Blocked Drain FAQs The Gap
Straight answers about drain work in The Gap, from what a job costs to who owns which pipe. The Gap Blocked Drain Services has pulled together the questions we hear most on the phone.
If we're late, $100 comes off your bill
- No Call-Out FeeNo surcharge for nights, weekends or public holidays
- Flat-Rate PricingNo hidden fees, and the price is agreed before work starts
- Same-Day Where We CanAvailable 24/7, and we answer seven days a week
- Licensed and InsuredEvery job done by a licensed plumber. QBCC No: 15024607
Pricing and Booking Questions
Money questions first, because that is where most calls start.
Call (07) 3522 5670How is the price for a drain job worked out?
The plumber finds the cause first, then quotes a fixed upfront price covering the whole job, and nothing starts until you agree. Access, pipe depth and the cause of the jam set the figure.
Do you charge by the hour?
No. Every job is priced as a fixed upfront figure agreed before work begins, so an unexpected complication underground does not stretch the bill the way an hourly rate would.
How fast can a plumber get here?
The Gap Blocked Drain Services can usually be there the same day when you call in the morning. There is no guaranteed response time, so ring early if the drain is backing up.
How do I pay?
Pay by card or EFTPOS on the day, once the work is done and tested. The figure you agreed beforehand is the figure on the invoice, with nothing to work out afterwards.
What should I have ready when I call?
Which fixtures are slow or overflowing, whether it started suddenly, and any past history with the same drain. A plumber who knows the shower gurgles but the kitchen sink runs fine gets to the cause sooner.
What if the blockage is worse than it looked?
The camera sometimes shows a cracked or collapsed length behind the jam. That repair is a separate decision, priced separately, and nothing proceeds until you have agreed to the new figure.
Drains and the Local Area
Then the questions about how drains behave around this valley.
Call (07) 3522 5670Which pipes are my responsibility?
The pipes on your side of the connection point are yours to maintain; the sewer main on the far side belongs to Urban Utilities. If a fault sits in their main, they attend it, and we will show you where that point sits.
Why do drains back up in summer storms?
About 1047mm of rain falls here in an average year, most of it in summer storms, and runoff racing down the valley slopes drops silt in the flat stretches near Enoggera Creek, where pits and gullies choke first.
Do the original clay drains still matter?
Plenty of houses here went up through the 1960s and 1970s, and many of those drains are glazed clay with joints every short length. Roots find those joints, so knowing the pipe material helps the plumber pick clearing over repair.
Are there still old septic tanks around?
A few remain. The first houses here were built while Brisbane was still working through its sewerage backlog, and a tank buried in the yard decades ago can still trap solids even though the house now runs to the sewer.
When is a camera inspection worth it?
When a blockage keeps coming back, when smells linger after clearing, or before any repair decision. The footage shows roots, shifted joints and sags, so the fix targets the real fault instead of the same spot again.
Do you cover the neighbouring suburbs?
Yes. The Gap Blocked Drain Services works Keperra, Enoggera, Ashgrove and Bardon on the same regular run, and each has its own page on this site covering the housing mix and drain conditions there.
Other Questions?
If your question is not here, ring (07) 3522 5670 and ask. A two-minute conversation usually sorts out what the drain is doing and what the next step looks like.
