Toilet backing up in Newtown? Gully overflowing in Kelburn? Slow shower in a Miramar rental? We unblock fast across the Wellington city suburbs — usually same-day, including after hours. We don't just clear it and run; for anything that looks like a repeat, we run the camera too.
Blocked drains don't wait — and fast drain unblocking across Wellington is what we do most days. Sewage backing up into the bathroom, a gully overflowing in the rain, a slow shower that's about to become a flood — none of it gets better on its own. We do same-day callouts across the Wellington city suburbs — Karori, Khandallah, Newtown, Island Bay, Miramar, Kelburn, Brooklyn, Thorndon, Mt Victoria, Wadestown, Kingston, and central CBD — and we don't mind the late hours. If you're in the Hutt Valley, see our Upper Hutt blocked drain page for local response times.
We don't just clear it and run. For anything more than an obvious one-off, we run a CCTV drain inspection too, so you know whether it's a one-off or something deeper. That way you're not paying us again in three months for the same blockage.
A lot of our blocked drain calls come from customers who've had the same drain "cleared" two or three times before. We'll get it flowing again, run the camera to find out why it keeps blocking, and tell you whether it's a maintenance issue or a real fault. No upsells; no scaremongering — just the camera footage and the options.
Wellington City has three distinct drainage failure patterns, and they map almost cleanly onto the geography. Knowing the pattern before the callout saves you time and us a wasted dig.
Newtown, Thorndon, Mt Cook, Aro Valley, Berhampore. Pre-1940s housing stock with original earthenware drains long past spec. Root ingress at every joint, cracked sections sitting on settled clay. The blockage today is rarely the real problem — it's a symptom. Camera tells us what's going on under the lawn before we recommend a re-lay.
Kelburn, Khandallah, Wadestown, Mt Victoria, Brooklyn, Karori hills. Steep gradients mean ground-water always finds the path of least resistance — usually your drainage easement. Add retaining wall failures and decades of small slips, and you get bellied pipes that catch grease and slow the whole line. Hydro-jet clears it; CCTV finds whether the slope has done permanent damage.
Island Bay, Lyall Bay, Miramar, Strathmore, Seatonia. Sandy ground around drains shifts, and salt-laden groundwater accelerates corrosion in older cast iron and earthenware. Stormwater backups during southerlies are common — gully traps fill faster than the line can drain. We jet, root-cut if needed, and flag any structural damage on the camera report.
Not in one of these? Same approach — get there fast, clear the line, run the camera if anything looks repeat-prone, write up what we found in plain English. We cover the whole of Wellington City from Tawa down to Owhiro Bay.
For most callouts in the Wellington region we can be on-site the same day, often within hours. Genuine emergencies — sewage overflows, flooding — get prioritised over routine work. Call 027 844 6899 and we'll move quickly.
Yes. Evenings and weekends are part of how we work — anything threatening property damage is treated as an emergency. Call the same number, day or night.
Most pre-1940s Wellington homes — Newtown, Thorndon, Mt Cook, Berhampore, Aro Valley — were drained with earthenware pipework that had a design life of about 60 years. They're now 80–120 years old. Joints have opened, roots are inside the line, and silt has built up at every belly. You can keep clearing them, or we can camera the run and price a partial re-lay. We usually find one bad section, not the whole line.
Yes — and not for the reason most people think. Steep sections in Kelburn, Khandallah, Wadestown and Brooklyn don't drain too slow; they drain too fast at the top and silt up at the bottom where the gradient flattens out. Ground movement also bellies pipes over time, especially after wet winters. We jet-clean and camera the low points first.
Plumbers handle inside-the-house plumbing. Drainlayers handle the drains from the gully out — including the run to the Wellington City Council connection. For anything past the gully, or any work that may need WCC inspection, you want a qualified drainlayer.
Yes. Hydro-jetting clears grease, scale, and root build-up that augers can't shift. We adjust pressure to suit the pipe material, so it's safe on aging earthenware as well as modern uPVC.
One owner-operated crew across the wider Wellington region. Whatever you've got going on with your drains, we can sort it.
Old earthenware drains crack, sag, and root over time.
Learn more →Cheaper than emergencies.
Learn more →Not every problem needs a full re-lay.
Learn more →Free quotes, fast response, and we'll explain what we're doing in plain English. Call us or send a message — we'll be back within the hour during work hours.
