5 Common Causes of Blocked Drains and How to Prevent Them

Posted by Sydney Blocked Drain Plumbing on 8 Feb 2026

Blocked drains are a hassle that could cause disruption to your daily life. They could cause water damage, bad smells and even health risks. If not dealt with promptly blocked drains can lead to serious issues in the plumbing system, resulting in expensive fixes or replacings.

Key Takeaways

  • Drains that are blocked can interrupt your day-to-day routine and result in problems with water, bad smells and even health dangers.
  • Grease, oil and fat buildup can accumulate on the walls of pipes, leading to blockages. Avoid pouring grease down drains or use hot water and soap when washing dishes.
  • Tree roots naturally grow into the earth to seek nutrients. This can cause massive damage to pipes and even completely block them leading to flooding; regularly maintain nearby trees around drainage systems by trimming them.
  • Disposing of non-biodegradable materials like wet wipes, sanitary towels etc. can cause unpleasant smells that can be detected around bins and toilets; only flush toilet paper down the drain.
  • Hair

In this post, we’ll explore five reasons for blocked drains and ways to prevent them from happening.

Cause 1. Grease, Oil and Fat Buildup

Grease, oil and fat may appear like harmless materials to dump down the drain however, over time, they begin to accumulate within the wall of the pipes, which causes obstruction. In this case the water can’t move freely through the drainpipes. The best solution is to refrain from pouring grease into the drain. Alternatively, use hot water and soap when cleaning dishes since it can help break down grease-based substances.

Cause 2: Tree Roots

As time passes, tree roots naturally extend into the ground searching for nutrients which leads to them expanding towards underground pipes. Once inside the pipes, trees roots can cause a lot of damage and could completely stop them from flowing, causing flooding. Therefore, it is essential that if have trees around that you maintain the growth of your trees around drainage systems by pruning the trees regularly.

Cause 3: Unwanted items

It’s easy enough to believe that flushing non-biodegradable items like wet towels, sanitary wipes and so on. aren’t likely to cause major issues over the long haul, but when too many of these items go into toilets, they can accumulate pushing others aside which can result in nasty smells emanating around the toilets and bins too! Be aware of what needs to be flushed, and what shouldn’t (i. e only toilet paper should be flushed away).

Cause 4 Cause 4: Hair

Additional Information

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Are you experiencing a clogged toilet, blocked shower drain, overflowing drains or an issue with your kitchen sink? We can help you sort out your drain blockage problem quickly and provide the following services:

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Clearing blocked drains can be difficult and it’s best to get a professional plumbing service involved to tackle it for you, To get your blocked drain in Sydney cleared today, contact Sydney Blocked Drain Plumbing now and speak to one of our friendly team members.

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We’re here to help with all of your plumbing needs, such as blocked drains, CCTV drain inspections, drain repairs and pipe relining.

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