Signs the blockage is further down the line
- Water backs up in the shower when the toilet is flushed
- The gully outside overflows or smells
- More than one sink or drain is slow at the same time
- Gurgling noises from drains after the washing machine empties
One slow basin is usually a local blockage. Several fittings playing up together point to the main line, often where it runs under the yard.
How we clear it
Small blockages are cleared with a plunger, an air gun or a drain machine. Heavier ones, such as tree roots or packed fat, are cut and flushed out with a high-pressure jetter. Then we run a camera down the line.
Why we look with a camera
Clearing a drain takes the symptom away. It doesn’t tell you why it happened. Roots, a collapsed section, a sag in the pipe or a bad joint will block again. The camera shows which one it is, so you can decide whether to fix it now or leave it, knowing what you’re dealing with. Sometimes the answer is simply that there was a build-up and nothing more needs doing.
What causes most blockages
- Tree roots growing into joints in older clay pipes
- Wet wipes, which don’t break down whatever the packet says
- Fat and food scraps in the kitchen line
- Hair and soap in shower and bath waste
- Sections of pipe that have cracked or dropped as the ground moved