We get called to persistent drain blockages regularly — drains that have been cleared once, twice, sometimes three or four times by other plumbers, and keep coming back. This is a case study from a Northcote property where the drain had been blocking every few weeks for over a year.
The Problem
A homeowner in Northcote contacted us after their rear toilet and laundry drain had been blocking repeatedly. A plumber had cleared it twice in the preceding twelve months, but it kept returning. The blockages were complete — the toilet would back up and the laundry floor waste would overflow. They’d had enough.
Step One: CCTV Inspection
We ran a CCTV camera through the drain from the rear of the property to the sewer connection point. The footage told a clear story: approximately 12 metres from the house, an old clay pipe had a significant crack and a corresponding root intrusion point. The roots — from a large elm in the front nature strip — had established a dense mass inside the pipe at that location. Every time the line was cleared, the roots re-established within weeks.
Step Two: Hydrojetting
We hydrojets the line thoroughly, clearing the root mass completely and flushing it through. A second CCTV pass confirmed the pipe was clear. Now we could see the full extent of the crack — a lateral split running approximately 30 centimetres along the top of the pipe.
Step Three: Pipe Relining
With the root cause identified, pipe relining was the right solution. We installed a structural resin liner through the affected section, sized to fit the existing clay pipe. The liner was cured in place and hardens to form a seamless new pipe wall inside the old one — no cracks, no joints, no root entry points.
The Result
That was over 18 months ago. The drain has not blocked since. The elm tree is still there — but it can’t get in anymore.
If your drains keep coming back, call Sedcon Plumbing on 0413 647 557. We’ll find the cause and fix it properly.