Blocked drains in Soundwell

Is the blockage inside or outside?

The first thing we want to know is how much of the house is affected. If one sink or one bath is slow, the blockage is almost always close by, in the trap or the waste pipe from that fitting. If several things are slow at once, or the toilet gurgles when the bath empties, the problem is further down, in the soil stack or the drain outside.

If you can safely lift the cover of an inspection chamber outside, have a look. A chamber full of water points to a blockage beyond it. An empty one points to a blockage between the house and that chamber.

Common causes

• Fat, oil and grease poured down the kitchen sink, which sets hard as it cools.
• Wet wipes and sanitary products. Even wipes labelled as flushable do not break down like toilet paper.
• Hair and soap in bath, shower and basin wastes.
• Limescale. Water here is moderately hard to very hard, and scale narrows pipes over time so they catch debris more easily.
• Leaves and silt in outside gullies, especially in autumn.
• Damaged pipes. Older clay drains can crack or shift, and roots can find their way in.

How we clear it

We start at the fitting that is affected and work outwards, clearing traps and waste pipes first and then rodding from the nearest access point if the blockage is in the drain itself. Once it is clear we run water through to check everything drains properly.

If a drain keeps blocking in the same place, it may be damaged rather than just blocked. We will tell you what we think is going on and what the options are, rather than clearing it again and again.

Who is responsible for the drain?

Since 1 October 2011, shared sewers and lateral drains, the parts that serve more than one property or run outside your boundary, have generally been the responsibility of the sewerage company. Around Soundwell that is Wessex Water. A drain that serves only your home and sits within your boundary is usually yours. If the blockage looks like it is in a shared sewer, we will tell you and you can report it to Wessex Water.

Keeping drains clear

• Let cooking fat cool and put it in the bin.
• Use a plughole strainer in showers and baths.
• Only flush toilet paper.
• Clear leaves from outside gullies before winter.