Unblocking a drain — when DIY, when to call a plumber?

A kitchen sink that drains slow. A shower tray that holds water too long. A WC that gulps when you flush. Three symptoms, three different causes — and three very different fixes. Skip the chemical drain cleaners: in 7 cases out of 10 they fix nothing.

Three blockage types

• Local blockage (within 1 m of the drain): mostly hair, grease, soap. Mechanical fix.
• Trap blockage: gunk in the S-bend under the basin or shower. Dismantle and rinse.
• Main line blockage: several drains slow at once. Often tree roots or a broken pipe. Not a DIY job.

What you can try yourself

Always start with the simplest fix and escalate. For a local blockage in a basin or shower, this order usually works:

1. Remove and rinse the trap — 80% of basin blockages are here.
2. Use a drain auger (15–20 m, ~€25 at the hardware store) through the drain hole.
3. For a WC: use a toilet plunger, not a sink plunger — the latter does not push air.
4. For a shower: lift the hair trap and clear by hand — avoid knives or scissors that can damage the drain.

When you really need to call

Three signs that warrant a plumber straight away: multiple drains slow at the same time (points to the main line), water backing up into another drain (sewer issue), or a smell that lingers despite good drainage (broken trap under the screed).

We use an inspection camera on a 30 m drum — we see exactly where it sits before breaking anything open. No blind chiselling through tiles.