Adelaide Hills
Blocked drains, Adelaide Hills
Water backing up in the shower, a toilet that will not clear, or a gully overflowing across the yard. We clear blocked drains right across the Adelaide Hills, seven days a week.
Why Hills drains block
Blocked drains in the Hills are a different job
Blocked drains in the Adelaide Hills are not the same job as blocked drains on the plains, and anyone who treats them the same will be back at your place next winter. We are based in Mount Barker and work the Hills every day, so we know what is usually at the other end of the camera before we put it down the line.
Tree roots are far and away the most common cause. The Hills are full of established gums, elms and liquidambars sitting directly over vitrified clay sewer lines laid in the fifties and sixties. Clay pipe joins are the weak point. A root finds one hairline gap, the pipe becomes the wettest, richest thing in the soil profile, and within a couple of seasons there is a root mass filling the bore.
Rainfall and fall matter too. Stirling records roughly double Adelaide's annual rainfall, and on steep blocks where sewer and stormwater runs were retrofitted around the contour you get lines with too little fall carrying more water than they were designed for. Solids settle in the flat sections, and that is where the blockage starts.
Materials tell you a lot as well. Older Hills properties are clay and earthenware, which crack and root. Newer estates around Mount Barker and Littlehampton are PVC, which does not root but does block with construction debris, render and offcuts left in the line at rough in. Plenty of Hills properties are also on septic or aerated systems, where a blockage can point at the tank or the irrigation field rather than the drain, and clearing the drain alone would only be treating a symptom.
It is also worth knowing what is not your responsibility. If the blockage sits past your property boundary in the SA Water main it is their line and their cost, not yours, and we will tell you when that is the case rather than quoting you for work that is not yours to pay for. Assigned Plumbing is fully licensed, PGE-274459, with 98 reviews at 4.9 across Google and Facebook.
How we work
Camera first, price second, jetting third
A CCTV drain camera goes down the line before anything else, and we look at what is in there, where it is and how deep. You see the footage too. Once we know the cause we give you a price, so there is no hourly meter running while someone works out what they are dealing with.
Then we clear it with high pressure water jetting. The jetter cuts roots out and scours the pipe wall back to clean bore, which is the difference between a drain that flows and a drain that flows for two years. An electric eel punched through a root mass leaves the root structure attached to the pipe, ready to fill back in.
After clearing we put the camera back down to confirm the line is clear and to check whether the pipe itself has been damaged. If it has collapsed or the joins are gone, we will show you and quote the repair. If it is fine, we will say so and leave you alone.
Where you are in the Hills changes the job. Around Stirling, Aldgate, Bridgewater and Crafers it is older housing, the heaviest tree cover and the wettest weather in the state, so root intrusion in clay is the standard call. Out in the Mount Barker, Littlehampton and Nairne estates it is more often debris or poor fall. Through Hahndorf, Woodside, Balhannah and Oakbank there is heritage plumbing, a lot of septic systems and drains that back up after heavy rain. Lobethal, Gumeracha, Birdwood and the eastern Hills mean larger blocks, longer runs and tank water, and we are not charging you a travel premium for being out that way.
One last thing worth saying about cost. A drain that is cleared cheaply and blocks again in six months is the most expensive option on the table, because you pay for it twice and you still have the original problem. We would rather spend twenty minutes with a camera telling you the pipe under your driveway has failed than take your money three times for the same call out.
What we clear
Blocked drain services across the Hills
Sewer and stormwater blockages, tree roots, collapsed pipe, septic drainage faults and emergency call outs, seven days a week.
Experienced blocked drain plumbers
Tree roots, foreign objects or structural defects — our licensed team quickly diagnoses and clears the blockage.
High-tech drain cameras
We camera the line to locate the blockage with precision — no need to dig up your property.
Drain & sewer repairs
From a simple blockage to a complex sewer problem, we have the tools and expertise to fix it fast.
