Blocked Pipe Clearing Across the Perth Hills

The tool for the blockages that jetting alone won't shift

A drain machine, or an electric eel as most people call it, is a long flexible cable with a cutting head on the end that gets fed down the line and spun. Where high-pressure water is good at flushing out grease, sludge and general build-up, the eel is what you reach for when there's something solid in the way that needs cutting through, tree roots being the usual culprit.

They're different tools for different blockages rather than one being better than the other, which is why it's worth knowing both exist. The jetter's the one that lives on the ute as standard, the eel is kept at the workshop and brought out when the job needs it.

Know the signs

When the Drain Machine Is the Right Call

Some blockages need more than water pressure to shift. A drain machine uses a rotating cable to work through tougher obstructions, making it useful when jetting alone isn’t getting the line moving.

01

Tree roots in the sewer line

The most common one on older Hills blocks. Roots find a hairline crack, get in, and keep growing. The cutting head clears them out of the line.

02

A blockage that won't move under jetting

If water pressure isn't shifting it, something solid is usually in the way.

03

Older or fragile pipework

On some older lines a mechanical clear is the safer approach.

04

Tight or awkward runs

The cable follows bends that other gear can't get through.

Not Sure If It's Worth Fixing?

If the blockage keeps coming back, it may be worth finding out what’s causing it rather than clearing it again. Andrew can take a look and explain what makes sense before you commit to the work.

Clearing It Is Only Half the Job

An eel gets the water flowing again, and if roots caused the blockage, they will come back. That’s not a failure of the clear, it’s the nature of a cracked line sitting next to a tree that wants water.

Which is why Andrew usually follows a root clear with a CCTV drain inspection to see what shape the pipe is actually in. Sometimes the answer is a repeat clear every couple of years and that’s fine. Sometimes it’s a sewer and drain repair, and you’re better off knowing that than finding out the third time it blocks.

Why Call AH Plumbing & Gas

The Right Tool for the Blockage

High pressure jetting lives on the ute as standard, and the drain machine comes from the workshop when a job needs it, so the blockage decides the method rather than what's already loaded.

Licensed & Insured

Plumbing Licence 8282, with compliance paperwork provided where required.

Upfront Pricing

Priced and explained before any work starts.

Related Blockage Services

High pressure jetting: The other half of the same decision.
CCTV drain inspection: What tells you whether a clear will hold.
Sewer and drain repairs: Where a camera shows the pipe itself needs attention.

What the Perth Hills Locals Say

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between an electric eel and a jetter?

The eel cuts through solid blockages mechanically with a spinning cutting head, while the jetter flushes the line out with high-pressure water. Roots generally call for the eel because they need cutting, and grease, sludge and general build-up call for the jetter because they need washing away. Plenty of jobs want both, which is the argument for having both available instead of making the blockage fit the tool.

Will the eel damage my pipes?

Used properly on suitable pipework, no. The risk sits with old or already damaged lines, where a pipe that’s cracked or badly corroded can be in poor enough condition that force isn’t the right answer. That’s why Andrew works out what he’s dealing with before reaching for it, and why a camera down the line afterwards is worth the extra few minutes.

How often do tree roots come back?

It depends on the size of the crack, how close the tree is and how much water is on offer, so there’s no single answer. What a camera inspection does is tell you which situation you’re in: a hairline fault that needs a maintenance clear every couple of years, or damage bad enough that you’re better off repairing the line and being done with it.

Can I hire a drain machine and do it myself?

You can hire one, though there are two catches. Without knowing what’s down there it’s easy to pack a blockage tighter or damage a line that was already fragile, and hire machines aren’t always matched to the pipe you’re putting them into. The bigger issue is that even if it clears, you still won’t know what caused it, so you’re likely doing it again.

Do you clear stormwater drains as well as sewer?

Yes, both. Stormwater comes up far more through the wetter months, when drains that cope fine for most of the year suddenly can’t keep up with what the Hills gets in a heavy downpour. Leaf litter and silt are the more common culprits, so the method differs, but it’s the same job of finding out what’s in there first.

Local Perth Hills Blocked Drains Service

Drain Clearing Across the Perth Hills

Established trees on older Hills blocks are the main reason the eel comes off the ute, and the same gardens that make the area worth living in are the ones sending roots into clay junctions. Further out, properties on septic systems and leach drains have their own version of the problem, and that work is covered under septic systems and leach drains.