Cleared properly, not just pushed through.
A blocked drain rarely announces itself. It starts as a sink that empties a bit slower than it used to, a gurgle from the shower when the washing machine drains, or a smell near an outdoor grate that comes and goes. By the time water is backing up over a floor waste, the blockage has usually been building for a while.
Available 24/7 across the North Shore · No callout fee on eligible jobs
Voyager clears blocked drains across the North Shore, 24 hours a day. And where the same drain keeps blocking, we’d rather find out why than keep coming back to clear it.
That last one matters. A single slow basin is usually local. Several fixtures misbehaving together generally points further down the system.
The North Shore’s older housing stock and heavy tree cover shape the pattern:
Describe what’s happening and we’ll tell you straight — including when the simple fix is the whole job.
The plumber works out which line is affected and how far along. Where the cause isn’t obvious, or the drain has blocked before, a CCTV drain camera inspection shows what’s actually happening in the pipe.
The recommended work and the price are explained and agreed up front. Voyager charges by the job, not by the hour — so a difficult clear doesn’t quietly become a bigger bill.
Depending on the blockage, that may mean a drain machine, an electric eel, or high-pressure water jetting — also called hydro jetting — for roots, grease and compacted debris. A blockage sitting in the S-bend or the trap under a fixture is a different, smaller job to one out in the main sewer line.
The line is tested after clearing. Where a camera has been used, you get to see the state of the pipe — including anything that’s likely to cause the next blockage.
If the camera shows cracked pipe, root intrusion or a bad joint, you’ll be told plainly, along with what fixing it would involve. Clearing buys time; relining or repair is what stops the cycle. There’s no obligation to do the second thing on the spot.
Sewage backing up into a shower or over a floor waste is not a wait-until-Monday problem. Voyager runs 24/7 emergency callouts across the North Shore.
Before the plumber arrives, where it’s safe:
If a drain has been cleared more than once in a couple of years, the blockage is a symptom. Roots don’t return to a sound pipe — they return through the fault that let them in. Clearing removes what grew; it doesn’t close the door.
That’s what the camera is for, and it’s why Voyager would rather show you the pipe than sell you the same clear every eighteen months. Where the line is structurally sound, clearing is the whole job and that’s the end of it.
Across Sydney, clearing a straightforward single-fixture blockage typically costs $150–$400. Jetting a main line runs $250–$600, cutting out tree roots $400–$1,200 depending on how established they are, and a CCTV camera inspection $250–$550 — often bundled into the clearing job rather than billed separately. After-hours emergency work across the market usually carries a 50–100% loading.
| The job | Typical Sydney range |
|---|---|
| Clearing a single blocked fixture | $150 – $400 |
| High-pressure water jetting a main line | $250 – $600 |
| Cutting tree roots out of a sewer line | $400 – $1,200 |
| CCTV drain camera inspection | $250 – $550 |
Voyager prices by the job, not the hour — a fixed price agreed before the work starts, so wherever your job sits in those ranges, you know your number before anyone touches a drain. Free quotes, and no callout fee on eligible jobs, subject to Voyager’s current terms and eligibility requirements.
Voyager runs 24/7 for urgent blockages, including overflows and sewage backing up. Availability on any given day depends on where crews are, but urgent jobs on the North Shore are prioritised. Call 0485 028 787 and describe what’s happening.
Across Sydney, a straightforward blockage typically costs $150–$400 to clear, with jetting a main line running $250–$600 and root cutting $400–$1,200. Voyager prices by the job, not the hour — so your price depends on the blockage and where it is, not on how long the plumber ends up standing there. You get a fixed price before the work starts, a free quote, and no callout fee on eligible jobs, subject to Voyager’s current terms and eligibility requirements.
Occasionally, on a minor build-up of hair or soap. On a real blockage — roots, a solid obstruction, compacted grease — it generally doesn’t, and it leaves a caustic pool sitting in the line that’s hazardous for whoever opens it up next. Worth telling the plumber if you’ve used any.
No. For a straightforward one-off blockage, clearing it is the job. A camera earns its place when the drain has blocked before, when more than one fixture is affected, or when the cause isn’t obvious — because those are the cases where clearing alone tends not to hold. When it is needed, it adds around half an hour on site, not a second visit.
Usually the owners corporation pays when the blockage is in a shared line, and the lot owner pays when it’s inside their own lot — the split turns on where the fault actually sits, which varies by building. Voyager works with strata managers across the North Shore and can report on what was found and where, which is usually what the determination turns on.
Different system, different causes — usually leaves, silt and debris rather than what goes down an indoor waste. See stormwater drains.
Free quote, a fixed price agreed before the work starts, and someone on the end of the phone at any hour.
Voyager Plumbing · NSW Contractor Licence 476657C
Verify with NSW Fair Trading
Page reviewed and updated 19 August 2026
