5 Common Causes of Blocked Drains and How to Prevent Them

Posted by Local Sydney Blocked Drains on 21 Oct 2025

Blocked drains are an inconvenience which can cause a disruption in your daily life. They can lead to smelly water damage, bad smells and even health hazards. If not dealt with promptly blocked drains may cause serious problems in the plumbing system, which could lead to expensive maintenance or repairs.

Key Takeaways

  • Blockages to drains can cause disruption to your routine and cause flooding, unpleasant smells, and even health issues.
  • Fat, oil and grease build-up can clog the walls of pipes causing blockages. Do not pour grease down the drain, or use soap and hot water while cleaning dishes.
  • Tree roots naturally extend themselves into the ground searching for nutrients that could cause severe damage to pipes and even completely block them leading to flooding; regularly maintain the trees surrounding drainage systems by trimming them.
  • Flushing non-biodegradable items like wet wipes, sanitary towels and so on. can create unpleasant smells that can be detected around bins and toilets; only use toilet paper to flush down toilet.
  • Hair

In this article, we will explore five reasons for blocked drains and the best way to stop them from happening.

Cause 1. Grease, oil and Fat Buildup

Fat, grease, and oil might appear to be harmless substances to dump down the drain but as time passes, they build up in the pipes’ walls the pipes causing an obstruction. In this case it is impossible for water to flow freely through drainpipes. The solution is to avoid throwing grease down the drain or use hot water and soap to wash your hands when cleaning dishes since it can help break down grease-based substances.

Cause 2: Tree Roots

As time passes, tree roots naturally extend themselves into the ground searching for nutrients which means that they grow towards underground pipes. Once they are inside the pipes, tree roots can cause substantial damage and may completely block them, causing flooding. It’s crucial, therefore, if you have trees around that you regularly maintain their growth around drainage systems, by trimming them regularly.

Cause 3: Flushed items

It’s easy to assume that flushing non-biodegradable things like wet towels, sanitary wipes and so on. won’t cause any significant problems over the long haul, However, if a large amount of these items go down toilets they will resultantly build up, pushing other items aside and blocking pipes – this can cause a bad smell to be released around toilets/bin areas too! Always remember what should be flushed, and what shouldn’t (i. e only toilet paper is to be flushed away).

Cause 4: Hair

Additional Information

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Are you experiencing a clogged toilet, blocked shower drain, overflowing drains or an issue with your kitchen sink? We can help you sort out your drain blockage problem quickly and provide the following services:

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