Every property owner will encounter a water-related problem (for example, a nasty odour coming from plugholes or a tap that refuses to turn off) from time to time. Whether you’re faced with this kind of issue at home or work, you’ll want prompt assistance from a professional. The question is who should you call? Is a drain engineer, such as a member of the team here at Bristol and Bath drainage company Mega-Rod, or a plumber the most appropriate choice to diagnose and fix your specific water woes?
Because drainage and plumbing are both concerned with the flow of water at houses, offices and other buildings, it’s all too easy to assume that a drainage expert and a plumber do much the same work, but this isn’t actually the case. Although their roles complement each other, their skills and expertise differ in significant ways, as we’ll explain. Plus, there are separate trade associations for drainage and plumbing professionals, namely the National Association of Drainage Contractors and the Association of Plumbing & Heating Contractors.
Read on to familiarise yourself with the subject of drain engineers vs. plumbers so you can request the right sort of help in any situation.
One of the most fundamental differences between a drainage specialist and a plumber is the former deals with water flowing away from a property while the latter is focused on water flowing into and around the building.
For instance, Mega-Rod is ideally suited to helping you if the water won’t drain away from the sinks in your Bath restaurant kitchens and you need someone to check the underground pipes, whereas if the cisterns in the customer toilets aren’t filling up, you need a plumber instead.
Are you having trouble with water that hasn’t been used yet? If a shower head is dripping constantly, say, a plumbing service is required. Plumbers also install new appliances and so forth that draw fresh water into your property, such as a washing machine or bathroom suite. Indeed, a dictionary definition of a plumber is someone ‘who installs, repairs, and maintains piping, fittings, and fixtures involved in the distribution and use of water in a building’. In a nutshell, plumbing is concerned with the supply of water.
By contrast, you’ll want to contact a drainage company when you need expert help to resolve problems with water that’s been used in kitchens, bathrooms, etc. – in other words, wastewater. This is the kind of water that travels through drains and sewers to wastewater treatment plants, such as Saltford Water Recycling Centre in Bristol. As wastewater contains toilet paper and human waste (and sometimes used cooking oil, wet wipes or other pipe-clogging material that shouldn’t be washed or flushed down drains), it’s hazardous to people’s health. Keeping your drainage system in full working order is therefore absolutely vital, which is why our drainage experts are so skilled at checking for, diagnosing and fixing drain issues.
Plumbing problems tend to be easy to spot. You might notice a leaky water pipe in your garage or a pool of water in front of your dishwasher, say.
However, if the source of the problem isn’t visible or easy to locate, the likelihood is that it’s hidden underground in your drains and therefore requires a drain engineer instead of a plumber. If there are frequent backups in the kitchen sink, basin or shower, for example, invasive roots, a mini fatberg or collapsed drain could be to blame. Only a drain unblocking expert will have the right equipment to locate, identify and eradicate the problem. This specialist work is likely to involve a comprehensive CCTV drain survey using an agile camera, followed by drain root cutting or powerful drain jetting to restore the flow of wastewater.
Indeed, choosing the best drainage company for your home or business involves ensuring that you find a firm that covers all aspects of drain care, from inspections to drain unblocking, and has a comprehensive range of drainage equipment. Whereas plumbers typically only deal with relatively minor, above-ground problems, the drain engineers at Mega-Rod can be relied on to resolve problems of any size that may be lurking in domestic drains or larger-diameter commercial drains in Bath, Bristol and the surrounding area.
Bath and Bristol Drain Services from the Experts
If your wastewater is misbehaving, a plumber is unlikely to be able to help. But don’t worry – you can contact us for rapid assistance from our experienced Bristol and Bath drains experts.
For all your drain care needs, call Mega-Rod today on 01225 422980.
