Istanbul Drain Unclogging
When it comes to unclogging a blocked drain, Cantley first identifies which line is blocked, then clears that line without breaking tiles or walls. Whether it is a washbasin, shower tray, kitchen sink, washing machine outlet or floor drain, any point where water will not go away signals an obstruction that has built up in one particular spot in the pipe. Our team comes to your address in all 39 districts of Istanbul, 24/7, shows you the problem on site, explains what needs to be done and starts work only with your approval. If you message us on WhatsApp with a photo, we can talk through the situation before we arrive.
A home or business has dozens of metres of drain pipe, and these pipes join one another before running down into the main line. That is why the blockage is not always where the water collects. Water overflowing from a shower drain in the bathroom can sometimes come from a plug of greasy waste that has formed in the shared pipe coming from the kitchen. Work done without finding the right point either pushes the blockage further along or gives only temporary relief, so we start every job by mapping the line. At every stage we tell you which drain and which section of pipe we are working on.
Signs that your drain is blocked
A blockage rarely happens all at once. Before it closes up completely, a drain gives small warnings over a few days or a few weeks.
Water drains slowly and sits at the drain opening
If water stays put for a while as a washbasin or shower tray empties, the inner diameter of the pipe has narrowed. The layer of hair, soap and grease gets a little thicker with every use, and the flow slows down accordingly.
The drain gurgles and bubbles
A gurgling sound from the pipe as water goes down means air is trapped behind the blockage. If another drain makes a noise while the washing machine empties or the toilet is flushed, there is a narrowing at the point where the two lines meet.
Water from one drain comes up through another
If water poured into the washbasin rises up through the shower drain, the problem is not in a single trap. The blockage is further along the pipe that the two drains share, and trying to clear each drain one by one will not work.
A bad smell rises from the drain
Food waste and grease rotting inside the pipe give off a distinct smell, especially in hot weather. A smell can also appear when a trap has dried out, but if a drain that is used regularly smells all the time, you should suspect a build-up in the pipe.
A drain you cleared blocks again quickly
If a drain cleared with a plunger or home methods returns to the same state within a week or two, only part of the blockage was broken through. The layer left on the pipe wall catches new waste and brings the blockage back fast.
Why do drains get blocked?
In kitchen drains the main cause is grease. Cooking oil that runs from a pan or pot into the sink goes down easily while hot, then sticks to the pipe walls and hardens as it cools. Coffee grounds, rice and pasta leftovers and bread crumbs cling to this layer. Over time the inner diameter of the pipe narrows to the width of a finger, and one day the water from the dishwasher can no longer get through. The place where grease collects most often is the bend right behind the sink and the first horizontal pipe that goes into the wall.
In bathroom drains, hair and soap work together. Strands of hair tangle in the bend of the trap, and soap and shampoo residue turn the tangle into a sticky mat. When items that do not dissolve in water, such as wet wipes, cotton wool, cotton buds and sanitary pads, are flushed down the toilet, they snag further along the line and can affect all the drains in the bathroom at once. Once such waste catches, it acts like a net that holds back everything that follows.
Some blockages come from the pipe itself. In horizontal pipes laid with too little slope, water flows slowly, so waste settles in the same spot. In older buildings, limescale and rust build up inside the pipe and joints slip out of place. In businesses, especially restaurants and cafes, grease builds up much faster than in homes because of heavy use, and the line needs regular cleaning. For this reason, in businesses it matters as much to understand why the line fills so quickly as it does to clear the blockage.
How we find and clear the blocked line
We follow the same order on every job: first we listen and look, then we measure and see, and finally we clear the line and check it.
We listen to the symptoms and learn the layout of the line
We ask you which drains are affected, when the problem started and what has already been tried. Whether it is a single drain, every drain in the same room, or other flats in the building as well, the answers largely determine which section of pipe the blockage is in.
We use a water test to separate out which line is blocked
We run water into the drains one after another and watch which one overflows and where. If needed, we remove the trap to look inside the pipe and open the accessible openings of the line. This step tells a blockage in a shared pipe apart from a hair clog in a single trap and avoids unnecessary work. Skipping this step leads to the wrong pipe being cleared.
If needed, we see the blockage with a camera
If the blockage is in a section of pipe inside a wall or the floor, we send a camera on a thin cable into the line. On the screen we see what the blockage is and at which metre it sits, and we show you too. That way we work on exactly the right spot without breaking tiles. When we refit the trap seals, we also check that the joint is watertight.
We clear the line and test the flow
Depending on the pipe diameter and the type of blockage, we use a motorised drain snake or high-pressure water jetting. The snake breaks up compacted waste, while the pressurised water strips off the grease and sediment stuck to the pipe wall. When the job is done, we run plenty of water through all the drains and check the flow together with you.
What you can do while the team is on the way
- Do not use the washbasins, showers and appliances connected to the same line as the blocked drain, so that water does not overflow from another drain.
- If the washing machine or dishwasher is running, stop the programme; the discharge water puts extra load on the blocked pipe.
- Remove any hair or crumbs you can see at the drain opening with a glove, but do not push the blockage further into the pipe.
- Do not pour in a chemical drain opener; if you already have, make sure to tell the team which product it was and when you poured it.
- Empty the washbasin cabinets and clear the items around the drain so that the team can easily reach the trap and the access point.
Pictures from the field
Removing and cleaning the trap under the kitchen counter 
Preparing in the shower area with high-pressure water and a drain snake machine 
Clearing the drain line under a sink
Drain Unclogging by district
We provide this service in all 39 districts of Istanbul. Choose your district.
Frequently asked questions
Can a blocked drain be cleared without breaking anything?
