The obligatory approach for unblocking your drains
The obligatory approach for unblocking your drains
Amongst the worst kinds of household emergencies are the ones related to blocked drains. Similar to other household emergencies, they just occur unexpectedly. The worst aspect of a drains problem however is that it can cause unpleasant odours, result in flooding of your home and loss of power. Drainage problems can loose customers for a business and demotivate employees thereby severely affecting business output, sales and income.
Listed below are some easy steps you can take to minimize the chance of a drain becoming blocked, whether due to the introduction of foreign object or a structural fault.
The hair trapped in the waste plug hole should be regularly removed.
Hair-combs, toilet rolls, medicinal bottles and other small items should not be kept near the toilet, or they may fall into it.
Using a disinfectant and hot water to clear the soap residues and regularly flushing the wash basin and shower pipework will prevent accumulation over time.
Do not put away baby’s nappies, commercial wrappings, sanitary towels or similar large items down the drainpipe; they may clog it.
Do not throw the kitchen waste into the sink as composting is a better option for them.
In the event of such material falling into the sink, do not push the matter through the plughole as this may impact and worsen the blockage; instead, try to extract the matter.
Never dispose of cooking fats down the drain system, as they hit cold water they will solidify. But if you really have to do that, then do so after breaking up the fats with a little detergent in hot water. After you have diluted the fat, turn on the tap and let the water flow freely for some time.
Many regular maintenance activities are available to lower the chances of blocked drains.
Check the house roof gutters and rain downpipes twice a year.
Take care when working at height but remove any accumulated debris and leaves with a trowel.
Lift the inspection covers on a regular basis to ensure that your drains are freely flowing, and check that these are easily accessible.
Keep external drain grids free of fallen leaves, autumn moss and other garden materials.
Washing the extremal drains with hot water and detergent as regularly as the internal drains is a good practice.
For business purposes, you can use a CCTV monitored drain inspection service which performs checks on a regular basis. This will give early warning of any potential blockages and also enables you to keep an eye on the structural condition of the drainage pipework.
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- Unblocking a drain filled with sand and cement?
We need help unblocking a drain which is blocked with plaster/sand and cement. We’ve just had Dyno-Rod out who have cleared the main drain, but the drain taking the waste water from the house is blocked with plaster. We’ve used rods but no joy. Will re-routing this pipe to the down pipe gully be ok? Can someone explain why we have waste drain, a wate water drain and then a third drain which comes from the down pipe? We’ve read somewhere that it’s illegal to re-route the waste water pipe to the down-pipe drain – is this true? How do you replace the drain when we don’t know what to do? Can’t understand why the experts didn’t help!...
