6 Simple Habits That Stop Blocked Drains (From a Local Plumber)
I cleared a grease plug the size of a football from a share house in Dee Why last week — six people sharing one kitchen will do that. Here are six simple habits that'll save you a callout, from a plumber who's seen it all.
Six people, one kitchen, one grease plug the size of a football
I cleared a blocked drain in Dee Why last week for a share house with six people sharing one kitchen. The kitchen sink had been running slow for weeks, then stopped completely. When I pulled the pipe apart, I found a grease trap — a solid plug of solidified cooking oil the size of a football. Six people cooking pasta, frying eggs, pouring oil down the sink. It doesn't take long.
"We didn't think a little bit of oil would matter," one of them said. That little bit, multiplied by six people over six months, becomes a problem that needs a high-pressure jetter to fix.
Six habits that'll save you a callout
- • Use a strainer basket in your kitchen sink — catch food scraps before they go down the drain. Empty it into the bin, not the sink
- • Never pour cooking oil or grease down the sink — wipe pans with paper towel first, pour cooled oil into a container and bin it
- • Flush kitchen drains with boiling water weekly — it melts grease deposits before they harden into a plug. Costs nothing, takes 30 seconds
- • Install drain strainers in showers — a $5 silicone strainer catches hair and soap scum before they cause a blockage
- • Use an enzymatic cleaner monthly — these use natural bacteria to break down organic buildup without damaging your pipes. Pour it down before bed, let it work overnight
- • Don't flush anything but toilet paper — "flushable" wipes are not flushable. They don't break down and they're the #1 cause of toilet blockages in rental properties
What the suburbs tell me
In Dee Why and Brookvale, where there are lots of rental properties and share houses, grease blockages are the most common callout. Six people sharing a kitchen with no strainer and no grease discipline — it's a recipe for disaster. In Manly, where many homes have modern bathrooms but narrow waste pipes, the problem is often hair and soap buildup in showers.
Different suburbs, different habits, but the fix is always the same: stop putting stuff down the drain that shouldn't be there.
When to call me anyway
If your drain is already slow or blocked, try a plunger first. If that doesn't work, call an emergency plumber. I'll bring the high-pressure jetter and the CCTV camera, clear the blockage, and show you what caused it. Fixed price, no pressure. And I'll tell you exactly what habits to change so it doesn't happen again.
Need a drain cleared before it gets worse?
Book a CCTV inspection or get an emergency blockage cleared fast. Same-day service across the Northern Beaches.
Related reading
- 7 Warning Signs You Have a Blocked Drain— Catch blockages before they cause winter emergencies.
- Why Tree Roots Block Drains (And How to Stop Them)— The #1 cause of blocked drains on the Northern Beaches.
- CCTV Drain Inspection: How It Works and What It Reveals— See inside your pipes before winter sets in.
- Pipe Relining vs Pipe Replacement— Permanent solutions for damaged drain pipes.
- Emergency Plumber Northern Beaches— 24/7 drain clearing for sudden blockages.