Drain unblocking in kent – My CMS

Drain unblocking in Kent

Jimmy Bailey — Sat, 22 Feb 2014 17:00:05 +0000

One of the most common questions we get asked is what has caused the blockage in my drains?

As drains don’t block for no reason we normally find its down to misuse, by misuse we mean

Wipes
grease
nappies
sanitary towels
condoms
ear buds
cotton face wipes

Then there is the items that are sold in the supermarkets that actually say flushable! The problem is they are not bio degradable, and as they enter the drainage system they do not break up causing all sorts of problems.

Drainage specialist attending blocked drains in Kent, can have trouble clearing blockages caused by the items above, due to the fact that they bunch up into a long sausage in the pipe work making it very difficult to clear.

Then you get accidental damage blockages as listed below.

Root Ingress
Ground Movement
Accidental damage (fence post etc.)
Vehicle pressure (under a drive way)

We get many customers calling us with blocked drains in Kent, and on arrival to a property we always ask “do you have any idea what has caused the problem?”

99% of the time we are told “no idea!”, then on lifting the manhole we see it’s full of wipes or paper hand towels, it’s surprising how many blockages could be avoided if only sewage waste and toilet paper was flushed down the toilets in a property.

After a blockage is cleared is a good idea to have a drainage camera survey to check if there is any lasting damage to the drainage system.

Below you will see how bad a problem can get due to misuse, we were called by a customer who had blocked drains in Kent. On lifting the first manhole chamber the drains under pressure seem to explode all over the garden. The customer had been using baby wipes and had explained that the toilets had been flushing away slowly for a couple of days.

The customer also reported noticing rats at the property, this would have been caused by the sewage attracting the vermin in while the sewage was building up in the system. Once the blockage was cleared we carried out a treatment for rats and the customer has reported back that there has been no signs of rats since our last visit to the property

If you have blocked drains in Kent, call your local drainage specialist DT Facilities for a free no obligation quote

We also cover all the major towns around Kent, Canterbury,Maidstone,Faversham,Dover,Deal,Sittingbourne and all surrounding areas

Drain relining in Canterbury

Jimmy Bailey — Sun, 17 Nov 2013 10:30:28 +0000

A maintenance company in Canterbury were getting re occurring blocked drains in some flats they maintain. We were called in after the fourth blockage in two months. A drain cctv survey was carried out and we quickly identified mass root damage on a couple of joints in the pipe work. The drain was jetted clean, before a mechanical root cutting machine was used to cut the roots away leaving the pipe work full bore and ready for the repairs to take place. The drain run was 22 metres long, so a full length liner would have been very costly. The most cost effective means of repair was local structural repairs. A part line or sometimes known as a patch, is inserted into the drain and pushed down to the point where the root had breached the pipe. Once in the correct position the patch kit is blown up to 2 bar of pressure and left to cure. Once cured the repair system is removed from the drain leaving the part liner in the drain sealing it from any chance of the roots coming back at that point. This drain relining means of repair is very helpful as it is minimum disruption to the homeowners and with no large excavation needed it really keeps the cost down. The company have not had any problems with the drain since the work was completed.

Minimal disruption relining

Building a new soak away in Kent

Jimmy Bailey — Mon, 11 Nov 2013 08:30:09 +0000

As the summer ends and we start to get more rain and a change in the weather, at DT facilities we notice the calls for wasp nest removal fall and a sharp increase in calls for gutters that are over flowing when it rains.

There is the odd occasion the blockage is in the down pipe itself, the next most common blockage is in the pipe work from where the down pipe joins the ground through to the soak away.

But far the most common issue we find when the rain water gutters start to over flow is the soak is not taking the water it should. Soak-away’s suffer from roots that invade from any trees near by growing into them, the moss off the roof of the property and then just general mud washes into the system.

Building a new soak-away

Once it’s been established that a new soak away is needed, the only means of repair is excavation.

This means renewing the bottom bend underground where the down pipe connects, then a further five metres of new pipe work, all ran into a new soak away. Soak-away’s normally are made up of stone/shingle or some install large crates. Once the new system has been installed the ground surface is re instated and left clean and tidy.

All access spoil are removed from site.

With a new installation, depending on the location of the soak away, there should be a 20-30 year life expectancy at a minimum. Some soak-away’s last 100 years or more.

Excavate and prepare

Filling the soak-away with shingle

Replace the turf and clean up site

Supporting Kent Estate Agents with Blocked Drains and other services

Jimmy Bailey — Sun, 10 Nov 2013 08:04:56 +0000

At DT facilities we have been working with local estate agents in Kent for years, mainly for minor plumbing jobs, dripping taps leaks burst pipes etc. As we expanded into additional trades we now get calls from them for pest control i.e. wasp nest removal, rats & mice, ants and on occasion bed bugs. One estate agent uses us for all their landlord gas safety certificates boiler service and boiler breakdowns or repairs. Over the weekend an estate agent that hasn’t used us before called as there current contractor had let them down, they explained they had a student let property in whitstable with blocked drains, we sent a drainage specialist straight out to site on a two hour emergency attendance. On arrival to site the engineer found the main drain for the property blocked, there was a small light well area in the basement that had flooded with sewage, as this area was never really used is was clear the flood had been going for some time and was only noticed due to it start to cause very bad smells. There were also reports of rats being attracted. The drainage system was cleared and flushed through using a high pressure jet. The area was then washed down and fully sanitised. Once the area was clean, the estate agent was called and offered a treatment for rats as the engineer on site was also a qualified pest control engineer. Due to being on site for the blocked drain problem we could offer discounted prices on the pest control work. The estate agent was very pleased and has already booked in landlord gas safeties and a boiler installation quote on two other property’s they manage in Canterbury and Herne bay. For all your maintenance needs call us free for a quote or just some friendly helpful advise.

Drain unblocking Whitstable

Jimmy Bailey — Wed, 06 Nov 2013 20:35:14 +0000

Blocked drains Whitstable Kent

A local surveyor that looks after some properties in Whitstable called into the office today as they had one of their rented properties where the drains were blocked and backing up into the toilets. The manholes on site were over flowing causing a serious hazard as there were young children on site. We sent a drainage engineer out on an emergency basis as the information given was there is sewage seeping out of the manholes and there are children on site On arrival we found several manholes blocked on site running through three rear gardens, the drainage system was cleared using high pressure water jetting. A look see camera survey was then carried out. The findings were that the pipe work under the lawn had dropped causing an area of water to hold, grease then builds up in the area of holding water and eventually the drains start to block. In this case, drain lining is not an option so a DVD of the drains was provided to the surveyor, and a written quote to excavate the damage drain was Provided. The tenants asked if they could still use the drains, we explained that we would jet the drains through to remove the grease build up so they could continue to use there facilities until the excavation work was carried out and the damaged drain repaired. The following day we was called by the owner and advised to carry out the excavation work to the drainage system, the pipe work was replaced with UPVC pipe. the levels of the drain were taken before and after to confirm there was enough fall between the two drains. On completion a further cctv drainage survey was carried out to check the pipe work. If you have blocked drains Whitstable,Herne bay,Faversham or Canterbury contact us today for a free on obligation quote.

Blocked drain in Whitstable