Is A Blocked Drain Classed As An Emergency
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- Posted date:
- 27-07-2022
Is a blocked drain classed as an emergency? Find out if your drainage problem should be treated as a drain emergency and why you should find a solution fast.
When You Need Emergency Drain Repair Services
Broken Water Pipes
Suppose a water pipe in your home breaks, and you find you cannot find the main shutoff valve, contact a local emergency plumber as soon as you uncover the leaking water. After arriving at your property site, they can locate your main valve and shut it off to avoid a flood of further leaking in your home.
Professionals have the talents and tools to help restore the water; they will begin by searching for and locating the leaks and cutting the faulty pipe to cut off the water flow. Finally, they replace it with brand-new piping to allow your pipes to flow efficiently without fear of leakages or water damage.
Frozen Water Pipes
When the seasons begin changing and the temperature drops as we head towards autumn and winter, you may have to deal with frozen water inside your pipes.
When the water freezes, your pipes can begin expanding and eventually break due to the pressure of the ice forming. If you find your pipes have frozen, you must shut off the main valve as quickly as possible and get in touch with your local Ipswich or West Sussex emergency plumbers. They will have all the skills to deal with the situation.
Water Lines Broken
We don't recommend neglecting broken water lines or pipe fractures outside your building or household. When water lines or pipes are fractured or unmaintained, there are significantly higher opportunities for them to rust, break or crack after long periods.
In the worst-case scenarios, your water lines can be severed due to poor pipe fittings, unauthorised digging in your neighbourhood or old construction materials. Contact your emergency plumber immediately and request drain repairs as this circumstance needs attention, whatever the reasoning.
Clogged Drains
Uncontrolled water within your home can typically be caused by blocked drainage systems and result in an overflow of sewage. It's essential to treat the issue with haste as, over time, it can become a challenge to deal with due to the foul odours and gurgling noises it can emit and the time-consuming event of daily tasks.
Many plumbers in your local area are likely to offer 24-hour plumbing services, so it's best to get in touch with experienced professionals that can successfully deal with clogged drains. They will have all the latest tools and equipment to efficiently remove substances and debris from your pipes and drains to unclog them.
What do I do if I have a blocked drain or sewer line?
The causes of blocked pipes & drains
Blockages in your drains and pipes can be due to a whole host of different reasons; however, the most prominent reason they are caused is the kinds of products that people may wrongfully flush or pour down their sinks or toilets.
Many flush wet wipes and sanitary products or drain oils and cooking fats when they shouldn't.
The goal is to avoid pouring these down your sinks and drains as these items are too bulky to flow down seamlessly through your pipes, or they can clump together and build up, causing blockages in your pipework.
They also aren't the best items and substances to have swimming around in the public water system for the benefit of the environment.
Drains and sewers were created for the public domain and therefore only designed to carry wastewater or used water from baths, showers and sinks, toilet rolls and human waste matter from your toilets.
All else should be placed in the correct bins and safely disposed of in waste bags or wrappings for sanitary purposes.
Responsibility for clearing blockages
Generally, clearing blockages are split between the homeowner and the leading local water company. Suppose there is a blockage amongst the pipework, drains or public sewers; water companies and independent plumbers can fix it for you.
However, if the blockage resides on your property in private drains, you'll be responsible for repairing and clearing it unless it's a plumbing emergency or you specifically request it.
Is the blockage in your drains or sewers?
There are specific ways to discover if your household blockage is within your private pipes or plumbing system. We recommend asking your neighbours if they are also experiencing drainage issues or are struggling to complete daily tasks due to a slow-flowing water supply or a lack of water altogether.
If you discover they aren't going through these struggles, the blockage is likely in the pipes or sewers on your property specifically. Next, you should assess if the blockage is on your property and not your neighbours by checking if many rooms, for example, the kitchen and bathrooms, in your home are affected.
If you have more than one bathroom in your home, inspect whether there's a difference when flushing each toilet or if a particular sink drains faster than the other. If you uncover that they flow or flush differently, the blockages are within your property's internal pipes.
Clearing blockages on your sewer pipes
A blocked or clogged toilet, drain or sink can be a huge hassle to sort out and be incredibly disruptive to the household and your daily tasks, such as making food or drinks, washing up, bathing or visiting the toilet.
It is paramount to contact local plumbers and contractors to solve the problem as soon as possible.
If you're suffering from a blockage in your internal pipework, you can successfully hire a talented, professional plumber to complete a thorough investigation and clear away blockages.
They'll also be able to provide high-quality advice on preventing such occurrences in the future.
Alternatively, suppose your issues involve a blockage in your external drains or pipes within your property boundary.
In that case, we highly recommend hiring the skills of an independent drainage company to provide the best solution.
For those struggling with blockage-like symptoms but cannot detect whereabouts in the home, give your local Ipswich plumbers a call or send them a message asking them to help you investigate your blockage and pipework.
They are usually available 24-hours a day, seven days a week.If professionals discover that blockages or drain emergencies are amongst your private pipework, engineers will discuss a quote or price that they can clear your blocked drains and pipes. Engineers do not always guarantee blockage clearance services of this kind.
Occasionally, the engineer may begin a standard blockage clearance service and uncover that the problem is far more complex than suspected. They may not have the skills or the tools on hand to fix the problem immediately.
They may provide you with another appointment, wherein they will arrive more prepared with the correct tools and equipment, or you have the option to contact a private contractor. If this is the case, you typically won't be charged any costs for this service, and plumbers won't request payment as they could not unblock your drain entirely.
How to avoid blockages happening in the future
There are a few essential steps you can take to prevent blockages from occurring in your household from bathroom or kitchen waste. The most significant thing to remember is to bin your household waste and persist in only flushing down human waste and toilet paper in the most minimal amount possible to keep yourself clean.
Ensure all nappies, tampons, condoms, cotton pads, sanitary towels and wet wipes are disposed of in the rubbish bin and correctly disposed of when they become full. Be sure to wrap or bag up sanitary products and nappies so that they cannot contaminate the rest of the waste.
Next, we recommend trapping the fatty or greasy waste from your food or kitchen waste. Ensure you leave leftover fats, food or cooking oil to cool down in a separate container so that it can become solid enough to dispose of quickly. You can then successfully get rid of the leftovers in the bin, or you can contact your local council and ask whether they offer services for oil recycling.
When to Call an Emergency Plumber
It is unfortunate for plumbers and electricians, but not all plumbing issues occur during office hours.
Many people discover their toilet is clogged or their appliances leaking late at night before going to bed; some can be awoken in the night by irritating dripping noises from the flooding in the kitchen.
However, you mustn't worry if you uncover overflowing toilets, flooding, murky water, burst pipes, and no water coming out of your taps or taps that won't turn off.
Most reputable local plumbers will have a reliable callout service available 24/7, 365 days a year.
In some cases, you may be required to pay for emergency callouts out of hours, so it's best to ensure that your plumbing issue is a genuine emergency; otherwise, you'll lose money.
Are you looking for blocked drains clearance in the Ipswich and Suffolk area? Find out more about our local drain jetting services below.