A blocked sink and a blocked main sewer line are the same words and very different invoices. Here is what each actually costs in 2026, what makes the number move, and how to tell whether you have a blockage or a broken pipe.
These are typical price ranges for the Illawarra and NSW, drawn from published 2026 industry pricing data — not a quote, and not our fixed prices. What your job actually costs depends on access, the age and condition of the plumbing, parts, and whether it is after hours. We give you a fixed price before we start work, so you are never guessing.
Blocked drains are the most common call any plumber gets, and the most commonly under-quoted. The reason is that "blocked drain" describes anything from a hairball in a shower waste to eighty years of tree root in a clay sewer line under a driveway.
The figures below are published 2026 ranges for NSW. What matters more than the numbers is knowing which category your problem is in, so the rest of this page is about working that out.
Published 2026 ranges. Where a job needs both root cutting and jetting, expect the higher band.
| Job | Typical range | What affects it |
|---|---|---|
| Blocked sink or basin | $150 – $300 | Usually cleared on the first visit. |
| Blocked toilet | $180 – $350 | Higher if the pan has to come up. |
| Blocked main sewer line | $300 – $800+ | Depends on access, depth and cause. |
| Jet rodding (hydro jetting) | $250 – $800 | High-pressure water. Clears grease, silt and fine roots. |
| Root cutting plus jet rodding | $400 – $1,500 | Mechanical cutter first, then jetting to flush the debris. |
| CCTV drain camera inspection | $250 – $550 | Often credited toward the repair if you proceed. Sources range $150–$750. |
Electric eel. A mechanical cutter on a flexible cable. Punches through a blockage and cuts roots. Fast, effective at restoring flow, and the usual first tool for a straightforward blockage.
Jet rodding, also called hydro jetting. High-pressure water that scours the pipe wall rather than just boring a hole through the obstruction. It is what clears grease, silt and fine root hair, and it leaves the line genuinely clean rather than temporarily open.
In practice, often both. A root job typically means cutting first and then jetting to flush the debris out. That is why you will not usually see two clean prices quoted for the two methods — the work is priced by the job, not by which tool comes off the truck.
This is the question worth answering before you spend anything substantial. A genuine one-off blockage — a nappy, cooking fat, a build-up over years — clears and stays clear. A recurring blockage in the same place is telling you something else is wrong with the pipe.
The usual culprits in Illawarra homes:
A CCTV drain camera answers this in twenty minutes. If the pipe is sound, you have paid for certainty. If it is not, you now know whether you are looking at periodic maintenance clearing, relining, or excavation — and you can make that decision on footage rather than on somebody's opinion.
Two things worth checking, both free. First, is it one fixture or all of them? A single slow basin is a local blockage. Every fixture in the house backing up at once, or a gully overflowing outside, means the main line — stop using water and call, because the next flush has to go somewhere.
Second, resist the supermarket drain cleaner on a serious blockage. It rarely shifts roots or a solid obstruction, and it means whoever opens that drain is working in caustic water. If you have already used some, say so when you call.
We clear blocked drains across Wollongong, Kiama, Shellharbour and down through Gerringong, Gerroa and Berry, with CCTV, electric eel and jet rodding on the truck. More on our blocked drain service, or send us the details for a quote.
Published 2026 ranges are roughly $150 to $300 for a blocked sink or basin, $180 to $350 for a blocked toilet, and $300 to $800 or more for a blocked main sewer line. Jet rodding runs $250 to $800, and where tree roots are involved and need cutting before jetting, $400 to $1,500. A CCTV drain camera inspection is typically $250 to $550, and is often credited toward the repair if you go ahead.
Access and cause. A blockage you can reach through an accessible inspection opening is a short job. One in a main line under a driveway, or one caused by roots that have to be cut out before the line will flow, is not. The other variable is whether the blockage is a one-off or a symptom — a pipe that has cracked, sagged or been invaded by roots will keep blocking until the defect is fixed.
It is worth it when a drain has blocked more than once in the same place, when you are about to spend real money on a repair, or when you need to know whether the problem is on your side of the boundary. It is not necessary for a one-off kitchen sink blockage. We will tell you which situation you are in, and the inspection fee is generally credited toward the repair if you proceed.
An electric eel is a mechanical cutter on a flexible cable — good for punching through a blockage and cutting roots. Jet rodding uses high-pressure water to scour the pipe wall, which clears grease, silt and fine root hair and leaves the line genuinely clean rather than just open. In practice root jobs often use both: the cutter first, then jetting to flush the debris out. That is why pricing is generally not split cleanly between the two methods.
Not always. Cutting and jetting will restore flow, and on a slow-growing intrusion that can hold for a year or more. But roots get in through a defect — a cracked section, an open joint, a sagged run — and they will come back to the same place. A CCTV inspection shows how bad the defect is, and from there the options are periodic maintenance clearing, pipe relining, or excavation and replacement. We will show you the footage rather than asking you to take our word for it.
Generally, everything on your side of the boundary is yours and the main in the street is the water authority's. Note that the Illawarra spans two authorities: Wollongong, Kiama, Shellharbour, Gerringong and Gerroa are Sydney Water, while Berry and the Shoalhaven are Shoalhaven Water. A CCTV inspection establishes where the blockage actually is, which matters when there is a question over who pays.
Tell us what is happening and we will give you a fixed price before we start. Licensed, Kiama-based, 24/7 for emergencies.
Prices reviewed 23 August 2026. Where published sources disagree, we show the range that spans them rather than picking the number that suits us.