to reach.
- Ignoring it. Sewage backing into the home is a health risk and can ruin flooring and cabinets.
When it is time to call a plumber
Call a professional when:
- More than one fixture is affected at the same time. That points to the main line, not a single trap.
- The problem keeps coming back.
- You can smell sewage or see water backing up in a gully or manhole.
- You have tried the basics and nothing has changed.
How we deal with it
For stubborn blockages, we use high-pressure drain jetting. A hose with a specially shaped nozzle fires water at the pipe wall at high pressure, scouring away grease, scale and roots rather than just punching a hole through them. It cleans the whole circumference of the pipe, which is why it lasts longer than a rod.
Then, where the cause is unclear or the blockage keeps returning, we run a CCTV drain camera through the line. This lets us see the actual state of the pipe: root intrusion, cracks, sagging sections, collapsed joints, and exactly how far along the line they are. Instead of guessing and digging, we can pinpoint the fault, show you the footage, and recommend the smallest repair that will do the job.
Preventing the next blockage
A few habits go a long way:
- Scrape plates into the bin, and pour cooled cooking fat into a tin or old container and put it in the rubbish, not down the sink.
- Fit a cheap mesh strainer to showers, baths and kitchen sinks and empty it regularly.
- Flush toilet paper only. Bin everything else, including wipes.
- Keep gully traps clear of leaves and sand, especially before the storm season.
- Think carefully before planting thirsty trees or shrubs close to known drain lines.
- If you live in an older home, have the main line inspected by camera every few years. It is far cheaper to find a cracked pipe early than to repair a collapsed one.
Frequently asked questions
Is a blocked drain an emergency?
If sewage is entering your home or an overflow is spreading, yes: stop using water in the house and call a plumber. A slow basin can usually wait a day or two.
Can I use boiling water?
It can help with a soap-and-grease film in a metal pipe, but do not pour boiling water into a toilet bowl (porcelain can crack) or onto PVC pipework for long periods.
Who is responsible, me or the municipality?
In general, the pipes on your property up to the connection point are your responsibility. The municipality looks after the main sewer in the road. If the problem is in the street main, a plumber with a camera can confirm that quickly, and you can report it to the City.
Need a hand?
Supa Nova Electrical Power & Plumbing serves homes and businesses within 20 km of Maryvale, Johannesburg. We offer free quotations, with no call-out fee: you pay labour plus a R400 travelling fee. We work Monday to Friday, 7:00 to 17:00 (Saturdays by prior arrangement) and usually respond within 1 to 2 hours.
Need a drain cleared today? See our blocked drain service, call an emergency plumber if sewage is backing up, or browse our full range of plumbing services. You may also like our guide on why your pipes keep leaking.
Call us on 011 485 1324 and we will help you get the water flowing again.