Most blockages are preventable, and prevention is overwhelmingly cheaper than the cure. It comes down to two fronts: what enters the drains, and the condition of the drains themselves.
Control what goes in:
- Toilets: the three Ps only — no wipes ("flushable" or otherwise), paper towel, or hygiene products.
- Kitchen: no fats, oils or grease down the sink. Wipe pans first; bin cooled oil; use a sink strainer.
- Bathroom: hair catchers on shower wastes; clean them weekly.
- Laundry: a lint bag or filter on the washing machine outlet helps in older pipes.
Manage the system you cannot see:
- Keep the overflow relief gully clear of pots, mulch and paving — it is your early-warning system as well as your safety valve.
- Keep stormwater grates and gutters clear, particularly before storm season.
- Think before planting: aggressive species (figs, camphor laurel, poplars, willows) near drain lines are future blockages. Your sewerage service diagram shows where the lines run.
- Act on early symptoms — gurgles and slow drains are the cheap stage of every blockage story.
For older properties — especially pre-1980s homes with earthenware drains — a preventative CCTV inspection every few years, or scheduled root maintenance if the camera has already found intrusion, keeps you ahead of failures instead of reacting to them. Landlords in particular benefit: a mid-tenancy overflow costs far more than a scheduled check.