When a drain is blocked, it spells all kinds of bad news. It can make a beautiful pristine garden smell like death and the wildlife that once called your garden home, will escape to find new pastures. Blocked drains are also harder to unblock than let’s say a toilet or a sink. This is because the outdoor infrastructure is not always the same as that of inside the home. The pipes are deeper in the ground, harder to access and assess, but also more difficult to diagnose. Here are some reasons why you could have a blocked drain and what you can do about it.
We have found that when our professional plumbers speak with clients, that they have been pouring fat down the sink when they cook. When the fat returns to room temperature or less, it turns into a solid. If it manages to stick around in the drain due to leaves and debris in the drain, it can turn into a large clump that blocks the drain. Suddenly rainwater and water from the sink and washing machine don’t go down. Instead, they are spread out all over the garden. We can arrive on the scene, figure out what kind of blockage it is and get rid of it.
Blocked drains aren’t so easy to figure out if you have ever experienced one. The blockage could be due to lack of pressure, dirt and debris, a dead animal, fat, or even sewage. If you live in a rural part of the country and use a septic tank to collect human waste, it could negatively affect your own drain. If the septic tank has not been emptied or the pressure has built up from gases, this could affect your drain and prevent the water from going through. The drainage that needs to be done, can only be done with access to the septic tank and knowledge of the underground pipe system. Our professional plumbers are versed in these sorts of situations and can free any block you might be having.
You may actually find that your drain is perfectly fine even if it’s blocked. This is because the real culprit is the gutter. You might need to clean your gutters, remove leaves, dirt, moss and other bits and pieces that eventually get carried away by the rainwater and drop into the drain. This is something that our plumbers can help with as we recommend changes to the property that would help to prevent any future blocked drains from materializing. We can also recommend equipment such as a drain grate, a filter in the gutter or solutions you can pour in the drain every now and then.
Speak with one of our professionals and tell us what kind of drain issue you are having. We’ll arrive on the scene, assess the situation, make an accurate assessment and give you a quote. When all is agreed, we can get to work and unblock your drain in no time.