Blocked Drains

A slow-draining sink, water pooling in the shower, or a gurgling toilet are all common signs of a blocked drain. The good news is, these are some of the most common blocked drains we fix across Townsville, and a good number of them can be cleared with the right DIY approach. In this guide, we’ll cover what you can safely fix yourself, what you shouldn’t attempt, and the right approach for the specific drain you’re dealing with, so you don’t turn a simple blockage into a bigger, more expensive plumbing repair. TL;DR Before You Try Any of the Methods Below 6 Ways to Clear a Blocked Drain on Your Own The methods below are arranged from the simplest to the most involved. Start with the first method and work your way down only if needed. This helps reduce the risk of damaging your pipes while giving you the best chance of clearing a minor drain blockage yourself. 1. Flush the Drain with Hot Water This is the first thing worth trying if water’s still draining, but slowly. It works well on grease and soap residue, though it won’t do anything for a hair clog that needs physically pulling out. Works for: kitchen sink, bathroom sink, shower or bath, laundry drain Things you’ll need: How to do it: 2. Break Down Build-Up with Baking Soda and Vinegar  If hot water alone didn’t fully clear it, this is the next step up. The fizzing reaction helps break down soap scum and light organic build-up, but like the hot water flush, it won’t help dislodge a solid hair clog or a foreign object stuck in the pipe. Works for: kitchen sink, bathroom sink, shower or bath, laundry drain Things you’ll need: How to do it: PS: At this point, you might be tempted to reach for a chemical drain cleaner, so if you do use one, follow the manufacturer’s instructions exactly. If it doesn’t clear the blockage, don’t try to force it by increasing the concentration, leaving it in longer than recommended, or mixing in another cleaner, that can harm you, damage the pipe, and make it unsafe for a plumber to work on later. 3. Dislodge the Blockage with a Plunger  If the fizzing didn’t help, you’re likely dealing with something sitting in the drain and that’s where a plunger can help. Just make sure you’re using the right one for the job.  For sinks, showers, and baths, use a flat-cup plunger, or an accordion plunger if you need a stronger grip. For toilets, use a flanged plunger, the one with the extra rubber lip, which is built to seal in the bowl and won’t work properly on anything else. Works for: kitchen sink, bathroom sink, shower or bath, toilet Things you’ll need:  How to do it (for sinks, showers, and baths) How to do it (for toilets) 4. Remove the Blockage with a Hooked Wire or Drain Snake If plunging didn’t get things moving, you’re likely dealing with hair wrapped around the pipe wall or snagged at the trap. A hooked wire or drain snake will help grab and pull that clump out but you’ll need to be careful with how much force you apply. If you hit firm resistance and keep pushing, you risk cracking an old trap, scratching the pipe, or shoving the clog further in where it’s harder to reach.  Works for: bathroom sink, shower or bath drain Option A: Hooked Wire Things you’ll need: How to do it: Option B: Drain Snake Things you’ll need: How to do it: 5. Remove and Clean the P-Trap (U-Bend) If you’ve tried everything above and it’s still blocked, the clog is probably sitting inside the U-bend itself, right where a plunger or wire can’t quite reach it. So your only option is to take the pipe off and clean it out by hand – which takes more effort than the earlier steps, but it puts you directly at the spot where the blockage is stuck.  Works for: kitchen and bathroom sink Things you’ll need: How to do it: 6. Clear Surface Debris from Outdoor Drains This one covers a different situation: water pooling around an outdoor grate or stormwater drain, with leaves, dirt, or debris visible on top of it.  Works for: outdoor stormwater grates Things you’ll need: How to do it: A little tip: Townsville’s wet season pushes leaves and dirt into outdoor grates fast, so it’s worth checking them regularly during heavy rain. And if the grate’s clear but water is still pooling, that’s a sign the blockage is further down the pipe – you’ll need to call a plumber to inspect and fix it.  7. Extract the Blockage Use a Wet/Dry Vacuum If you don’t have a plunger on hand, a wet/dry vacuum is a solid alternative for a stubborn blockage. It can pull the obstruction back up toward the opening, which makes it much easier to remove by hand afterward. It’s best suited to softer blockages like paper, hair, or organic matter, and won’t do much against anything solid or lodged deep in the system.  Works for: toilets, kitchen sinks, bathroom sinks, bathtubs, showers Things you’ll need: How to do it: One important caution here: Never use a wet/dry vacuum if you’ve recently poured a commercial chemical drain cleaner into the drain. The vacuum could spray all those chemicals back towards you.  Final Thoughts Even if you’ve managed to clear the blockage, it’s not always a permanent fix. If the same drain keeps blocking after you’ve cleared it, or more than one fixture is affected at once, the problem is usually deeper within the drainage system. It could be anything between a tree root intrusion, or severe pipe damage – which are all structural issues that none of the DIY methods in this guide will fix. That’s where a professional inspection makes all the difference. At 1Touch Plumbing, we use CCTV drain inspections to identify the actual cause of recurring blocked drains, allowing us to

