FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Blocked Drains in Liverpool. Identifying the symptoms.
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Some of the symptoms that may indicate you have a blocked drain.
1. Water level in your toilet rises slightly higher than normal when flushed.
2. Water level in your toilet drops lower than normal when flushed.
3. When flushing your toilet, water rises in your bath waste outlet.
4. When flushing a toilet, water rises and overflows from an external drain.
5. When draining a sink, water overflows from an external drain.
6. Precursor to blocked drains, foul odours inside or outside the property.
7. Gurgling or knocking noises from baths, sinks or toilets traps, or all.
8. Water leaking from manhole, soil pipe or from the back of your toilet.
9. Evidence of toilet paper around an external manhole, or any drain.
10. Washing machine discharged waste rising through kitchen sink trap.
Are toilet wipes Fine to Flush? Will they cause blocked drains?
Why do we believe toilet wipes are flushable? Advertising and product accreditation? Or are we just willing to ignore the obvious? Absolutely any sanitary product advertised as flushable or Fine to Flush should never be considered as so. Suffice to say, if you flush these products, you will at some point experience a blocked drain, or repeat blockages. And unless you are able to clear these blockages yourself, this is going to cost you money!
With over 11 billion wet wipes alone being sold in the UK every year and with 2.1 to 2.9 billion of them ending up in our waterways, this problem, clearly, isn't going to go away anytime soon. From a cost perspective, these are probably the most difficult of blocked drains to clear, especially if no access points exist on the drainage system. But from the environmental point of view, flushing these wipes is simply destroying our planet!
So, bad for drains and drainage systems, disastrous for the environment!
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Are toilet wipes biodegradable? And if so, how long does it take?
To suggest toilet wipes are biodegradable is misleading and disingenuous. They may well biodegrade, but just how long will this take? 5 years? 10 years? More? They most certainly will not biodegrade over the time it takes to flush them into your drainage system! All the combined water authorities across the UK can probably attest to this fact, having to empty tons of these things every week from our sewers. Trust in your instincts, trust in common sense, not product information and you will avoid causing blocked drains.
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Blocked toilet. Does the toilet pan need to be removed?
As an experienced drainage engineer who's been in this business for over 38 years, removing a toilet pan to clear a blockage is seldom necessary. If a hanging toilet rim block has been accidentally flushed, removal of the toilet pan will probably be necessary, but removal of a toilet as your first port of call, as so many companies out there do, is simply wrong. If a toilet blockage cannot be easily cleared from the toilet pan, using just standard equipment, chances are that the blockage is probably located outside the property, causing the soil vent pipe and toilet to fill. So why remove the toilet pan, why create the mess and why stink out the house? And why make the job far more difficult and prolonged? Although a lack of experience could be to blame for this procedure, the removal of the toilet pan could also be a tactic of the disreputable drainage engineer, implemented simply to increase costs. And take note people, if ever recommended by someone that you need to high-pressure water jet downstream of a removed toilet to clear a blockage, into a soil vent pipe, think again. This should only ever be seen as a very last resort procedure, which, for obvious reasons, could have disastrous consequences!
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Blocked Drains - Repeat blockages. What is the cause?
Regular or repeat blockages do not always mean you have a damaged, defective, or collapsed underground drain. There are many different reasons which could cause blocked drains to re-block soon after clearing. Often, the underlying cause can simply be due to misuse, the flushing of toilet wipes for instance, a toilet paper that doesn't break down well, or rods lost in the system due to a bit of home DIY. In most cases of misuse, with a little investigation, the fully trained and experienced operative can determine this during the clearing process. However, where all simple possibilities have been eliminated, an underground drain survey would be recommended.
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Blocked Toilet. What are the causes of a blocked drain?
There is a myriad of reasons which would cause a drain or drainage system to block up. In the majority of cases though, blocked drains are simply caused by misuse. And all too often, the prime suspect for causing a blocked drain is the lovely, cleansing, so soft on buttocks, toilet wipe. And it seems we can't stop using them! Or, rather than stop using them, we might just try an alternative brand! Just throw them away people. Other causes affecting flow and causing blockages include, cement ingress (old clay pipe joints), open pipe joints, displaced pipe joints, root infiltration, foreign objects lodged in drain, rods detached and left in drain, fractured drainage, collapsed drainage, grease, food waste, and leaves. The list does goes on. But, if persistent blockages are a problem for you, an underground drain survey would be recommended.
