Quick answer
An overflowing inspection eye or gully means a blockage downstream of that point — somewhere between it and the municipal connection. The overflow is actually doing its job: it is a designed relief point that keeps sewage outside the building rather than inside it. Stop using water in the house immediately, because everything discharged is now surfacing in the garden.
Common causes
- Main sewer blockage between the property and the municipal connection
- Collapsed pipe section downstream of the inspection eye
- Municipal main backup affecting the whole street
- Tree roots choking the line at a joint
- Fat, debris or foreign objects lodged at a bend
What you can do now
- 1Stop using water inside the house completely
- 2Keep children and pets away from the overflow area
- 3Check whether neighbours are affected too, which points at the municipal main
- 4Photograph the overflow before any clean-up for insurance and for a municipal report
- 5Do not lift a surcharged cover — the contents are under pressure
When to call a professional
Call immediately; overflowing sewage is a health hazard and contaminates soil and stormwater. A drain specialist will clear the line and confirm by CCTV whether the fault is on your side of the connection or the council's. If it is municipal, the survey and photographs are what you need to lodge the claim and to avoid paying for a fault that is not yours.
Typical cost in Johannesburg
Emergency jet R1,400–R2,800
Indicative ranges only. We provide written, itemised quotes before any work.
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