Blocked drains in Totterdown

Signs your drain is blocked

• Water draining slowly from a sink, shower or bath
• Gurgling from plugholes when another appliance empties
• The toilet water rising when you flush, then slowly falling
• Bad smells from plugholes or an outside gully
• Water pooling around an outside drain cover

When only one fitting is slow, the blockage is usually close to it, in the trap or the first stretch of pipe. When several are affected, or water backs up at the lowest point in the house, the problem is further down, in the main drain.

What we do

We start by working out where the blockage is. Then we clear it using whatever suits the drain: hand rods, plungers and augers for indoor waste pipes, and drain rods for outside runs. If a blockage keeps coming back, there’s usually a reason, such as a build-up of fat, a sagging or cracked pipe, or roots getting in. We’ll tell you what we find and whether it needs further work.

Whose drain is it?

This matters, because it decides who pays. Since 1 October 2011, private sewers and lateral drains that connect to the public sewer have been the responsibility of the sewerage company. In Bristol, that’s Wessex Water.

• Your responsibility: a drain that serves only your property and sits inside your boundary.
• Wessex Water’s responsibility: a drain shared with neighbours, or a pipe that runs outside your boundary to the public sewer.

Totterdown’s long terraced rows often share drain runs, so a blockage that affects several houses may well be Wessex Water’s to clear. If you’re not sure, ring us and we’ll help you work it out before any work is booked.

Keeping drains clear

Most blockages we clear come down to a few things:

• Fat and oil down the kitchen sink. It sets as it cools. Wipe pans with kitchen roll and put it in the bin.
• Wet wipes, even “flushable” ones. They don’t break down like toilet paper.
• Hair in shower and bath waste. A cheap plughole strainer saves a lot of trouble.
• Leaves and silt in outside gullies. Clear the grate in autumn.

Hard water and drains

Bristol Water describes all the water in its area as moderately hard to very hard. Limescale and soap scum together can narrow waste pipes over time, especially in showers and basins. If a drain is slow rather than fully blocked, that build-up is a common cause.