5 Common Causes of Blocked Drains and How to Prevent Them

Posted by Melbourne Blocked Drains Plumbers on 14 Mar 2026

Blocked drains are an inconvenience that could cause disruption to your daily life. They can lead to flooding, bad smells, or even health risks. If not dealt with promptly blocked drains can lead to severe problems for the plumbing system, leading to costly maintenance or repairs.

Key Takeaways

  • Blocked drains can disrupt your routine and can cause problems with water, bad smells, and even health risks.
  • The fat, oil and grease accumulations can stick to the pipes’ walls, causing obstructions; try not to pour grease down the drain. Alternatively, use soap and hot water for cleaning dishes.
  • Tree roots naturally extend themselves in the ground to find nutrients, which could cause serious damage to pipes and even completely block them leading to flooding; regularly keep trees in the vicinity of drainage systems by pruning them.
  • Disposing of non-biodegradable materials like wet toiletries, wipes, and so on. can create unpleasant smells emanating from bins and toilets. be sure to flush toilet paper down the drain.
  • Hair

In this article, we’ll review five common reasons for blocked drains and the best way to stop them from happening.

Cause 1. Grease, oil and fat buildup

Oil, grease, and fat may seem like harmless substances to drain down the toilet, however, over time, they begin to accumulate within the wall of the pipes, which causes a blockage. If this happens it is impossible for water to flow freely through drainpipes. The best solution is to refrain from spilling grease in the drain, or use hot water and soap while cleaning dishes, as this helps break down grease-based substances.

Cause 2: Tree Roots

In time, the tree roots naturally extend their roots into the earth searching for nutrients which results in them growing towards underground pipes. Once inside these pipes tree roots can cause substantial damage and can completely block them leading to flooding. It is therefore essential if you have trees nearby that you regularly maintain their growth around drainage systems by pruning them on a regular basis.

Cause 3: Unwanted items

It’s easy to think that flushing non-biodegradable things like toilet paper, wet wipes etc. won’t cause any significant problems in the long term, However, if a large amount of these items go down toilets they will resultantly build up, pushing other items aside and which can cause unpleasant odors to emanate around toilets/bin areas too! Always be aware of what should be flushed away and what should not (i. e only toilet paper is to have to be flushed).

Cause 4 Hair

Additional Information

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Are you experiencing a clogged toilet, blocked shower drain, overflowing drains or an issue with your kitchen sink? We can help you sort out your drain blockage problem quickly and provide the following services:

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