Drain unclogging in Montreal
Plomberie Nova clears blocked sink, tub, toilet and basement floor drains across Montreal and Greater Montreal, 24/7 — and finds where the blockage sits before choosing the tool.
What a blocked drain costs you if you wait
- Water backing up into the basement
- Persistent sewer smell through the floor drains
- Mould and bacteria where the water sits
- Pipe walls degrading faster than they should
- A far bigger repair bill later on
A slow drain is a warning. Call before it becomes a flood.
Depending on what is blocking the line, our team uses a mechanical auger for common clogs or high-pressure water jetting to dissolve grease and sediment build-up in older pipes. A camera inspection then confirms the drain is fully clear and identifies any recurring cause — tree roots, a sagging pipe, a broken joint — before it blocks again.
Why call a drain specialist?
Accurate diagnosis
Lasting fixes, not quick patches
Specialized equipment
Safe for your pipes
Damage prevention
Plomberie Nova at your service
An experienced team
Licensed plumbers who clear drains every day across Montreal — residential, multi-unit and commercial buildings alike.
The right tool for the blockage
Mechanical auger, high-pressure jetting, camera inspection. The method follows the problem, not the other way around.
Available when it happens
Drains rarely back up at a convenient hour. We answer 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
We find the cause
Clearing the clog is the first half. The camera tells you why it happened, so you are not calling us again in three months.
Guaranteed work
One-year guarantee on parts and labour, RBQ licence 5795-3739-01.
What to know about your drains
What are the signs of a drain that is blocking?
A sink that drains slowly is not always a concern on its own, but when several fixtures slow down at the same time — the kitchen sink, the bathtub and the basement floor drain, for example — it usually means a blockage further down the line, not just at the fixture where you notice it. Gurgling in the pipes when you empty a sink, or water rising in the bathtub when you flush the toilet, point in the same direction.
A sewer smell that lingers despite cleaning, or a backup through the basement floor drain, are more serious signals that call for a quick intervention rather than waiting.
What blocks a drain in Montreal's housing stock
Built-up grease, paper and wipes cause most of the common blockages in a line that is in good condition. In older neighbourhoods, things get more complicated: cast-iron or clay drains installed decades ago can sag slightly over time, creating a low point where debris collects, or crack and let in tree roots that end up blocking the line completely.
How we go about it
Diagnosis comes before the tool: we determine which drain is affected and what the symptoms indicate before choosing the method. For an ordinary obstruction, a mechanical auger is usually enough. For grease or debris build-up in an older line, high-pressure water jetting dissolves and flushes out the deposit more effectively than an auger alone.
When a drain keeps blocking again for no obvious reason, a camera inspection confirms that the line is actually clear along its full length and identifies a recurring cause — roots, a sag — before it causes another blockage.
Emergency or preventive maintenance?
An active backup in the house, with water coming up through a fixture, is an emergency: it should not wait. A drain that runs a little slowly but still works can usually be scheduled, though not left too long — a slowdown that persists often turns into a complete blockage.
City or owner: where the blockage sits
The drain running from your house to the main sewer under the street is yours, up to the property line. If the blockage is near that line or beyond it, it may fall under the municipal system, which changes who has to step in. That is one of the reasons a camera inspection is useful before drawing any conclusion — it shows exactly where the problem is.
Frequently asked questions
My drain clears, then blocks again a few months later. Why?
Because unclogging removes the blockage without explaining what caused it. Grease and soap residue that coat the pipe walls narrow the line again, and a quick pass with a small cable often opens a channel through the clog instead of clearing the full diameter of the pipe. Other causes are structural: tree roots that enter through a cracked joint, a section of pipe that has sagged and holds water and debris, or a joint that has shifted out of line. Those always come back, whatever product goes down the drain. A camera inspection is what settles it: it shows what the problem is and where it sits, so you can decide whether to keep cleaning the line or repair the faulty section once.
Several drains are slow at the same time. Is that different?
Yes, and it matters. When one fixture is slow the blockage is usually local; when several are, it sits further down the line at a point they share. That changes where we work, not just how.
Do you unclog drains outside business hours in Montreal?
Yes, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. A blocked main drain that backs up into a basement is treated as an emergency.
Can an auger damage my drains?
Used properly, a mechanical auger clears the obstruction without harming a line that is in good condition. That is why the diagnosis comes before the choice of tool.
Can a backwater valve prevent backups?
Yes. A backwater valve stops water from the municipal sewer from flowing back toward your house when the system is overloaded. It is a preventive measure separate from unclogging: it aims to keep the problem from happening again rather than fixing it once it has occurred.
Expertise and equipment
Drains cleared, causes found
Plomberie Nova combines experience, proper equipment and straight talk. We clear the blockage, show you what caused it, and tell you honestly whether it needs more work — or whether it does not.
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