Problem Drain Diagnosis

A problem with your drainage system is obvious in the form of a blocked toilet or over-spilling manhole chamber. However, there are many other signs that something is not quite right and is not the result of an obvious blockage within an underground pipe. You may notice foul odours within your property, sink and toilet traps are siphoning, some rising damp issues, a crack has appeared on a wall or some external surfacing has become damaged or dropped these are the experiences of our clients which prompt a professional drainage system investigation.

Our investigations are undertaken applying our industry know-how of firstly recognising the issues and assessing with our years of experience all of the possible causes we have previously dealt with. We then back up our professional opinion with technology by gathering evidence with the use of our drain inspection equipment so that when we present our findings and diagnosis the property owner is assured our investigation was a success.

Not only can we efficiently investigate a problem drain we will provide a guaranteed diagnosis and cost effective remedial works quotation to put it right, We are complete drainage industry contractors who are competent not only in identifying the cause but also undertaking the necessary repair, replacement or addition to a drainage system that will solve the issue.

Common tell-tale signs of a problem drain and some of our diagnosis include:

Unpleasant odours or “drain smells” within a property can be simply caused by a lack of an air admittance valve on an internal stack pipe or the requirement to replace such a valve. We have also uncovered stack pipes with open ends behind stud walls to be the source of foul odours. Incorrectly capped of redundant drains or buried manholes beneath raised extension floors has also on numerous occasions been found to be the source of such problems.

Rising damp or cracks appearing on internal and external walls is something we investigate on a regular basis to either confirm it is the manifestation of a problem within the drains or to rule out a link to the drainage system for a structural surveyor. When we have confirmed this type of damage to be caused by a drain the culprit is usually an open pipe joint or broken drain allowing waste water to run to ground which intern either saturates the ground and or the supporting ground to wash away resulting in a cavity.

With a recurring blocked drain problem we encounter numerous situations where clients have repeatedly gone through the disruption and expense of having to call out various contractors to clear a particular drain, without ever being offered some form of guaranteed diagnosis of the cause.

We particularly enjoy these investigations for the chance to reassure the property owner that all drainage contractors are not the same and there are many within the industry who operate with total professionalism and code of ethics. We have solved the recurring blocked drain problems presented to us by firstly clearing the blockage and then using our drain inspection equipment to see exactly what is happening within the pipe.

Over the years we have identified lost drain rods, concrete wash, displaced joints, deformed sections of pipe work and insufficient gradient just to name a few without mentioning the foriegn objects we have also found to be lodged within underground drains.