Blocked Sinks, Showers & Basins
Tap Doctor Plumbing & Gas, trusted since 1985
Licensed plumbers for blocked kitchen sinks, showers, basins and baths, with jetting and drain cameras when the blockage is further down the pipe. We agree a firm price before we pick up the tools, and there’s no call-out fee during business hours.
- 1Tell us what needs doing
- 2Pick a day and time that suits
- 3We confirm and send a licensed Tap Doctor plumber
- 4Job done, problem solved
- Trusted since 1985
- Fully Licensed & Insured
- No call-out fee in business hours
- Locally Based Plumbers
- ★★★★★2,000+ Google reviews
- Trusted since 1985
- Licensed plumbers, fully insured
- Sinks, showers, basins and baths
- Phones answered 24/7
Sink or shower not draining? Do this first
A blocked sink or shower is rarely an emergency, but it gets worse the longer water and waste sit in the pipe. These steps help, and tell you when it’s time to call. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
What to do first
- Stop running water into the sink, shower or basin, and turn the dishwasher or washing machine off if it drains there.
- Clear what you can reach: hair from the shower grate or basin plug, food from the sink strainer.
- Skip the chemicals and boiling water. A sink plunger is fine to try.
- Call 1300-655-827 or book online if it’s still blocked.
Signs the blockage is further down
- Water comes up in the shower when the sink or washing machine drains
- More than one sink, shower or basin is slow
- Gurgling from drains or the toilet
- Bad smells from the plugholes
- The drain outside is overflowing
- It clears, then blocks again within weeks
After-hours call-out fees vary based on the day, time and location.
Call 24/7: 1300-655-827Blocked sinks, showers, basins and baths cleared
Kitchen sinks are the blockage we’re called for most, then showers, basins and baths. We clear the blockage, find out why it happened and tell you how to stop it coming back.
Blocked kitchen sinks
Fat, grease, food scraps and coffee grounds build up in the waste pipe until the sink won’t drain. We clear the trap and the pipe behind it, including double sinks and sinks the dishwasher drains into.
Grease in the kitchen drain line More →
When grease has coated the pipe from the kitchen to the outside drain, clearing the trap isn’t enough. We jet the line clean with high-pressure water so it drains freely again.
Blocked showers More →
Hair and soap scum in the floor waste and the trap below it. We clear the blockage and the waste so the shower drains properly. For leaking showers and shower taps, see shower repairs.
Blocked basins
Hair, soap and toothpaste caught in the plug waste and the trap under the vanity. We clear it, and replace a broken pop-up plug waste if needed.
Blocked baths
Hair and soap in the bath waste and the pipe to the outside drain. We clear it and check the bath drains at full flow.
Gurgling and smelly drains
Gurgling and drain smells are often an early sign of a partial blockage. We find the cause before it turns into a sink full of water.
Drains that keep blocking More →
If the same sink or shower keeps blocking, the problem may be a dipped or broken pipe or tree roots further along. We use a CCTV drain camera to find it, then explain the repair options.
Blocked toilet? More →
Toilets block for different reasons and sometimes point to a main drain problem. See blocked toilets, or blocked drains for main drains and sewers.
How to keep sinks and showers from blocking
Most sink and shower blockages build up over months. A few habits keep them away.
Fat in the bin, not the sink
Let cooking fat and oil cool, then wipe pans with paper towel and put it in the bin.
Use a sink strainer
Catch food scraps and coffee grounds before they reach the pipe.
Catch the hair
A hair catcher over the shower and bath waste stops the main cause of shower blockages.
Clean the plug wastes
Pull out and clean basin pop-up plugs and shower grates every few weeks.
Don’t ignore the early signs
Slow draining, gurgling and smells are easier and cheaper to fix before the drain stops completely.
Leave the chemicals on the shelf
Drain cleaners can damage pipes and seals and seldom clear a real blockage.
Why people call Tap Doctor for blocked sinks and showers
A sink you can’t use or a shower full of water is a job you want sorted properly the first time. This is how we handle every job.
Licensed plumbers
Every job is done by a licensed plumber, and Tap Doctor is fully licensed and insured.
A firm price before any work starts
Your plumber works out where the blockage is, explains what’s needed and gives you a firm price. Nothing starts until you agree.
No call-out fee in business hours
You don’t pay for us to turn up and look. If you decide not to go ahead, you owe nothing during business hours.
