Updated October 2026
Ferny Hills sits on the slopes between Arana Hills and the bushland to the west, built out through the 1970s and 80s with brick and timber homes, generous blocks and reserve frontage on a lot of streets. Moreton Bay Blocked Drains is a local referral service that connects Ferny Hills residents with QBCC-licensed local drain plumbers we work with.
Why Ferny Hills drains block
Roots are the dominant cause, and the bushland edge is the reason. Properties backing onto reserve have mature eucalypts and other substantial trees within easy reach of the sewer line, and the older clay pipe under these blocks offers them a joint every metre or so.
Slope adds the stormwater half. Water comes off the hill fast, carries leaf litter and soil into pits and pipes, and the material settles the moment the grade eases. A pit full of bush litter will not pass a summer storm.
Age handles the rest. Lines that went in with the original houses are now forty to fifty years old, and a pipe at that age is usually either already root-affected or one dry season away from it.
What clearing a blocked drain involves
The licensed drain plumbers we work with usually run a CCTV drain camera first, because on root-affected lines it tells you whether a clear will hold or whether the pipe is broken. Jet blasting with a root-cutting nozzle shears roots back to the pipe wall. Repeat blockages are a tree roots in drains problem until proven otherwise.
A standard clear typically costs $150 to $400. Root clearing typically costs $250 to $600. A camera inspection runs $249 to $600, or $350 to $900 combined with jetting. Relining typically costs $3,000 to $8,000 or more. Every job is quoted first.
Frequently asked questions
We back onto reserve. Can we stop roots getting in?
Not entirely, because you cannot remove the trees. What you can do is seal the pipe. Relining removes the joints the roots are using, which is the only durable answer.
Are root foaming treatments worth it?
They can slow regrowth after a mechanical clear, but they do not repair the pipe or close the entry point. Treat them as maintenance, not a fix.
How do we know if the pipe is broken rather than just blocked?
Camera footage. A root mat at an intact joint looks very different from a cracked or collapsed section, and the repair options differ accordingly.
Drain trouble in Ferny Hills? Get a fast quote and we will connect you with a QBCC-licensed local drain plumber.