Without regular care, small drain problems can quickly turn into big ones. They can stop your toilets, sinks and showers working. Regular drain cleaning helps prevent blockages, cuts down smells and keeps your drains working well. It can also help your pipes last longer and lower the risk of costly repairs.
The two main types of drains
Sewer drains
The plumbing fixtures in your building lead to the sewer drains. These include toilets, showers, baths, sinks, washing machines and floor drains.
Waste flows through the sewer drains on your property into larger council sewer mains. These big pipes carry it to a sewage treatment plant. There, harmful material is removed and the treated water is released into local waterways.
In remote areas, a home’s sewer waste may go into a septic system on the property. A septic tank is a watertight tank buried in the ground that collects household sewage. Heavy solids sink to the bottom, while lighter solids and grease float to the top. Bacteria break down the wastewater. Then the leftover water drains away through irrigation under the ground or through trenches.
Stormwater drains
Stormwater is the rain that runs off your site. It may fall on the roof and run through gutters and downpipes, or go into ground drains and sumps. It flows through the stormwater pipes to the street kerb or a stormwater main.
Stormwater runs straight from our properties into local rivers and creeks without being treated. So be careful what goes into your stormwater drains. Think fertilisers, rubbish and other toxins.
How drain cleaning works
Don’t neglect cleaning your sewer and stormwater drains, and they should run well for years to come. All sorts of waste can find its way into your drains. Think soap and grease, food scraps, hair, toilet waste, leaves, soil and chemicals.
All this can build up over time and cause a blockage. And it isn’t only waste from your sinks and toilets. Tree roots can also get into pipes and clog them, especially if the pipes are already cracked.
We can clean out your drains and pipes regularly to prevent blockages. The Drain Man is a specialist drain cleaning service with a qualified team and specialist gear. You can book us to clean your pipes quickly and easily with high pressure drain jetting. We also use CCTV cameras to look inside your pipes. There’s no digging, and it won’t cost you a fortune.
Unclog a drain yourself
With a minor blockage, you may be able to clean a sink drain or toilet yourself. If you can see the blockage, unscrew the plughole cover or open the pipes under your basin and pull the waste out.
Pouring boiling water down sinks and toilet bowls can also help. So can natural cleaners like bicarb soda and white vinegar. If you need something tougher, you can buy plungers and caustic cleaners at the hardware store.
When is drain cleaning not enough?
Drain cleaning works well on blockages caused by waste, grease or build up. But it may not fix the problem underneath. Sometimes repeat blockages are caused by:
- Tree roots inside the pipe, which we often see in older homes in Geelong.
- Cracked or collapsed pipes.
- Damage to the drain itself.
In these cases, cleaning the drain may only help for a while. The problem is likely to come back.
A proper CCTV inspection can find the real cause. It shows whether you need a longer term fix, such as drain relining.
Where do we come in?
It makes sense to have your drains cleaned, whether they’re blocked or not. When you book our drain cleaning, we inspect your drains as part of the job. If our camera footage shows damage, we’ll tell you about pipe relining.
Clean
We clean the drains.
Make the liner
We cut a special liner to the exact length and shape of your pipe.
Pull it into place
We coat the liner with a special resin, pull it through the pipe and move it into place.
Inflate and cure
We inflate the liner and hold it in place until it hardens.
The Drain Man offers drain cleaning and pipe relining across Victoria and New South Wales, with many happy customers. Pipe relining is safe and gets great results. Your pipes end up even stronger than the originals, and every relined drain carries a lifetime warranty. Relining works especially well if you need your drains cleaned often, for example because of tree roots.
The Drain Man looks after all your home and business drain needs. We’re happy to have a free, no obligation chat. Call us or contact us online with any questions or to ask for a quote.