Best Drainlayers & Drain Unblockers in Wellington
We assessed 9 drainlayers & drain unblockers in Wellington and ranked the top 5 on public rating quality, review volume and how recent the reviews are. The businesses listed below hold 221 Google reviews between them. No business can pay for a place in these rankings. Last updated 21 September 2026. How we rank →
Before you hire
Laying, altering, repairing or opening up a private drain is restricted work: it must be done by someone holding a current practising licence from the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board, or under the supervision of one, and there is no exemption for householders doing it themselves. Clearing a blockage is not named in that list, but a cracked or collapsed pipe found on the camera is, so ask to see the CCTV footage before you agree to a repair.
Top 5 Drainlayers & Drain Unblockers in Wellington
The top 5 drainlayers & drain unblockers in Wellington are #1 Drain Doctor, #2 Leslie Drain Clearing, #3 Superdrains, #4 Drainage Control, and #5 Nuflow Wellington, ranked by Top5 score. Scroll for our take on each, plus what to ask before you hire.
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1
Drain Doctor
★ 4.8 116 reviews Top5 Score 1575★ 109 4★ 3 1★ 4Drain Doctor clears blocked sewer pipes, stormwater drains, and gully traps, and also takes on larger drainlaying work like collapsed pipe replacement, sump installation, and relining. Technicians like Sione, Kiyan, and Tuese walk customers through each step on-site, then follow up with advice on what to do next, which keeps repeat callouts low.
location_on 31 Burden Avenue, Wainuiomata, Lower Hutt
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2
Leslie Drain Clearing
★ 4.9 29 reviews Top5 Score 1415★ 28 1★ 1Leslie Drain Clearing gets blocked drains, sewer lines, stormwater pipes, and collapsed drain repairs sorted fast, often on the same day you call. Marty takes time to explain the cause of the blockage and gives advice on avoiding a repeat, so you understand the fix rather than just paying for it.
location_on 9 Tennyson Street, Petone, Lower Hutt
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3
Superdrains Limited
★ 5.0 20 reviews Top5 Score 1395★ 19 4★ 1Superdrains takes on blocked sewer drains, CCTV pipe inspection, and excavation work, with Malcolm known for contacting neighbours, liaising with councils, and tracking down specialist contacts when the fix goes beyond a straightforward clearance. Turnaround from first call to on-site can be under 15 minutes, and they explain the cause of blockages rather than just clearing them and leaving.
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4
Drainage Control NZ LTD
★ 4.8 21 reviews Top5 Score 1355★ 20 1★ 1Drainage Control takes on substantial drainage work including full system installations, sump replacement with concrete repair, water seepage resolution, and CCTV pipe inspections for insurance reports. On involved jobs, team members like Daniel explain each stage as it progresses and allow clients to observe the work closely, which reviewers with difficult access or multi-day excavations found particularly reassuring.
location_on Level 3/21/29 Broderick Road, Johnsonville, Wellington
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5
Nuflow Wellington
★ 5.0 9 reviews Top5 Score 1295★ 9Nuflow Wellington carries out sewer drain clearing, pipe relining, and water ingress repairs, walking clients through all available options before any work begins. They have come in significantly under competitor quotes on larger jobs, and turn up on short notice without making it feel like an inconvenience.
location_on 38/16 Jamaica Drive, Grenada North, Wellington
Before you hire a drainlayer in Wellington
Drawn from 185 customer reviews collected for this page. The first answer is what it costs.
How much does it cost to unblock a drain in New Zealand? expand_more
Installer-published prices give a useful starting point, though these figures come from providers' own pages, not an independent survey. One published rate is $285 plus GST for the first hour using an unblocking truck, then $210 plus GST per hour after that, with a CCTV camera inspection included at no extra charge.
A separate published rate sets standard unblocking from $350 plus GST including a camera inspection, a standalone CCTV inspection at $250 plus GST for up to one hour, and an after-hours or emergency call at $550 plus GST. GST is 15 percent, so a $285 plus GST first-hour rate works out to $327.75 in your hand.
Does a drainlayer need a licence, and who pays when a drain is blocked? expand_more
Laying, altering, repairing, opening up or renewing a private drain, and fitting a gully trap or connecting to a septic tank, is drainlaying under the Plumbers, Gasfitters, and Drainlayers Act 2006 and must be done by someone holding a current practising licence from the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board (PGDB), or working under the supervision of one. There is no householder exemption for drainlaying, and any repair a camera inspection reveals is restricted work requiring a licensed person.
The PGDB registers three classes, restricted, drainlayer, and certifying drainlayer, and maintains a public register you can check before hiring anyone. Clearing a blockage is not named in the Act's definition of drainlaying, but pipes on your side of the boundary connection point are your responsibility: in Auckland, Watercare asks residents to call Watercare first before calling a tradesperson, and for other cities you should check with your local council or water utility. In a rental, tenants must tell the landlord straight away about any drain fault, and if careless tenant behaviour caused the blockage, the tenant's liability is capped at four weeks' rent or the landlord's insurance excess, whichever is lower.
