Blocked Drains Como | Same-Day Clearing

On a sloping block, the rules decide the fix

Como was subdivided as river blocks from 1914, sold for the outlook rather than laid out to a grid, so a great many properties sit below the road they front.

Sutherland Shire's requirement is that stormwater reaches a recognised drain by gravity. Where your land falls toward the street that is a non-issue and you will never think about it.

Where it falls away, the drain that can take your water is downhill, and downhill belongs to somebody else. That needs a legally created easement over the downstream property, which is a negotiation and a registered instrument rather than a plumbing decision.

Pumping it back up is not the workaround, because pump-out and charged systems are prohibited outside basement car parks. So the honest first step on a sloping block is establishing where the water can legally go, and we would rather do that before you spend anything.

Call 1300 381 569 Book a look

Fall assessed on siteWhere the water actually goes now
Same-day clearingAcross Como and the river suburbs
Straight answer on approvalsIncluding when it is not a plumbing job
Licensed plumberNSW Licence 368473C, fully insured

Local drainage guide

Stormwater and drains on a Como block

Gravity to a recognised drain is the required method

Sutherland Shire requires stormwater to be disposed of by gravity to a recognised drain, subject to Council approval.

That is the standard everything else is measured against, and on a block falling toward the street it is simply what already happens.

Falling away from the road changes everything

Where gravity to a drain cannot be achieved on your own land, the water has to cross the property below you.

That requires a legally created drainage easement over the downstream land, registered on title. It is a legal process between owners, not something a plumber grants.

Pumping is prohibited

Pump-out and charged drainage systems are prohibited here, other than for basement car parks.

It is the first fix most people reach for and it is genuinely off the table, which is worth knowing before it appears on a drawing.

Absorption is limited, not automatic

Infiltration systems such as absorption pits and level spreaders are accepted only in limited cases and must be formally approved by Council.

Steep land is where they perform worst: the runoff is fast and it causes erosion. So it is a question to ask, not an assumption to make.

Which is how drainage stops a renovation

Where an easement is required and cannot be obtained, a Complying Development Certificate is not possible.

People usually meet this after paying for drawings. Twenty minutes on site beforehand is the cheapest part of the whole project.

What we clear and assess

Toilets, showers and floor wastes
Kitchen and laundry lines
Main sewer runs to the boundary
Stormwater lines, pits and downpipes
Where a sloping block actually falls

Call 1300 381 569

Our Como service area

Suburb boundaries © Australian Bureau of Statistics, ASGS 2021, used under CC BY 4.0.

What blocked drain work costs in Como

Quoted at a fixed price before anyone starts. These are indicative 2026 ranges. Where the answer is a survey or an approval rather than a repair, we say so before taking any money.

Clear a blocked drain $150 – $400

Through an existing access point, cleared and flow tested before we leave.

Camera inspection $250 – $450

Footage handed over. On a drain that keeps returning, the spend worth making.

Jetting a stubborn line $400 – $700

Roots and hardened build-up take longer than a soft blockage.

Stormwater assessment on a sloping block $250 – $500

Where the fall goes, where the water currently ends up, and what your options actually are.

Written findings included

What is there, what it can do, and what would need an approval or an easement.

How a blocked drain call-out runs.

Step 01

Booking a blocked drain call-out in Como

We ask which way the block falls

Toward the street or away from it. On a Como property that answer shapes everything that follows.

Step 02

Cleared and flow tested

Through the existing access point, then run properly to confirm the line is genuinely clear rather than just moving again.

Step 03

Camera inspection of a house drain in Como

Camera down on any repeat

If it has happened before, we film it rather than clearing it again and taking your money twice.

Step 04

Handing over drainage findings to a Como homeowner

A straight answer on what is possible

Including when the honest answer is that the next step is an easement or a Council approval rather than pipe.

Blocked drain questions.

What Como locals ask us before booking a plumber.

Ask us yours Licensed plumbing van covering Como and the surrounding suburbs

Our stormwater has nowhere to go. What are the actual rules?

Sutherland Shire requires stormwater to be disposed of by gravity to a recognised drain, subject to Council approval. If your land falls toward the street that is straightforward. If it falls away, the drain that can take your water sits below you, on somebody else's property, and getting it there needs a legally created drainage easement over that land. That is a legal instrument registered on title rather than something a plumber can install.

Can we just pump it up to the street?

No. Pump-out and charged drainage systems are prohibited here, other than for basement car parks. It is the first thing most people suggest and it is genuinely not available, so it is worth knowing before it is designed into a plan.

What about an absorption pit?

Possible in some cases, but not the easy answer people expect. Infiltration systems such as absorption pits and level spreaders are accepted only in limited cases and must be formally approved by Council. Steep ground is exactly where they struggle, because runoff is fast and it erodes. Worth asking properly rather than assuming.

Why does this hold up a renovation?

Because where a drainage easement is required and cannot be obtained, a Complying Development Certificate is not possible. So a project can be stopped by where water is allowed to go, and that is usually discovered late, after drawings have been paid for. Establishing it early costs almost nothing.

Is a blocked sewer drain the same question?

No, and it is worth separating them. Sewer drainage connects to Sydney Water's system and is a different set of rules entirely. The easement question is about stormwater: rain off your roof and your paving, which has to reach a drain rather than a sewer. A blocked sewer line here is cleared much like anywhere else.

Do chemical drain cleaners help?

Rarely, and on older pipework they do harm. They sit on top of an obstruction rather than passing through it, they generate heat, and they attack the pipe about as readily as the blockage. If somebody has already poured one in, please say so when you ring rather than after we open the line.

What does clearing a blocked drain cost in Como?

A standard clear through an existing access point is $150 to $400. A camera inspection is $250 to $450 with the footage handed to you. A jetter on a stubborn or root-filled line is $400 to $700. A stormwater assessment on a sloping block, which is where the fall actually goes and what your options are, is $250 to $500.

Licensed Como plumber arriving with his tools

Get the drain cleared in Como

Tell us whether it is sewer or stormwater, and which way your block falls. Those two answers narrow it down more than anything else you could say.

Fixed price agreed first, footage handed over, and an honest answer about whether this is a plumbing job at all.

1300 381 56924/7 emergency line

[email protected]Non-urgent enquiries

Servicing Como & districtNSW Licence 368473C

Blocked drains and stormwater
across Como

Get a drain callback

On a sloping block, the rules decide the fix

Water pooling and nowhere for it to go?

Stormwater and drains on a Como block

Gravity to a recognised drain is the required method