If a drain is blocked at your home or workplace, wastewater can no longer flow freely away from the building. Until the pipework gets unblocked, you may encounter all sorts of unpleasant problems, from nasty odours to sinks refusing to empty.
As Bristol and Bath drain unblocking experts, we know drain obstructions make people feel stressed and confused. You probably have numerous queries about what’s happening to your drainage system and how to remove the blockage.
Below we answer common drain unblocking questions to help you get up to speed. We clear drains rapidly and with minimum disruption – contact us today.
When you realise some drains are only 75mm wide, you can see why blockages are ‘extremely common’ in Checkatrade’s words.
Drains often get blocked when people habitually pour or flush away sticky substances or absorbent materials. They can build up in the pipework and prevent wastewater from flowing properly. Common drain blockers include congealing cooking fat and wet wipes.
Other major causes of blocked drains include frozen wastewater, dead leaves, thirsty tree roots growing through cracks in drain walls, and warped/collapsed pipework.
We can conduct a CCTV drain survey to determine why your drain is blocked then resolve the issue.
If you notice any of these issues, you’ll almost certainly need our drain unblocking service:
Unblocking drains is a job for a trusted drainage company. Specialist skills and equipment (such as CCTV drain cameras and drain jetters) are required to locate and clear drain blockages, as well as avoid releasing harmful gases and matter into the environment.
We never use chemical drain cleaners for drain unblocking or drain cleaning or recommend them to customers.
Those products can’t be relied on to clear blockages. Plus, their volatile ingredients (such as sulphuric acid) may lead to chemical burns and toxic fumes. They can also weaken plastic and other materials drains are made of and threaten the environment.
Drain jetting is the best drain unblocking method. High-pressure water clears pipework fast by cutting through, breaking up and washing away blockages, whether they’re soft or rock hard. As the Designing Buildings Construction Wiki emphasises, water jets provide ‘effective and precise’ cleaning.
When drains are blocked by invasive roots, we combine drain jetting with root cutting to eliminate the obstruction.
Many historic properties in Bristol and Bath have period drainage such as Victorian clay pipework.
We can assess period drains’ structural integrity with a CCTV drain survey. If it isn’t appropriate to direct powerful water jets into the pipework, we’ll use a similarly effective, manual drain unblocking method instead, such as drain rodding. This involves feeding flexible rods with whisk-shaped heads into drains to break up and remove blockages.
Drain unblocking prices vary – they’re based on factors such as the severity of the blockage, size of the system and method used to resolve the problem.
However, average UK costs are £60 for a callout and £185 for drain jetting or £85 for rodding.
Drain unblocking is often much quicker than people expect. We clear many obstructions in under an hour, which means customers’ lives soon get back to normal.
You’re responsible for getting drains that only serve your property unblocked.
By contrast, your water company is responsible for getting the lateral drain you share with neighbours unblocked.
Ignoring blocked drains can lead to much more serious problems. If obstructions aren’t cleared promptly, wastewater can build up behind them. Tremendous pressure may then be exerted on pipe walls, potentially leading to major cracks and leaks, collapsed drains, and wastewater flooding your property or causing subsidence.
There are practical steps you can take to help prevent blocked drains:
We have decades of Bristol and Bath drain unblocking experience. We offer regular and 24/7 emergency callouts for domestic and commercial drain blockages.
For rapid, reliable drain unblocking, call Mega-Rod today on 01225 422980.
