Drain unblocking and rodding

When a drain blocks, water has nowhere to go. Sinks and showers drain slowly, toilets rise when you flush, gullies overflow in the yard and, in a basement, dirty water can come back up through the lowest outlet. Most blockages can be cleared the same visit with the right tools. This page explains how we do it. If water is overflowing indoors right now, see blocked toilet or drain for what to do first.

Finding the blockage

We start by working out where the blockage is. Lifting the covers on the inspection chambers between the house and the sewer shows which ones are full and which are empty. The blockage lies between the last full chamber and the first empty one. In a terrace or a converted house, that also tells us whether it is in a drain that serves only your home or in one shared with neighbours.

Rodding

Drain rods are flexible lengths that screw together and are pushed through the pipe from an inspection chamber or rodding eye. Fitted with different heads, such as a plunger, a corkscrew or a scraper, they push through or pull back the blockage. Rodding is simple, it works in most domestic drains, and it does not put pressure on fragile old pipes.

Drain machines

For tougher or longer blockages, an electro-mechanical drain machine drives a flexible cable through the pipe and spins a cutting head on the end. It can reach further than hand rods and cut through compacted debris. Where grease or scale is the cause, we follow up with high-pressure jetting to scour the pipe clean so the blockage does not quickly return.

Worth knowing: Wet wipes are the biggest single cause of sewer blockages Thames Water deals with. Even wipes labelled “flushable” can catch on joints and roots. Only flush toilet paper.

After clearing

We flush the drain through, check that every chamber runs freely and leave the covers sealed. If the blockage was caused by something that will keep happening, such as roots, a cracked or sagging pipe or a bad connection, we tell you, and a CCTV drain survey will show exactly what needs fixing.

Gullies, yards and basement drains

Outside gullies collect rainwater and kitchen waste and block with leaves, silt and grease. Basement and lightwell drains are common in the period houses we work in, and when they block in heavy rain, water can reach the house quickly. We clear them, check the trap, and look at whether the drain needs protecting against the sewer backing up (see basement flooding).

For a blocked drain, day or night, call 07861 933265 or WhatsApp us a photo of the chamber or gully.