Remedying a blocked drain or blocked toilet may not sound very exciting to many people but at Metro Rod Central London our drainage engineers are fanatical about clearing blockages and restoring your drains to a free-flowing condition. There is nothing more joyous than seeing a blocked manhole transformed in seconds into something like the above when the blockage goes "pop" !
In truth our work doesn't just involve unblocking drains as we serve many of London's large commercial premises, public buildings, restaurants, leisure facilities and accommodation providers with pre-planned maintenance of their drainage system. This preventative work is often accompanied by CCTV drain survey to check the condition of the drains and CCTV survey is also a service much used by the construction industry in London.
Nevertheless a majority of our job numbers still relate to blockages and this is the reason why all our drainage engineers across Central London carry both high pressure water jetting and electro-mechanical cleaning equipment giving them the ability to rapidly clear a blocked drain or blocked toilet whether the blockage is inside your building or external and underground. It doesn't matter whereabouts in London you are, from Stratford to Dulwich, from Peckham to the City of London, from Ealing to Southwark, one of these methods will almost certainly clear your blockage unless there is a major structural problem with your drainage system.
Why do drains block anyway ?
Most blockages are cause by "misuse" ...essentially people putting things down the toilet or sink which should not be there. In kitchens, and restaurants, putting food waste down the sink can lead to build up of FOG (Fat, oils and grease) which will ultimately solidify and block your drain.
Putting inappropriate objects (essentially anything other than human waste and toilet paper) down a toilet is perhaps an even more common cause of blockage. In recent times there has been high-profile publicity relating to supposedly "flushable" wet-wipes in particular. These are not soluble and will quickly accumulate and block your drains.
Just look at this accumulation of wipes our engineers recently removed from a drain to clear a blockage !!
Other causes of blockages include build up of fats from soap, hair and accumulation of uric-scale. This latter, caused by the crystallisation of the salts in urine, is a common problem in urinal pipework which should be regularly cleaned. Tree roots can be a major problem for external underground drains where the smallest cracks or leaks in pipes can attract tree root growth. Once inside your pipes tree roots quickly grow larger, obstructing water flow and causing damage. Clearing tree roots from pipes can be complex and require specialist CCTV and cutting equipment, high pressure water better cleaning, trenchless repair, or even excavation in the worst cases. Keep an eye, if possible, on the root structure of your trees and plants and monitor the condition of your drains to prevent an extensive and costly repair.
What should you do to avoid problems ?
With so many causes of blocked drains, the best way to fix them is to prevent them from being clogged up in the first place. Any large building with high-usage of toilet and drainage facilities should be subject to a regular pre-planned maintenance clean. Metro Rod can offer you a free initial site assessment to provide bespoke and appropriate recommendations.
This aside, never put anything you shouldn’t down the drain and avoid trying to clear drains by adding more chemicals or objects. And if your blockeded drains turn into an emergency....CALL METRO ROD !!
To discuss how we can help you with any drain care or maintenance issue in London please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.
You can contact us on:
by emailing us on [email protected]
Going to our website; www.metrorod.co.uk/local/central-london/
or connecting with Gary, our Commercial Director on Linked In
We look forward to hearing from you soon!
Talk to your local Metro Rod specialist
We are always happy to arrange a free site assessment and no obligation quotations for any work you might need. Alternatively, you can call our emergency hotline number on 0800 66 88 00
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