Water Jetting: How Misdiagnosed Drain Problems Cost You More

Blocked Drains Are a Red Flag

We get calls all the time from people saying, “My toilet’s gurgling again,” or “The shower won’t drain.” Then comes the kicker – “We’ve had it jetted four or five times already.” If that’s you, let me be honest: jetting it again won’t fix the problem.

Blocked drains that come back within weeks or months usually point to a bigger issue that no one’s found yet, or worse, someone found it but didn’t fix it properly.

Misdiagnosed Drain Problems: A Werribee Case Study

The $800 Shortcut That Became a $30,000 Job

One customer in Werribee had us quote a drain repair a year ago, but decided to go with a cheaper option. A young plumber came in, quoted less than half and did the job. They didn’t get a certificate of compliance. No camera inspection. No bedding under the pipes.

Twelve months later, we were called back out. The whole house was backing up. Sewage was coming through the shower. They had been paying $800 each time to jet the line – five times in total.

When we ran our camera, we found the real problem: the drain was laid with reverse fall. Wastewater was flowing backward into the house instead of out toward the mains. We had to dig it up and redo the entire system properly. Total cost? $30,000.

Water Jetting Without Diagnostics Is Just Delaying the Problem

Jetting is a fantastic tool. We use it all the time – but only after we’ve done proper diagnostics. If we don’t know what caused the blockage in the first place, we’re just kicking the can down the road.

Every one of our techs carries a CCTV camera for exactly this reason. If you’re jetting without looking inside the pipe, you’re guessing. We don’t guess.

Toilet Gurgling? How Our Team Finds the Real Cause

Our first step is always to ask questions and listen. When a tech arrives, they’ll spend time with you, get the backstory, and figure out what’s been tried before. We train our team to probe deeper, not just blast the pipe and move on.

From there, we camera the line and look for signs like:

• Backward fall or bellies in the pipe
• Root intrusion
• Cracks or dislodged joints
• Evidence of poor installation

Once we know what’s really going on, we’ll give you options: short-term jetting, partial relining, or a full fix.

Honest Advice: Don’t Keep Paying for the Same Problem

One of our techs said it best to a customer recently: “I can jet this today and you’ll be calling me again next month. Or I can fix it properly and you won’t see me again for 25 years.”

Blocked drains are stressful. The smell, the mess, the inconvenience – it’s a nightmare. But you don’t have to live like that. With the right diagnosis and a proper fix, it can be over for good.