Drains and toilets · Naples and Campania
Unblocking drains in Naples: sinks, toilets and showers
A slow drain today is a blocked drain in a few weeks. We unblock drains in Naples and across Campania, from the kitchen sink to the toilet. The first question, which is often settled already on the phone or on video, is always the same: is the blockage in the trap under the sink, or further down in the building's stack?
From €130 + VAT about 1 hourSink, shower, bath or toilet
Recognise the problem
- Water stays in the sink and drains away very slowly
- The shower tray floods while you wash
- The toilet fills to the brim when you flush
- Gurgling from the sink when the washing machine or toilet empties
- A sewer smell coming up from a drain
- Dirty water comes back up in the shower or bidet when you use another fixture
The most common causes
- 1
Blocked trap
The trap is the curve under the sink that holds a little water to block odours. Hair, soap, food residue and grease collect there: it is the most frequent cause and the easiest to solve.
- 2
Grease in the kitchen pipe
Cooking oil and fat, poured away hot, cool in the pipe and narrow it little by little, together with coffee grounds and residue.
- 3
Wipes and objects in the toilet
Wet wipes, sanitary towels, cotton buds and cat litter do not break down like toilet paper and lodge in the bend of the bowl or in the pipe just after it.
- 4
Branch junction or building stack
The branch junction (braga) is the Y-shaped fitting where your drain enters the stack, the vertical pipe that collects the drains from every floor. If the blockage is there, several fixtures back up together.
- 5
Wrong gradients or old pipes
A drain with too little slope or encrusted over the years blocks again and again. It can be cleared, but the problems return until that section is corrected.
What you can safely check yourself
- Test the drains of the home one at a time: if only one is slow, the blockage is close to that point. If all are slow or back up together, it is further downstream.
- Remove the sink plug and the shower grate and clear the hair with a small hook or a toothbrush: often the blockage is a few centimetres from the hole.
- Before using a plunger, block the overflow hole at the top of the basin with a wet cloth and leave a few fingers of water in the bottom, so the push reaches the blockage.
- For kitchen grease, run hot water from the tap for a long time. In the toilet pour hot but not boiling water, which can crack the ceramic.
- Avoid strong chemical drain cleaners if there is standing water: they can splash and make the work dangerous for whoever dismantles the pipe afterwards. Never mix different products, for example bleach and acids.
Never open the boiler or the gas water heater, and always switch off the power before touching an electrical appliance. If in doubt, call us.
When you need a technician at home
- The drain blocks again after a few days
- Several drains back up together or water rises from another fixture
- The trap is clean but the water still does not go down
- An object has fallen into the toilet and cannot be retrieved by hand
- The blockage is in the branch junction or in a section of pipe inside the wall
How much it costs
Blocked drain (our price)
Sink, shower, bath or toilet
from €130 + VAT
Unblocking the kitchen sink
Indicative market price in the Naples area; it depends on how far away the blockage is
80-220 €
Minor blockages
Indicative for Naples when the blockage is near the trap
80-125 €
Toilet, drain or manhole
Reference from price lists in the Naples area for a standard job
about 140 €
Market figures are indicative for the Naples area. You know our exact price before we start; prices apply near our base in Parete, and further away you see them in full when you choose your town.
Trap or stack: the difference that decides everything
Almost all household blockages are in the trap or in the first metres of pipe. You recognise them because they affect a single fixture: the bathroom sink is slow but the shower next to it is fine. These are often solved by hand, with a bucket and a little patience.
If the blockage is in the branch junction or the stack, the signs change: water rises in the shower when you flush the toilet, the bidet gurgles when the neighbour upstairs empties, several fixtures fill together. Here it is not worth insisting with the plunger, because you risk pushing dirty water out of another drain.
In apartment buildings the stack is a shared part: if the blockage is there, the administrator must be told.
What not to do with a blocked drain
Do not flush again and again hoping it will clear. If the toilet is blocked, every flush adds water and in the end it comes out on the floor.
Do not use wire or coat hangers in the toilet: they scratch the ceramic and often push the blockage further in. And do not pour boiling water into old plastic drains, because heat can deform the fittings.
Caustic soda or acid drain cleaners need great care: gloves, goggles, an open window, never together with other products. If they did not work at the first attempt do not add more, and tell the technician before they put their hands in the drain.
What we do, and what we do not, in Naples and Campania
We work on the internal drains of the home: traps, floor drains (the outlet with the grate in showers and sinks), wall pipes, toilets and the section as far as the branch junction that can be reached from the flat.
We do not do truck-mounted drain clearing. For septic tanks, full communal manholes and the building's sewers you need a specialist drain-clearing firm: we tell you straight away, so you do not pay for a pointless visit.
Our base is in Parete, north of Naples, but we work across the whole city, from Posillipo to the Vomero, and in the rest of Campania. On the dedicated pages you will find what to do about a blocked sink, a blocked toilet, a leaking cistern and a sewer smell in the bathroom.
Want to know what it is first? Show us
On a video call we have you open a few drains and watch how the water goes down: whether the problem is at one point only or whether it backs up elsewhere too. If it is the trap, we guide you to remove and clean it. If the blockage is further away, we already know what equipment is needed.
Video consultation, up to 15 minutes: €9.90 (€14.90 on Sundays), deducted from the bill if we then come to your home.
Book the consultationMost requested problems and services
DIY guides
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to unblock a drain in Naples?
On the Naples market minor blockages cost 80-125 €, the kitchen sink runs from 80 to 220 €, and a toilet or manhole is around 140 €. With the 9.90 € video call you can often solve it yourself. If a visit is needed, that 9.90 € is deducted from the bill.
The shower drain is slow: what can I do?
Remove the grate of the floor drain: in many models underneath there is a small bell, a little cup that slides out and acts as a trap. Clean the hair and soap from both. If it is still slow after cleaning, the blockage is further along the pipe.
Do you also clear septic tanks?
No, we do not do truck-mounted drain clearing. For septic tanks, communal manholes and the building's sewers you need a specialist firm; we take care of the drains inside the home.
Do bicarbonate and vinegar work?
They help with odours and light deposits, but against a real blockage of hair or grease they do little. It is better to dismantle the trap or use the plunger the right way.
The drain also backs up at my neighbour's: who pays?
If the blockage is in the stack or the shared sewer, the work is the responsibility of the condominium. If it is in the section that serves only your flat, branch junction included, it is at your expense. Tell the administrator as soon as you see the problem involves more than one home.
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Drains and toilets all over Campania
We work in Naples, Posillipo, Caserta and all over the region. Near our base in Parete there is no travel cost; further away you see the full price before you confirm.
Ready when you need us.
Book your visit by choosing a day and time. For emergencies we answer 24 hours a day, across Campania.