All You Wanted To Know About Drains But Were Afraid To Ask
If you are unfortunate enough to have a drainage problem it is important to get it looked at as soon as possible as it will end up causing a blockage. There are many ways to repair broken drains, but the first thing to do is to identify the cause of your problem using a CCTV Drain Camera Survey. After identifying the problem, we can then find the best solution to repair your broken drain. Sometimes, the only way to fix the section of pipe i.e if the pipe has collapsed would be to excavate. This is usually not as alarming as it sounds. We dig down to the problem cut out and replace the affected area. Other times you can fix the problem from within the pipe by using a patch, and for simpler fixs you can use high pressure water jetting machines
Root intrusion in to the drainage system always and up with the same result a blockage and when left to get out of control can even cause your pipe to collapse. If you think you have this problem again get a cctv drain camera survey to check .If there are roots the survey will pin point where the roots are. Next a drainage professional will cut the roots out the the aid of a root cutter on the end of a high pressure water jetting hose which will gently cut the intruding roots out. Then they should really patch the affected area to stop the roots grow back. You dont have to do this but it is really false economy as in a few months the roots will grow back and your drain will block again
Often due to age or heavy objects placed or rolled over a drainage system problems can arise. These sort of things can cause a collapse, crack or deformity ( the pipe to become oval due to heavy weight placed on top ). Sometimes due to ground movement pipes can part slightly causing an open joint which will allow solids to trap and then back up ending up in a blockage. I have also seen intruding connections to pipes which is basically when a ground worker cuts into a main line to connect a pipe and the pipe drops to far into the main causing an obstruction
It is not unheard of for foreign objects to be accidentally dropped down drainage systems especially on new build sites if man hole covers are left of during construction. I have seen all sorts of things down there including stones, wood and even work mens tools. Another favorite to be left down drains is drain rods, they normally come apart when people try to unblock their own drains instead of calling in the professionals. These obstructions can normally be removed with a high pressure water jetting machine but in more stubborn cases the drain can have to be dug up and replaced with new
If you have a piece of pipe missing or have cut out roots while excavating is still necessary in some cases you can now also use No Dig Technology! This is when we can fix the problem from within the pipe without the mess and stress for the customer of having their garden or patio dug up! We use a product which is basically a two foot piece of matting which is coated in resin and wrapped around an inflatable packer and inflated in the pipe at the affected area and left to set for two hours. Once set the packer is removed leaving a perfect patch covering the old drain problem covered. Whenever a No Dig Repair is possible it will always be cheaper than digging up the pipe to make the repair
When drain has collapsed you cant get a packer into the affected area to patch the break so unfortunately you have to dig down to expose the broken pipe , then cut the break out and put new pipe in using collars to hold it in place. I always find the easiest method is to use a slip collar which slides over the new pipe before fitting the when fitted slides over covering the old and new pipe held in place by its rubber seals. Then we cover the new piece of pipe with fine shingle stone and fill back in the trench and reinsstate the surface so as if nothing has been done
Problems with your sewer system? Lee Davidson owns a drain cleaning bridgend business. For help with all aspets of high pressure water jetting give Elite Pipeline a ring Visit the Uber Article Directory to get a totally unique version of this article for reprint.
Most Recent Comments