Top Tips to avoid blocked drains

Top Tips to avoiding a blocked drain

The first sign of a blocked drain is usually the smell or waste coming up from a manhole or drain cover. Regular inspection could warn you that a drain is blocked and early detection could save a lot of money and a lot less mess.

Our top tips are:

• Regularly check manholes and drain covers to see if drain’s are running freely, if not this could be the start of a drain blocking and could become completely blocked in the near future.
• Do not put cooking fats, oils or any greasy materials down sinks or plugholes. Fats and oils congeal in the drain reducing the pipes diameter and flow rate and will ultimately lead to a blocked drain if not cleared.
• Do not flush nappies, cotton buds, sanitary towels or baby wipes down toilets as this will block the drain.
• Only use recommended amounts of washing powder for that load as washing powder will solidify in the drain and cause it to block.
• Don't leave food waste on plates and cutlery when loading the dishwasher. This will be flushed into drains causing a build up and ultimately a blocked drain.
• Use drain guards to cover gullys and drain aways, preventing leaves and garden materials falling in and causing blockages.
• Ensure guttering and down pipes are kept clear of debris including leaves. This will cause a blockage if washed into the drain.
• Kids will be kids! Try to avoid the children putting foreign objects down toilets.

With our range of options to unblock a drain, whether it be good old fashioned drain rodding or high tech drain jetting we have the equipment, skills and experience to cope.

If there are underlying problems causing the blockage or you regularly suffer from blocked drains, we can carry out a CCTV drain survey to find out the cause - you may have a collapsed drain, root damage that can't be seen above ground.