Blocked drains in Avonmouth

Signs of a blocked drain

• Water draining slowly from a sink, shower or bath
• Gurgling from plugholes when something else drains
• The toilet water rising when you flush
• Bad smells from plugholes, gullies or manholes
• Water pooling around an outside drain or a lifted manhole cover

When one fitting is slow, the blockage is usually close to it. When several are affected, or water backs up at the lowest point, the problem is further down, often at a manhole or in the main drain.

What we do

We find where the blockage is, then clear it with whatever suits the drain: plungers and augers for indoor waste pipes, and drain rods for outside runs and manholes. If a drain keeps blocking, there’s usually a reason, such as fat build-up, a cracked or sagging pipe, or roots. We’ll tell you what we find.

Blocked manholes

If you lift a manhole or inspection chamber cover and it’s full of water, the blockage is downstream of that chamber. If the chamber is empty but drains inside are backing up, the blockage is between the house and the chamber. That helps us work out where to start, and whose responsibility it is.

Whose drain is it?

Since 1 October 2011, private sewers and lateral drains that connect to the public sewer have been the sewerage company’s responsibility. In Avonmouth, that’s Wessex Water.

• Yours: a drain serving only your property, inside your boundary.
• Wessex Water’s: a drain shared with neighbours, or a pipe outside your boundary.

If several houses or units on the same run are affected, it may well be Wessex Water’s to clear. Ring us and we’ll help you work it out before anything is booked.

Drains on low ground

Avonmouth sits on low, flat land beside the Severn Estuary. Drains here have less fall to carry waste away, so fat, wipes and silt are more likely to settle. Wipe greasy pans before washing them, keep wipes out of toilets, and clear leaves and silt from outside gullies.

Business drains

Kitchens, canteens and washrooms in commercial units take heavy use. Fat from food preparation is the most common cause of blocked drains we see in businesses. We can clear blockages out of hours to keep disruption down.