Blocked drains can be a huge pain. Aside from the unpleasant smell and mess caused by the water backflow, you also have to deal with repair costs and the potential health hazards that may arise from it. While small blockage can be resolved using a drain snake or other home remedies, water backflow, leaks home remedies, chances are your drains, stormwater pipes or sewers need to be looked at by a professional.
At Drainage NZ, we have a team of master plumbers and repair engineers as well as modern equipment required for any drain-related jobs, including drain unblocking and CCTV inspection.
Drain clearance involves a two-step approach. First, we’ll carry out an inspection to identify what’s causing the blockage and where it is located. Then, we’ll prescribe the best technique to clear out your pipes.
Causes of Blockage
Blockage rarely happens since modern pipes and sewers are now manufactured to demanding standards. And if your pipes were installed by skilled drainlayers, the chances are even slimmer.
However, blockage does occur due to the following reasons:
- Accumulated leaves and debris from trees
- Tree roots that grow into the pipes through a crack of failed joint due to ground settlement
- Badly aligned or broken pipes (usually there’s a lip obstruction where materials in the sewage flow get caught)
- Tissue, sanitary pads and other products that are flushed in the toilet
- Foreign objects that were forced down the drain
- Accumulated food scraps and cooking grease
If water drains at a slower rate than normal or the toilet bowl fills to a higher level than usual after being flushed, chances are there’s already partial blockage. It’s best to call an engineer at this point to avoid a bigger headache later.
CCTV Inspection + Drain Clearance
To work out where the problem lies, first we check the disconnector trap (DT), the ground floor toilet bowl, the interceptor traps and the sewer pipes for any signs of blockage.
If the problem cannot be determined by this process of elimination, we will conduct a CCTV drain survey. Using this technology ensures a speedy analysis, accurate diagnosis and minimal disruption as we no longer have to carry out a large excavation to locate the blockage. This also means less inconvenience and costs on your part.
We’ll locate a suitable entry point for the CCTV camera, inspect the condition of your underground pipes and determine the best way to go forward.
In some cases, we find that blockages are caused by the public drain/sewer failure and the liability is not yours. In such situations, we will advise you to ask your water company or the local authorities for recompense.
At Drainage NZ, we use waterjetting or hydro blasting to clear away debris, thaw frozen drains or break up fat deposits. If the blockage can’t be resolved this way, an excavation will be required to ensure the blockage is thoroughly cleared and won’t happen occur again in the future.
For more information about our drainage services, contact us today!