We find the cause
For drains that keep blocking, we look inside the pipe with a camera so you know why, and what it takes to stop it.
We call ahead and arrive on time
We confirm your booking, then call before we arrive so you’re not waiting at home all day.
Pay when the job is done
Cash, card or Osko bank transfer, collected when the work is finished.
How pricing works
What a blocked sink or shower costs depends on where the blockage is. One in the trap under the sink is quick, while grease along the line to the outside drain needs jetting, so instead of guessing over the phone a licensed plumber looks first and agrees a firm price with you on site before any work starts.
No call-out fee in business hours
You only pay for the work you agree to, and there’s no obligation to go ahead. After-hours call-out fees vary based on the day, time and location.
Firm price agreed on site
The price is agreed before we start. If we find something else that needs doing, such as a broken pipe, we quote it before any further work is done.
How you can pay
Cash, credit card or debit card, or bank transfer with Osko for an instant payment. Payment is collected when the job is done.
How to choose a plumber for a blocked drain
Whoever you call, these are the checks worth making. Here’s how we measure up against each one.
What customers say about our blocked sink work
“Thanks to the quick and efficient service from the team at TapDoctor for helping to unblock the kitchen sink drain. Everything is now clean and all the pipes are working perfectly”
“Had a severely blocked kitchen sink and also a large water leak at our house. We called the Tap Doctor and a plumber was sent that same afternoon. Blockage was fixed and leaking pipe was repaired…”
“Very professional and the kitchen sink has never drained so well.”
“Young plumber left the bathroom clean, removing all rubbish and marks after himself. Very professional and thorough service (blocked bathroom sink).”
“Dr John who came out was friendly and fixed the problem with the blocked drain without any fuss and cleaned up after himself.”
“A blockage identified in the pipe from bath to outside drain. … All completed in one day. A very good job carried out, all working well.”
Local plumbers, since 1985
Tap Doctor Plumbing & Gas has been clearing blocked sinks, showers and drains since 1985. Our plumbers live and work in the areas they cover, so there’s usually someone close by, and our phones are answered 24/7.
Customers mention our plumbers by name in their reviews, from John and Charlie to Warren and Clinton.
- Perth
- Plumbers in Perth →
- Mandurah
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- Canberra
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- Gladstone
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- Phone
- 1300-655-827, 24/7
Blocked sink and shower FAQs
Why is my kitchen sink blocked?
Usually fat, grease, food scraps and coffee grounds building up inside the waste pipe until water can’t get past. Fat goes down as a liquid and sets hard in the pipe, so a kitchen sink often blocks slowly, then all at once.
Should I use a chemical drain cleaner?
We don’t recommend it. Chemical cleaners rarely clear a solid blockage, they can damage older pipes and seals, and they leave caustic water sitting in the sink for whoever clears it next. Tell us if you’ve already used one.
Can I pour boiling water down a blocked sink?
It’s best not to. Boiling water can soften plastic waste pipes and joints, and it usually only pushes a grease blockage as far as the next bend, where it sets again.
Why does my shower drain so slowly?
Hair and soap scum catch in the floor waste and the trap under it. Lift the grate and clear what you can reach. If it’s still slow, the blockage is further into the pipe and needs clearing properly.
Why does my sink gurgle or smell?
Gurgling usually means water is struggling to get past a partial blockage, or air can’t get into the pipes. A bad smell can come from waste sitting in the pipe or a trap that has dried out. Both are worth looking at before the drain blocks completely.
Why does water come up in my shower when I use the sink or washing machine?
Your fixtures share drain pipes further down. When one fills up while another drains, the blockage is in the shared pipe, not the shower. That needs a plumber with a drain machine or jetter.
My dishwasher won’t drain. Could it be the sink?
It can be. Most dishwashers drain into the kitchen sink waste, so a blocked sink waste can stop the dishwasher draining too. Clearing the sink often fixes both.
Can you give me a price over the phone?
A blockage can be in the trap under the sink or metres along the pipe outside, so we don’t guess over the phone. A licensed plumber looks at the job and gives you a firm price before any work starts, with no call-out fee during business hours and no obligation.
Do you charge a call-out fee?
Not during business hours. You only pay for the work you agree to. After-hours call-out fees vary based on the day, time and location.
Are your plumbers licensed and insured?
Yes. Every job is done by a licensed plumber, and Tap Doctor is fully licensed and insured.
Sink or shower still blocked?
Book online in under 2 minutes, or call us any time.