Blockage locator
Find Out Where Your Blocked Drain Actually Is
One slow basin and a yard full of sewage are completely different jobs. Tick which fixtures are backing up and this will narrow down where the blockage sits — and whether it is yours or the municipality’s.
Blockage locator
Work Out Where the Blockage Actually Is
Which fixtures are affected tells you roughly where in the system the blockage sits — and that decides whether it is a trap you can clear yourself, a main line on your property, or the municipality’s sewer. Tick what is true and the tool will narrow it down.
What is backing up?
Tick everything that applies. Two groups, then press check.
Nothing is stored on our side. The WhatsApp button opens a message you can read and edit before sending.
Why the pattern matters more than the symptom
Drainage runs as a tree. Each fixture has its own short waste pipe and trap, those join a branch, and the branches join one main line that leaves the property and meets the municipal sewer. A blockage always affects everything upstream of it and nothing downstream.
That is why one slow basin and a yard full of sewage are completely different jobs even though both are “a blocked drain”. If a single fixture is affected, the problem is between that fixture and the branch. If everything low in the house is affected at once, the problem is near or past the point where all those branches meet.
The most useful single observation is the one people rarely check: lift the inspection eye or drain cover in the yard and look. If it is running clear, the blockage is behind you inside the property. If it is standing full, the blockage is ahead of you, closer to the boundary or beyond it.
Questions
Common questions
Water comes up in the shower when I flush the toilet. What does that mean?
It means the blockage is downstream of both fixtures, on a shared line rather than in either fixture. Waste from the toilet cannot get past the obstruction, so it takes the next lowest opening, which is usually the shower or bath. This is a main line problem and it should not be cleared by repeated flushing.
Only one basin is slow. Can I sort that out myself?
Usually yes. A single slow fixture with everything else draining normally is almost always the trap or the short waste pipe under it. Cleaning the trap physically is often enough. Save the callout for when more than one fixture is affected.
How do I know if it is the municipality's problem?
The clearest sign is that you are not alone. If neighbouring properties are backing up at the same time, or a manhole in the street or servitude is overflowing, that points at the municipal main rather than your property. Report it to Moqhaka Local Municipality. If only your house is affected, it is almost certainly on your side of the connection.
Should I pour drain cleaner down it first?
Not into a line that is already fully blocked. The chemical sits in standing water instead of reaching the blockage, and it makes that water hazardous for whoever opens the pipe afterwards. On a slow single fixture it is sometimes reasonable; on a backed-up main line it is not.
The drain keeps blocking every few months. Why?
Recurring blockages in the same place usually mean something structural rather than something that washed in: tree roots entering a joint, a section of pipe that has sagged and holds water, or a partial collapse. Clearing it treats the symptom. A camera inspection finds the cause.
Need the drain cleared in Kroonstad?
Send the result, your area and photos on WhatsApp.