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Drain Clearing. How long does it take to clear a blocked drain?
The vast majority of domestic blockages are resolved within an hour's time frame. But if a drain or drainage system cannot be cleared within an hour time frame, this does not automatically mean there is serious underlying problem like a collapsed drain. The drainage system may have been blocked for a considerable length of time, or the system may be full of compacted toilet wipes. There may be a lack of points available to access the drainage system, or manholes, inspection chambers, Interceptors and rodding points have been buried and hidden. And sometimes, due to a spot of D.I.Y., rods and their attachments could have been lost and lodged in an underground drain. All of these scenarios listed can prolong the drain clearing process, therefore making it more costly.
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Should a drainage engineer detect an underlying drainage defect within an hour?
Experience is always a factor in determining the cause of a blockage or a drainage defect, but to suggest an engineer should always be able to discover an underground defect through the drain clearing process, and within an hour time frame, would not be true.
Of course, there are certain indicators that could determine a damaged or defective underground drain, and an experienced operative would report and advise on this, but it's not always so clear-cut. However, if uncertain, and want some peace of mind, an underground drain survey investigation should be implemented to identify the cause.
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How much should it cost to clear a blocked drain?
Blockages cleared from £20.00? Free drain survey! No hidden fees! Beware of unrealistic gimmicks to draw you in! Now we all want that blockage cleared for a minimal cost, but we still want the excellent standard of work. It’s ok to want the best of both worlds, but unfortunately, cheap labour invariably leads to a distinct lack of expertise and customer satisfaction. Anyone who has used the so-called cheapest contractor first, taken in unclear or by false advertising, and then had to call in a professional drainage contractor because of some sort of mishap, failure to do the work, or unrealistic cost increase, will know the difference. Core promise to always provide you with clear information and totally transparent, competitive pricing, allowing you to decide who you choose.
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Homebuyers Drain Surveys? Is it straightforward? How much?
So, you are in the throes of buying a property and your mortgage company have advised a drain survey. An additional cost you don’t want, clearly an excellent idea, but just how straightforward would this survey be? Any drainage survey requires access points, for example, manholes, inspection chambers, etc. And in many cases, certainly in older properties, there are no access points available for a drain camera, hence, the idea that a fully comprehensive drain survey can be implemented is a misconception. A homebuyers drainage survey is a must of course, and quite possibly invaluable, but in reality, often hard to achieve. That’s not to say it can’t be done, but, a true, fully comprehensive drainage survey will likely involve extensive works, with significant cost implications, which is a hard sell to the homebuyer. It may be possible to opt for minimal surveillance, not looking at all drains and keeping the costs down, but will this satisfy you or the mortgage company? Remember, at Core Drainage you will be given the facts and be fully informed, because it’s your decision to make. If a contractor tells you a drain survey is easily achievable, with no mention of the above points, Core’s advice would be to think twice.
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Who is responsible for clearing my blocked drain?
In basic terms, any underground drainage, just serving the one property would be deemed as a private drainage system, your sole responsibility. And drainage systems serving two or more properties, would be deemed a shared system and therefore the responsibility of United Utilities. It should also be noted that as a general rule, drainage lines sited beyond a property boundary, below a public footpath or road, would also be the responsibility of United Utilities. A shared drain, or a United Utilities owned drain, could also be sited inside or outside your property boundary line. NB: A private drainage is the responsibility of the homeowner, and a shared drainage is the responsibility of local water authorities; United Utilities.
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I have a blocked toilet, who should I call?
Now, it’s fair to say that many of us still see blocked toilets as plumbing issues rather than drainage problems. But whether 100/150mm diameter pipes or 32/40/50mm diameter pipes, internal or external, these are all drainage pipes designed to take wastewater away from your property. With all blocked drains, surely the first priority should be to appoint an experienced drainage engineer. Having the knowledge and understanding of working drainage systems, combined with the experience in clearing blockages should never be underestimated.
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