How Do I Know If My Drains Are Blocked?
Drains are unlike other areas of the home. If a crack appears in plaster, then we know. If a table leg breaks, we know. If a clog starts to interfere in a drainage system, we do not necessarily know.
In this blog article, we will outline a few ways in which you can determine whether or not a clog within your drainage system is causing issues when it comes to leading waste away from your property.
If you are facing a drainage problem, it will require immediate attention. Our technician teams are always on-hand to offer help and guidance; give us a call today on 0808 164 0776.
How to Determine If You Have a Blockage in Your Drainage System
Here are a few key methods of determining whether you have a blockage within your wastewater system:
- A strange smell is coming from a plughole.
- Slow draining and a bubbling sound.
- A problem is specific to your home, not your neighbours.
Strange Smells Rising from Plugholes
Ideally, everything that washes away from your bath or sink won’t stick around; it flows directly and quickly away from your property and nothing stick to the inside of your PVC or metal pipes.
However, when waste does start to linger in the pipes, a strong smell can follow. This is a result of bacteria that will feed on the waste within pipes and will thrive in the damp and dark environment.
If you smell anything at all coming from a plughole, there is a good chance the flow of wastewater is being restricted in one way or another. Make sure that you hire some drainage technicians to examine the issue as quickly as possible.
Slow Draining with Bubbling Sound
When a drain is working properly, any wastewater which journeys down the plughole will flow rapidly and freely away from your home and into the public sewer system. Once it goes down the plughole it should be completely out of sight and mind; it shouldn’t even make a sound.
However, a problem arises when a clog grows and starts to restrict the flow of water through the sewage system. Instead of the water flowing freely out into the street, it will back-up and slowly squeeze by the blockage.
This can result in the water backing up all the way back into the sink or bath, slowly draining into the plughole as bubbles rise to the surface. This will result in a reasonably loud bubbling sound when the wastewater lowers down inside the pipe.
When this happens, there is a very good chance that there is a clog inside that needs to be dealt with.
A Problem Unique to Your Household
One important thing to consider is whether or not the problem is an issue within your home alone and not the surrounding area. After all, if a slow draining sink is a problem for your entire street, then it is doubtful that a clog within your specific system is causing any issues.
Have a chat with your neighbours and work out what the situation is. If everyone on the street is facing the same issue, then there will be a problem with the public sewer network that will need to be dealt with.
If there is an issue in the public network, then the local council is responsible for the repair, so just report the problem and wait it out until they have carried out the necessary work.
Get in Touch
This guide is by no means exhaustive, and blockages can be very elusive. Problems might be subtle and inconsistent, which means diagnosing the issue yourself without the necessary expertise is no mean feat.
Our technicians are very highly qualified and have decades of experience between them. Our team will arrive at your property within hours (as little as 1-2 in emergency situations) and identify what is going on precisely.
Using industry-leading water-jet equipment, they can blast away any clogs inside without using any chemicals. They can do this remotely, meaning they typically do not need access to the property; a manhole cover outside should be enough.
In order to schedule in some work today, or for more information, give us a call now on 0808 164 0776.
Alternatively, fill in our contact form, and we will be in touch as soon as possible.