Burst pipe repairs
A burst pipe needs immediate attention. We carry the fittings to stop the leak on the spot.
Prompt, friendly and on time
Reliable service that turns up when we say, so you can get back to your routine without delay.
Honest, upfront pricing
You will know the price before we start — no call-out surprises and no fixing what is not broken.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
How quickly can you get to me?
We take calls seven days a week and treat anything overflowing inside a house as urgent. Call 0410 063 121 and we will tell you honestly when we can be there rather than promising an hour we cannot make.
Do you have to dig up my yard?
Usually not. Jetting clears the large majority of blockages with no excavation at all. Where the pipe itself has failed we will show you the camera footage first so you can see why digging or relining is the only option left.
What does it cost to clear a blocked drain?
It depends on the cause, the depth and how far along the line it sits, which is why we camera first and quote before we start. Quotes are free and there is no obligation.
Will the tree roots grow back?
If the pipe has a defect, eventually yes. Jetting buys you years rather than months, and if we can see the roots returning through a specific broken join we will quote you on fixing that section so you can stop paying for the same job.
My drain keeps blocking, is that normal?
No. A drain that blocks more than once in a couple of years has a cause nobody has looked at. Get the line cameraed and find out what it is.
Do you work on septic systems?
Yes. A lot of Hills properties are not on mains sewer and we deal with septic and aerated wastewater systems regularly.
What we do
Our Services
Plumbing & gas services across Adelaide, the Adelaide Hills and surrounding areas.
Excellent · 98 reviews on Google and Facebook
What our customers say
Highly recommend Ash and the team at Assigned Plumbing for a great service, excellent response and high level of quality works completed at our place in Birdwood. The team responded to our stormwater leaks in a very timely manner, finished the job rapidly, tested and verified before providing sound advice on some future improvements. Will call on again in the future for all my plumbing maintenance and projects. Thanks team!
MAfter seeing my latest water bill had tripled I discovered I had an underground leak at the metre , luckily assigned plumbing was able to come the same day I rang them, fixed the leak and had the water back on for the weekend
SAshley and his team (Max and Darcy) are excellent – prompt, efficient, polite and respectful. Great service at a very reasonable cost. Highly recommended.
EGreat service and professional advice to help with positioning and install of wood heater at home. Thankyou Ash!
JHad Ash do two new/renovated bathrooms for us! From quote to completion, couldn’t say a bad word! Everything went exactly as he said on the day he said it would. He was very clean and respectable during the process and the workmanship was perfect. Couldn’t be happier!!
BI had a shitty job no one else wanted to touch and got hold of this great mob of plumbers and in no time they were where I needed them and they completed the job very professionally and in a timeframe that I didn’t think possible. Amazing people, great work ethics and the price was fair and reasonable. I highly recommend them for any plumbing services that you require and I will use them again if the situation arises that needs good work done correctly and within a decent time frame. Thanks Assigned Plumbing Services. 😁
TAshley and team were fantastic. Came on time, provided really good advice and got the job done and went the extra mile with additional materials (did not charge) to get the job done properly. Thanks Ashley and Maxi, appreciate your work and would highly recommend them.
JGreat plumber. Great communication, great job and great value!
SHighly professional service
A@assignedplumbing
Recent blocked drain jobs in the Adelaide Hills
A few of our latest drain clearing and repair jobs from across the Hills.
Free, no obligation
Blocked drain in the Hills? Let's get it sorted.
We clear blocked drains across Stirling, Mount Barker, Hahndorf, Woodside, Lobethal and the rest of the Adelaide Hills, seven days a week, with a free quote before we start.
Where we work
Assigned Plumbing Services covers Adelaide, the Adelaide Hills and the Murraylands, including Mount Barker, Murray Bridge, Stirling, Hahndorf, Strathalbyn, Nairne and Littlehampton. You can see every suburb we service, or call 0410 063 121.