Why drains block
It’s very frustrating, and we understand how you feel. The answer is simple, even if the cause could come from many places.
Drains block for lots of reasons. It depends which drain you’re talking about.
Kitchen
A blocked sink, or a blocked dishwasher on the same drain, is often caused by grease and fat washed off dirty dishes. Oils and fats are liquid when warm but go hard when cold. It doesn’t take much to block your sink.
Bathroom
A blocked sink, shower or bath could all be linked. Often it’s soap and hair washed down the shower that causes it.
Toilet
A blocked toilet is often caused by too much toilet paper and not enough water. Lots of people use the half flush to save water. But after a number two, always use a full flush so everything gets washed away. And never use so called “flushable” wipes. They are just not flushable, whatever the pack or the TV ad says.
If it keeps blocking, look inside
If any of these keep blocking, you may have a more serious problem. But the fix is quite simple.
First, if a plumber clears your drain without putting a camera down it, they’re only guessing. No one knows what’s happening in your pipes underground without looking. Otherwise it’s risky guesswork.
Being a plumber doesn’t give you X ray vision. They can’t see inside your drains without a camera. With one, they’d see exactly what keeps blocking your drain.
Your drain might have tree roots growing inside it. This is one of the most common causes of long term blockages. Or the drain could be partly collapsed, especially if it’s old. The joints may have come apart and let dirt in. Or something big may have washed into the drain and got stuck.
The simple fix
Whatever the problem, the fix is simple. Get your drains checked by a plumber who always uses an in drain camera, like we do at The Drain Man. We’ll put the camera down and show you what’s going on. You’ll see what we see, and you’ll know your problem is being fixed for good.
Once we find the real cause, we clear it for good. If your drain has tree roots, is partly collapsed or has broken joints, we’ll offer to reline it. This puts a whole new lining inside your drain, so tree roots and dirt can’t get in. If the drain has collapsed, the lining pushes it back into its round shape, so everything flows easily again.
Don’t put up with blockages that keep coming back. If your toilet, sink, shower, bath or stormwater drains keep blocking, call The Drain Man on 1800 84 33 72 or use our enquiry form. Get a long term fix that makes your blocked drain problems go away for life!