Identifying a problem with your drains;

1. Backed-up sewers or regular pipe blockages
   These two less-than-savoury events are an indicator of a collapsed or blocked drain. This is because the sewage can’t physically move through the drain pipe, so it gets backed up. If this happens regularly, it implies damage to the pipe or a collapsed drain. Having a CCTV survey will confirm this so you can act on it.
2. A strong smell of sewage
   If there’s damage to a pipe or a collapsed drain, then you’ll regularly notice the smell of sewage in or around the home.
3. The presence of rodents or other unwanted visitors
   A failed drain is an easy access point into the home for rats and other vermin. They’re more likely to live in the sewer pipes, so there’s no reason why they won’t venture closer and closer to the home. Especially if you have backed-up sewers leaking into your home into floor spaces (crawl space), garage or garden.
4. New damp patches or mould appearing
   A compromised drain puts strain on the pipes carrying wastewater. These pipes can begin to leak, and you may start to see new patches of damp or mould appearing in the home. These can also appear if the blocked part of the drain is underneath the house. It’s worth checking any outbuildings or the garage for this, too, if this is where the drain pipes are!
5. Slow drainage
   If you’ve noticed problems with your plumbing, you may have slow drainage. This means water is slowly draining from; sinks, basins, bath, shower or toilet. A CCTV survey can assess whether slow-moving drains are due to a one-time blockage or something more serious such as a drain collapse.

Repeated blockages / Troublesome Drain

If your drain is blocking regularly (every few months or so) we can often establish the problem quickly and cost effectively. Depending on the material used to construct your sewers. The issue may be;

• Root ingress, in which case we can send in our specialist root cutting equipment.
• Fat / build-up of deposits (including uric scale) which restrict the pipe width and cause blockages, for which we have a specialist pipe descale tool.
• A displacement (when a joint in the pipe fractures and the pipes move out of line) the solution is often to replace the fracture because this type of failure can lead to a full collapse. We can send you our specialist groundwork team!

Please note that if your house was built between 1950 and 1980 you may have sewer drain problems due to the use of Pitch Fibre. Read more about Pitch Fibre.