Is a blocked drain a quick unblock, or a sign the drain needs repairing? expand_more
A one-off blockage caused by fat, wipes or hair is usually cleared in a single visit, but a drain that keeps blocking, gurgles, smells, or backs up at the gully trap is often pointing to something structural underneath, such as tree roots forcing into joints, a cracked or sunken pipe, or a failed fitting. A CCTV camera inspection is the reliable way to tell the difference, and several reviewers specifically valued being shown the footage on the spot or told plainly when a clean was all that was needed, rather than being pushed toward a repair. Asking the crew to show you the footage before you agree to anything beyond the initial unblock puts you in a far better position, and good operators will also tell you what not to put down the drain to reduce the chance of it happening again.
What are the warning signs of a drain company to avoid? expand_more
- –A phone estimate that grows significantly once the crew is on site, with no clear explanation of what changed.
- –An hourly rate that appears to start before the operator arrives, as one reviewer described being charged for time spent on a phone call prior to any work beginning.
- –A push to approve a repair or relining without being shown the camera footage first, so you have no way to judge whether the work is actually needed.
- –A blockage that returns within days and the company is unwilling to come back without charging again.
- –Mess or damage left around the gully trap, garden, or excavation site after the job, which at least one reviewer experienced with raw sewage left unaddressed.
- –After-hours or weekend rates not disclosed before anyone is dispatched, leaving you with a much larger invoice than expected.
What should you ask a drainlayer or drain unblocker before they start? expand_more
- –Ask whether the price is a fixed first-visit fee or hourly, and confirm whether it includes GST, because published rates are often stated exclusive of GST.
- –Ask whether a high-pressure water jetter truck and a CCTV camera inspection are included in the quoted price or charged as extras.
- –Ask to be shown or sent the camera footage before agreeing to any repair work beyond the initial unblock.
- –If any repair is needed on site, ask which crew member holds a current practising licence from the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board, since repair work is restricted to licensed drainlayers.
- –Ask what happens if the blockage returns within a short period, and whether a follow-up visit is covered.
- –For an urgent or weekend job, confirm the after-hours rate before anyone is dispatched so there are no surprises on the invoice.
Also recommended drainlayers & drain unblockers in Wellington
Ranked 6 to 9 on the same public review record.
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6
AQUA BLAST (2018) LIMITED
★ 5.0 7 reviews Top5 Score 1265★ 7Aqua Blast turns up quickly on blocked drain callouts, with at least one job resolved within the hour of the call coming in. Tavita and the team work at pace without cutting corners, and the personal, family-business approach means clients feel looked after rather than just processed.
location_on 115 Gracefield Road, Seaview, Lower Hutt
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7
Cobra Drain Cleaning
★ 5.0 5 reviews Top5 Score 1225★ 5We generate summaries once a business has enough reviews for a reliable sample.
location_on 2 Hardy Street, Johnsonville, Wellington
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8
E N Ramsbottom
★ 5.0 5 reviews Top5 Score 1225★ 5We generate summaries once a business has enough reviews for a reliable sample.
location_on 144 Hutt Road, Kaiwharawhara, Wellington
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9
Ultimate Drain Clearing ltd
★ 4.6 9 reviews Top5 Score 1135★ 8 1★ 1Ultimate Drain Clearing unblocks toilets, sewage pipes, and drains, often arriving within hours of a call and clearing the blockage in minutes. They take time to explain the cause of the problem and tell you how to stop it recurring, so you leave the visit with more than just a cleared drain.
location_on 68-70 Ward Street, Wallaceville, Wellington
About this ranking
What the 9 drainlayers & drain unblockers listed above hold, at the 21 September 2026 check.
Across the 6 locations we assess drainlayers & drain unblockers in, the 59 businesses listed have a median rating of 5.0, and one-star reviews are 2.6% of their total.
How are the top drainlayers & drain unblockers in Wellington chosen? expand_more
We build this page from Google Maps results for drainlayers & drain unblockers in Wellington. Each one is scored on its public rating and review record. Businesses outside the area, or whose reviews describe a different line of work, are left out. Every category and city is rechecked on a rolling cycle, about every two to three months. A location with a subscribing business is rechecked every month, and the whole page updates with it. See how we rank for the full method.
What does a business subscription offer? expand_more
No business can pay for a place in these rankings. Claiming and verifying a listing is free. It adds a phone number to the card and a small trust bonus (+3 points) to its score, for confirming a real operator stands behind the listing. The owner also gets a dashboard showing how their score is made up. A paid subscription provides an enhanced card with more ways to reach the business, including a website link and a detailed profile page. It also refreshes this page monthly and adds ranking history and competitor analysis to the owner's dashboard. The subscription adds nothing to the score. Claim your listing or see what a subscription includes.
Why isn't my business listed? expand_more
We build this page from Google Maps results for drainlayers & drain unblockers in Wellington. The usual reasons for missing out are a Google Business category that does not match, too few reviews to score near the top, or an address outside the area we cover. Sometimes we miss a business that should be here. Check where you rank first. If you are not there and think you should be, get in touch.