Sunday morning in Casula. The shower is ankle deep before you've rinsed the shampoo out, the toilet gurgles when the washing machine empties, and out the back there's grey water sitting in the overflow gully. That is a main line blockage, and nine times out of ten the fastest, cleanest way to clear it is jet blasting.
Here's the short answer. Jet blasting blocked drains means running a high pressure water jetter up the pipe on a long hose with a special nozzle. The water cuts through roots, grease and silt, and the flow washes the lot out to the sewer. It cleans the pipe wall properly rather than poking a hole through the blockage, which is why it lasts longer than an eel. Sydney 2026 price guides put a standard blocked drain clear at $180 to $450. The rest of this post covers how the machine works, when it's the right call, and when it isn't. If you would rather hand it to a licensed blocked drains plumber, no call-out fee, ring 0455 222 292 and Paul answers; the jet blasting blocked drains page is how we do it.
Jet blasting clears a blocked drain with a high pressure water jetter that cuts through roots, grease and silt and flushes them out to the sewer. Sydney 2026 price guides put a standard clear at $180 to $450, with a CCTV camera inspection quoted on inspection and often bundled in. It's the best fix for sewer and stormwater lines, but it won't repair a cracked or collapsed pipe.
What jet blasting actually is
A jet blaster (jetter, water jetter, hydro jet, it's all the same thing) is a petrol or diesel engine driving a high pressure pump. Mine lives on the truck. The pump pushes water down a long flexible hose at somewhere between 3,000 and 5,000 psi, depending on the machine and the nozzle. For comparison, the pressure washer you clean the driveway with is usually under 2,000 psi, and it moves a fraction of the water.
The clever part is the nozzle. Most of the jets point backwards. They do two jobs at once: they scour the inside of the pipe wall, and they drive the hose forward up the drain under its own power, so it can travel 30 or 40 metres from the gully to the boundary. A forward jet does the cutting at the front. Pressure cuts the blockage off the wall, and flow (litres per minute) flushes what comes off down to the sewer main. You need both. A machine with big pressure and no flow just drills a hole, and the muck settles back next week.
How a jet blast clears a blocked drain
On a typical job in Liverpool or Green Valley it goes like this. I open the overflow relief gully or the nearest inspection opening and feed the nozzle in. I run the hose up the line until it hits the blockage, then work it back and forth to cut through and pull the debris back toward me. Once water is moving again, I do a second pass with a different nozzle to clean the walls, then flush the whole line. Total time on a straightforward clear is usually under an hour.
Why the CCTV drain camera goes down first, or straight after
Jet blasting tells you the drain is clear. It doesn't tell you why it blocked. That's what the CCTV drain camera is for. I push the camera up the line and watch the screen: root intrusion at a joint, a belly in the pipe holding water, a cracked earthenware section, a build-up of grease from the kitchen branch. If I've just cleared roots, the camera shows me exactly which joint they came through, and I can locate it from the surface for a repair or a reline later. On older lines I camera first, because high pressure water into an already cracked or displaced joint can make it worse. The inspection is quoted on inspection and usually bundled with the clear.
Jet blasting vs an electric eel
The other tool on the truck is the electric eel (a drain snake, or plumber's snake): a rotating steel cable with a cutting head. Here's how I choose between them.
| Blockage | Electric eel | Jet blaster |
|---|---|---|
| Tree roots in the sewer | Bores a hole through, roots regrow quickly | Cuts roots back to the pipe wall, lasts longer |
| Grease and fat from the kitchen | Pushes through, leaves the grease on the wall | Strips the wall clean, the best fix short of new pipe |
| Silt and sand in stormwater | Not much use, the cable slides through | Flushes it out, this is the job it was built for |
| Wet wipes, sanitary items, toys | Good, grabs and pulls them back | Good, though it can push them further along |
| Small internal branch (basin, shower) | Fine with a small cable | Overkill, hand tools are better |
| Old, cracked or collapsed pipe | Can tear the pipe further | Can blow a joint out, camera first |
For a blocked sewer or stormwater line on a house block, jet blast drain cleaning is my default. For a blocked basin or a shower branch, it isn't. If you want the background on what blocks drains in the first place, and what you can fix yourself, read my post on blocked drain causes and fixes. If roots are your repeat offender, tree roots in sewer pipes covers why they keep coming back.
What jet blasting blocked drains costs in Sydney
Straight answer: most jet blasting services in Sydney charge $180 to $450 for a standard blocked drain clear, according to Sydney 2026 price guides. Call-out fees sit at $69 to $170 and hourly rates at $92 to $230, most around $140. Where a job lands in that range comes down to three things. Access: is there a gully or an inspection opening I can get into, or do I need to pull a toilet? Length and difficulty: a 20 metre line full of roots is longer work than a wipe wedged near the gully. And timing: with most plumbers a Saturday night call-out costs more than a Tuesday morning one. With us the rate is the same day or night, but if the drain is slow but still moving it can usually wait until business hours anyway. I give the price before I start.
The bit people don't expect: jet blasting doesn't fix a broken pipe. If the camera finds a cracked or collapsed section, clearing it is a temporary measure and I'll say so on the day. The permanent fix is a dig and replace, or a reline through a specialist relining company, and the camera footage tells you which before anyone quotes.
What you can safely do yourself first
Before you ring anyone, a few checks are worth doing.
- Look at the overflow relief gully (the grated drain outside, usually near the kitchen or laundry). If it's overflowing, every fixture in the house is affected and it's the main line. Stop running water and ring.
