Quick answer
Repeat blockages every few months are not bad luck and not usually user error — they mean a structural problem in the line. The three common causes are root intrusion, a bellied or sagging section holding water and solids, and a partial collapse. None of them can be diagnosed by rodding, and all of them will keep recurring until the pipe itself is dealt with. A CCTV inspection is the only way to see which one you have.
Common causes
- Root intrusion at a joint or crack, regrowing after each clearing
- Bellied or sagging pipe where ground has settled, holding water and solids
- Partial collapse narrowing the bore permanently
- Misaligned or stepped joint catching debris every time
- Insufficient fall on the run so waste never moves fast enough to self-scour
- Long-term fat build-up that rodding punches through rather than removes
What you can do now
- 1Keep a written record of every blockage with dates — the pattern is diagnostic in itself
- 2Note whether it is always the same fixture or the whole house, which locates it roughly
- 3Check whether blockages follow rain, which can indicate a cracked pipe taking in ground water
- 4Stop paying for repeated rodding without a diagnosis
- 5Keep inspection eyes accessible so a survey can be done efficiently
When to call a professional
Stop paying for repeat unblocking and book one CCTV inspection. It identifies the actual defect and its location, and the report becomes the basis for a targeted repair or a re-line rather than open-ended digging. Over two or three years the survey plus one proper repair almost always costs less than the emergency call-outs it replaces.
Typical cost in Johannesburg
CCTV R1,200–R2,400
Indicative ranges only. We provide written, itemised quotes before any work.
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