Most of us spend a lot of time keeping our sinks, showers, and benches clean, but what about the drains? Even when everything else looks tidy, hair, soap scum, food scraps, and grease can quietly build up inside pipes, causing smells that are hard to ignore. Fortunately, most drain odours give clues about where the problem is and what it is. By paying attention to the smell and which drain it’s coming from, you can often tackle the issue yourself before it turns into a bigger headache. In this guide, we’ll walk you through why drains smell, show you practical steps to fix common problems at home, and explain when it’s time to call a licensed plumber to keep your system running smoothly. TL;DR Identify the Smell: A Quick Odour-to-Cause Cheat Sheet Before you start cleaning drains or checking pipes, pause for a moment and pay attention to the smell. Different plumbing problems produce different odours. The type of smell can often tell you whether you’re dealing with sewer gas, bacterial build-up, mould, or food waste, which helps narrow down the likely cause. Use the quick guide below to match the smell with what it usually points to.  If It Smells Like Raw Sewage A strong sewer smell is the easiest one to recognise. It has a heavy, unpleasant odour similar to wastewater or public sewer drains. When you notice this smell indoors, it means sewer gases are entering the home somewhere in the plumbing system. These gases normally stay trapped inside the sewer lines, held back by the water in the P-trap (the U-shaped section under sinks, showers, and floor drains). If the P-trap dries out, is damaged, or the seal is otherwise broken, the gases can escape into your living space. If It Smells Like Rotten Eggs or Sulphur A rotten-egg odour comes from hydrogen sulphide gas, which forms when bacteria feed on organic material – like hair, soap residue, or other debris – inside drains. This smell often becomes stronger when water runs because moving water disturbs the bacteria and the trapped gases in the P-trap or deeper in the drain. Over time, this bacterial buildup can lead to slow-draining pipes, persistent odours, and even corrosion in metal pipes if left untreated. If It Smells Musty or Mouldy A musty, damp odour is softer and earthier, more like wet towels or old cupboards, rather than the sharp smell of sewer gas. This happens when moisture lingers for long periods. In bathrooms, warm, humid air combined with splashes from sinks and showers keeps surfaces damp, which encourages mould and bacteria to grow and release musty smells. These smells can also come from damp buildup in overflow holes or around drain openings, where water doesn’t flow freely and bacteria or mould can thrive. If It Smells Like Rotting Food or Garbage A garbage-like odour is sharp, sour, and slightly acidic, similar to leftover food left sitting in a bin. It often comes from decomposing vegetables, meat scraps, or greasy residues. The smell is usually strongest near the kitchen sink, garbage disposal, or dishwasher because food scraps and grease get stuck in these areas and begin to rot. The Most Common Causes of Smelly Drains (And Quick Ways to Confirm Them) Drains can start smelling for a few common reasons, mostly related to buildup or trapped water. Knowing what’s causing it makes it easier to fix. Cause 1: Evaporated Water in the P-trap  Every drain in your home connects to a P-trap, which is the U-shaped section of pipe under sinks, showers, and floor drains. That curved section always holds a small amount of water, usually about 50–100 mm (2–4 inches), which acts as a seal to block sewer gases from travelling up the pipe and into your home. If a drain isn’t used for a while, that water slowly evaporates. In warm climates like Townsville, traps can dry out faster because heat speeds up evaporation. Once the trap dries out, there’s nothing stopping sewer gases from rising through the pipe. This often happens in places that aren’t used daily, such as: How to confirm it’s a dry trap Cause 2: Biofilm Buildup Inside The Drain Another common cause of smelly drains is biofilm, the thin, slimy layer that slowly forms inside pipes when everyday materials stick to the pipe wall, including: Bacteria feed on this organic material and form a sticky colony. As they break it down, they release gases that create musty or sulphur-like smells. How to confirm biofilm buildup If you see or feel: Then, biofilm is likely coating the inside of the drain. Cause 3: The Hidden Sink Overflow Channel Many bathroom basins have a small hole near the top of the bowl called the overflow. Its job is to stop the sink from flooding if the tap is left running. If the basin fills too high, water flows through this hole and back into the drain. This overflow channel rarely gets properly flushed because, during normal use, water goes straight down the main drain rather than through the overflow opening. As a result, small splashes of toothpaste, soap, dust, hair, and dirty water can enter the hole and remain inside the narrow cavity instead of being washed away. Because the channel stays dark and slightly damp, bacteria and mould begin feeding on the residue. As they break it down, they release the musty or sour smells you often notice when leaning over the basin. How to confirm the overflow is the source If the odour becomes stronger, it means the moving water is disturbing the buildup inside and releasing the trapped smell into the air. Cause 4: Organic Buildup in the Kitchen (FOG) Kitchen drains deal with a different type of waste than bathroom drains. Even if you’re careful not to pour grease down the sink, small amounts of fats, oils, and grease (FOG) still wash off plates, pans, and utensils during washing. This greasy residue travels down the pipe, cools, and sticks to