Yes, the great majority of drains are cleared without breaking anything. The drain snake and pressurised water enter through the existing openings of the pipe or through the removed trap. If the location of the blockage is unclear, we look with a camera. Tiles or walls are opened only if the pipe itself is broken or has collapsed, and this is first shown to you on camera footage.
What is the difference between clearing a drain pipe and cleaning a trap?
Cleaning a trap covers only the bend under the washbasin, while clearing a drain pipe covers the whole line running through the walls and floor. If the trap is clean when removed but the water still will not go away, the blockage is further along, in the shared pipe, and has to be cleared with a machine. If you remove the trap yourself, put a bucket underneath and do not lose the seals.
Why does a drain block up on its own?
A drain does not actually block up on its own; the waste passing through it builds up over time. Grease and food leftovers in the kitchen, hair and soap in the bathroom, and wet wipes in the toilet are the most common causes. If the slope of the pipe is insufficient or the line is old, this build-up forms much faster. After clearing the line, we also show you what has been accumulating in your pipe.
What should I do if several drains are blocked at the same time?
You should call a team straight away, because several drains blocking at once shows the problem is in the shared pipe or the main line. In this case a plunger or chemicals will not help, and as the water rises it overflows from the lowest drain. While you wait, do not use any drain connected to that line.
Do you also come for drain blockages in businesses?
Yes, we come to all kinds of businesses, such as shops, offices, restaurants and cafes. In businesses with a busy kitchen, blockages usually come from grease build-up, and the whole line needs to be cleaned with pressurised water. To avoid disrupting your working hours, we plan a suitable time together with you. We also look at the condition of the grease trap in the kitchen.
What should be done to stop a drain blocking again after it has been cleared?
The way to prevent another blockage is to reduce the waste that goes down the drain. Do not pour frying oil into the sink, fit hair catchers on drain strainers and do not flush wet wipes down the toilet. For a line that blocks often, having it checked with a camera for pipe slope and inner surface condition reveals the real cause. These simple habits also noticeably extend the life of the line.
Our other services
No-Dig Drain Unclogging
We locate the blockage with a camera, then clear it with a drain snake and pressurised water. Your tiles stay where they are.
See detailsToilet Unclogging
From an overflowing toilet to the building's shared stack, we clear the toilet drain.
See detailsWashbasin Unclogging
Whether the blockage is in the trap or in the line inside the wall, we clear it cleanly.
See detailsKitchen Sink Unclogging
We jet the whole kitchen drain line with high-pressure water to remove built-up grease and starch.
See detailsCommercial Kitchen Drain Clearing
In restaurant and cafe kitchens, we clear the floor drain, grease trap and shared line without interrupting service.
See detailsShower and Bathtub Drain Unclogging
We clear the hair and soap that build up in floor drains, shower channels and bathtub drains.
See detailsBalcony Drain Unclogging
We clear balcony drains clogged with leaves, soil and sand before the rain arrives.
See detailsBlocked Drain Clearing
Is the blockage in the trap, the shared stack or the building outlet? We find it and show you the cause so it doesn't come back.
See detailsPVC Drain Pipe Unclogging
We clear PVC drain pipes without breaking anything, using heads that won't damage them.
See detailsPipe Unclogging
PVC, cast iron, galvanised or concrete pipe: we clear the blocked pipe with a head suited to its material.
See detailsCCTV Drain Unclogging
We look inside the pipe together on a screen and clear the blockage exactly where it is.
See detailsManhole Unclogging
We clear the inlet and outlet lines of an overflowing manhole and get the flow moving again.
See detailsSewer Line Unclogging
We clear the building's main sewer line all the way to the street connection.
See detailsChannel Drain Unclogging
We use high-pressure water to clear garden lines, ramp and car park grates, and storm drains.
See detailsSewer Cleaning
We regularly clean out sludge, grease and root build-up with high-pressure water jetting.
See detailsSewer Camera Inspection
We find cracks, collapses and root intrusion with a CCTV drain camera and show you the footage.
See detailsSewer Line Renewal
We locate the damaged section with a camera and replace only the part that needs it.
See detailsBackflow Valve Installation
We keep water that comes back up from the street in heavy rain out of your basement and ground floor.
See detailsPVC Drain Pipe Replacement
We replace PVC drain pipes that are cracked, leaking or laid with the wrong fall.
See detailsVacuum Truck Service
24/7 pumping with combination and mini vacuum trucks for septic tanks, manholes, grease traps and flooded basements.
See detailsSeptic Tank Pumping
We empty full or overflowing septic tanks by vacuum and take the waste to an authorised disposal point.
See detailsSeptic Tank Cleaning
We clean the sludge at the bottom, the crust on the walls and the inlet and outlet pipes with high-pressure water.
See detailsCombi Vacuum Jetting Truck
One truck jets the line clean and vacuums out the sludge, for blocked main lines and full manholes.
See detailsMini Vacuum Truck
Our small truck gets into narrow streets, steep hills, courtyards and low garage entrances.
See detailsCar Park Vacuum Truck
We pump out an enclosed car park flooded after rain and clear the grate and ramp channels.
See detailsVacuum Truck Hire
We assign an operator-driven vacuum truck to construction sites, factories and housing complexes for scheduled or regular work.
See detailsPrivate Vacuum Truck Service
A vacuum truck for your own property that comes on your schedule, with no waiting in a queue.
See detailsVacuum Truck Company
A vacuum truck company that asks about the job over the phone, picks the right truck and transports the waste according to the rules.
See detailsIf your drain is blocked, call now
You can reach us on 0212 923 66 85 or write to us on WhatsApp with a photo. Our team comes to your address, finds the blocked line, explains it to you and clears it without breaking anything. A photo helps us understand which drain is blocked.