- If only one fixture is slow, it's a local blockage. A plunger, a bucket of hot water and a hand-crank drain snake from the hardware store are fair game.
- If the problem is water pooling in the yard after rain, check the stormwater grates and pits for leaves and silt before you assume the pipe is blocked.
Two things not to do. Don't tip caustic drain cleaner down a fully blocked line: it sits there, it does nothing to roots, and I'm the one who cops it when the eel or the jetter brings it back up. And don't buy a sewer jetter attachment for your pressure washer. They don't have the flow to flush anything, and on old earthenware they can do real damage. Drainage work is licensed in NSW, and jet blasting is a good example of why.
Whose pipe is it: yours or Sydney Water's
Sydney Water looks after the sewer main (in the street, or running through the back of the block in a lot of older suburbs) and the junction where your line connects to it. Everything on your side of that connection point is yours to maintain, and on older properties around Fairfield and Cabramatta that includes the boundary trap. Sydney Water's responsibility guide spells it out. If I jet blast your line and the camera shows the blockage is in their main or at a failed junction, I'll tell you, and it becomes their job rather than your bill. Their fault line is 13 20 90. Everything on your side, sewer and stormwater alike, is covered under my sewer and stormwater drainage work.
Jet blast drain cleaning vs an electric eel
An electric eel is a rotating cable that punches a hole through the blockage and leaves most of it on the pipe walls, which is why the same drain blocks again a few months later. Jet blasting fires high-pressure water backwards to pull the hose along and forwards to cut roots, scour grease and flush everything to the main. On old clay pipe the eel can also chew joints and get stuck; the jetter does not. For roots we jet, then camera the line to see where they got in: tree roots in sewer pipes.
When to call a plumber
Ring straight away if sewage is coming up through the gully or a floor waste, if more than one fixture is backing up, or if a blockage keeps coming back every few months (that's roots or a broken pipe, not bad luck). Ring during business hours if a single drain is slow and you've had a go with the plunger. Either way, a jetter and a camera in the same visit means you get the drain cleared and you find out why it happened. Done right. Done once.
Monarch Civil & Plumbing covers South West Sydney and the Macarthur region from Austral. Drain jet blasting is part of every blocked drain job, and there's 24/7 emergency plumbing when it can't wait. If you need a plumber in Liverpool, a plumber in Casula or anywhere out to Campbelltown, call 0455 222 292 and I'll tell you what it's going to cost before I start.
Related guides: blocked drain causes and fixes and blocked sink.
Need it sorted? Ring 0455 222 292 any hour or book online. Monarch Civil & Plumbing is a blocked drains plumber, no call-out fee, across Liverpool, Fairfield, Campbelltown and Camden, and the rate is the same after hours.
Blocked drain in Liverpool, Fairfield or Campbelltown?
The local pages say what is usually wrong in your suburb and what Paul does about it: blocked drains Liverpool, blocked drains Fairfield and blocked drains Campbelltown. Everywhere else within about 20 km of Austral, the blocked drains page covers how a job runs and service areas lists every suburb. No call-out fee anywhere, and the camera goes down before anything is quoted.
Frequently asked
Is jet blasting safe for old clay or earthenware pipes?
Usually yes, when the pipe is intact. The risk is on pipes that are already cracked, displaced or partly collapsed, where high pressure water can open a joint further. That's why I run the CCTV drain camera first on older lines in suburbs like Fairfield and Cabramatta, and match the pressure and nozzle to the pipe. If the pipe is broken, jet blasting is a temporary clear and the real fix is a reline or a replacement.
How much does jet blasting blocked drains cost in Sydney?
Sydney 2026 price guides put a standard blocked drain clear at $180 to $450, with call-out fees of $69 to $170 depending on the plumber and the time of day. A camera inspection is quoted on inspection and often bundled with the clear. Long runs, heavy roots and after-hours call-outs push the price up. A slow drain cleared in business hours sits at the low end of the range.
How long does a jet blast last before the drain blocks again?
For grease and silt, a proper jet blast takes the pipe wall back to bare pipe, so you're starting again from clean and it depends on what goes down the sink. For tree roots, expect them back within one to three years unless the entry point is repaired or relined, because the jetter cuts the roots but not the crack they came through. The camera tells you which situation you're in.
Can I hire a jet blaster or use a pressure washer attachment myself?
I'd advise against it. Consumer pressure washer attachments don't have the flow to flush anything out and can damage old pipes, and in NSW drainage work is licensed for a reason. A plunger, hot water and a hand-crank snake are fine for a single slow fixture. For the main line, a licensed plumber with a jetter and a camera in one visit works out cheaper than a second visit after a DIY attempt.
Is jet blasting better than an electric eel?
For sewer and stormwater lines, usually yes. It cleans the whole pipe wall rather than boring a hole through the blockage, and it handles roots, grease and silt better, so the result lasts longer. The eel still wins for grabbing solid objects like wipes and toys, and for small internal branches where a jetter is overkill. I carry both and pick based on what the drain and the camera tell me.
Does jet blasting work on stormwater drains?
It's the best tool for them. Stormwater lines block with silt, sand, leaves and roots rather than the fats and paper you get in a sewer, and an eel just slides through silt. The jetter's flow flushes it all out to the kerb or the pit. If your yard is pooling after rain and the grates are clear, jet blasting the line with a camera check afterwards is the standard fix.
Licensed plumber and drainer based in Austral, 13+ years in the trade, working across Liverpool, Fairfield and the Macarthur region. About Paul