Not every problem needs a full re-lay. A cracked join in a Khandallah villa, a single root mass under a Karori driveway, a flattened section behind a Newtown back yard — we spot-repair those and save you the bigger spend. CCTV first, quote second.
When a drain blocks or backs up, the first question is always: is this a one-off, or is the whole line on its last legs? Repairing without a CCTV inspection is a guess. We don't guess.
For most repairs we run the camera, locate the exact problem with a beacon, and quote a targeted spot-repair. That's a sectional pipe replacement, root removal, or joint reseal — done in a single visit, with the line CCTV-verified clean before we leave. If the line really does need a re-lay, we'll show you why on the footage and quote both options honestly.
Customers tell us they've had three or four "fixes" on the same drain in five years before calling us. That's not a repair — that's a maintenance contract by accident. We'll either give you a repair we're confident will hold, or a re-lay quote that puts the problem to bed for the next 50 years. Your call.
Wellington's housing stock and topography produce a predictable repair list. Camera the line, locate the failure, fix the section — most of our Wellington repairs come from one of these three patterns.
Newtown, Mt Cook, Thorndon, Aro Valley, Berhampore. 1900s–1930s villas with original glazed earthenware drains. The pipework itself is usually sound; it's the lime-mortar joints that have crumbled and let roots through. Sectional reseal or replace 1–3m, leave the rest. Most of these jobs are a single visit.
Kelburn, Khandallah, Wadestown, Brooklyn, Karori. Decades of slow ground movement on steep sites leave drains sagging at the low point. Water and debris pool, blockages repeat. We dig out the sag, re-bed on compacted base, replace the affected length. Honest about whether the next section is heading the same way.
Karori, Miramar, Island Bay, Tawa, Johnsonville. Established trees plus older drains plus concrete driveways equals roots crushing the pipe where you can't easily get at it. We locate the failure point with a beacon, cut a minimum-impact slot through the concrete, repair, and patch. CCTV after so you can see the line's clean.
Pattern not familiar? Still call. Wellington's older suburbs throw up plenty of one-offs — collapsed gully traps in Lyall Bay, broken council connections in Mt Victoria, sagging stormwater on Wadestown retaining walls. We camera every job before quoting.
A broken or cracked drain rarely fails all at once — it warns you first. The most common signs your drain needs repair are:
Spotted one or more of these? A CCTV drain inspection confirms exactly what's wrong and where before any digging starts — so you only pay to repair the section that's actually failed.
The most common signs of a broken drain are slow or gurgling drains, blockages that keep coming back, a persistent sewage or damp smell, wet patches or unusually green grass along the drain line, sinking ground or cracked paving from soil washing into the pipe, and a sudden appearance of rats or drain flies. If you notice one or more, a CCTV drain inspection confirms exactly what's wrong and where before any digging.
CCTV tells us. If there's one clear failure point and the rest of the line is sound, a spot-repair is the right call. If the line has multiple failures or significant sag, a re-lay is the better long-term spend. We'll show you the footage either way.
Yes — most root intrusion can be cleared and the affected joint or section repaired. If the same root system has invaded multiple sections, sometimes a re-lay is more cost-effective. Either way, we run CCTV first to confirm scope before quoting.
Most spot-repairs are completed in a single visit, usually 3–6 hours including excavation, repair, backfill, and CCTV verification. We give a clear time estimate up front.
For most repairs (sectional replacement, joint reseal, root removal) on a private drain past the gully trap, no WCC inspection is required and we can complete the job in a single visit. Anything affecting the public connection — the run from your boundary to the council main — needs a WCC inspection before backfill. We arrange that as part of the quote and book around their availability so the trench isn't open longer than it needs to be.
Yes. All our repairs are workmanship-warranted, and we'll come back if there's a problem with the repair itself. We'll be straight up about what the warranty does and doesn't cover before we quote.
Almost always. Quoting drainage work without seeing inside the pipe is guesswork — and it's how customers end up paying for the wrong repair. CCTV cost is included in the repair quote on the day.
One owner-operated crew across the wider Wellington region. Whatever you've got going on with your drains, we can sort it.
Razorback HD CCTV with metre-counter and locating beacon.
Learn more →Stormwater has to go somewhere.
Learn more →Drainage scope for new homes — stormwater, wastewater, sewer connections, and any required council inspections.
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.
