Over time drainage pipes may become broken or misaligned and one of the simplest ways a drainage company can reinstate the structural integrity of the pipe is to install a liner repair.

No-dig technology has improved dramatically over the last few years and where it once may have been necessary to excavate to replace a damaged or broken section of drainage pipe, it is now easy to repair the pipe in situ with a drain liner.

Polyester resin liners can be used with pipe diameters up to around 60cm and even in runs of up to around 80 metres in length. So if a pipe is old and deteriorating, a liner can be pulled into the pipe through which the waste can flow without fear of seeping through damaged sections of pipe.

If a drainage pipe has deviated due to subsidence, a better option instead of a polyester resin based felt liner is an epoxy flexi liner. An epoxy flexi liner is impregnated with resin and is slightly elastic so it can adjust to the contours of the drain. The liner sock is ‘blown’ down the pipe until it reaches the damaged section. It is then inflated to the internal dimensions of the pipe where it is left to set hard. A pipe liner can stop water ingress into the surrounding ground and can stop roots infiltrating the pipe network.

Drain cleaning companies in London have a range of tools at their disposal to cope with just about any type of drain blockage they may face.

The Victorian sewage system in London faces problems every day due to the pressure put on it by homeowners and commercial properties. The system was never built to cope with the amount of sewage it now sees on a daily basis, which is one reason why drain blockages in London are becoming more frequent.

Most London drainage companies are available to help 24 hours a day 7 days a week, so you can always rely on them if you have a blockage. Some even offer maintenance contracts, so you can keep your drains in good working order and always know a reliable drainage company will be on hand should a drainage problem surface.

Some of the services drainage companies offer include:

• High pressure water jetting
• Liner repairs
• Pipe excavation and replacement
• Root removal
• CCTV survey inspections
• Manhole cover removal
• Drain rodding

Drainage companies have many years experience dealing with a host of drainage problems, so you can sit back and relax and let an expert fix your drain.

There are many reasons why a drain may become blocked, but it’s often the case that a homeowner has put an incorrect item into the drainage system.

Drainage companies attend countless drain blockages every year where an unsuspecting homeowner has put something untoward into the drainage system. The most common way people do this is by flushing random items down the toilet.

Things which can’t be flushed down the toilet include:

• Hand and face wipes
• Cotton wool buds
• Sanitary towels
• Nappies
• Packaging from toiletry items

When people flush these items down the toilet they can block the lateral drain before it reaches the public sewer network. If this happens, the only way the offending item can be removed is by a drainage company, either using a high pressure water jet or by using drain rods.

A drainage company will be able to help when a drain becomes blocked, but it is up to the homeowner to make sure they do everything possible to reduce the chances of drain blockage by making sure they only flush appropriate waste items down the toilet.

There are many reasons why a drain may become blocked, with a homeowner themselves the likely culprit of the drain blockage. Homeowners don’t realise the consequences of flushing inappropriate items down the toilet, such as nappies or cotton wool buds, and only realise their mistake when they have to phone a local drainage company.

Besides inappropriate items finding their way into the drainage system, these other things can cause blocked drainage.

• The accumulation of garden debris – Leaf litter and small decorative stones or gravel, which is used on a path or driveway, can find its way into the drainage system through the gullies adjoining your property. This debris can block a drain completely.
• Root growth – Roots can find their way into the drainage system through small fissures in the drainage pipes. When roots find a source of water they can quickly multiply and cause a drain blockage.
• Pipe damage – Drainage pipes don’t last forever and there will come a time that due to age alone the pipes will deteriorate beyond repair.
• Subsidence – Drain subsidence isn’t very common but when it does happen the drain can be damaged beyond ‘no dig’ technology boundaries and excavation may be needed.

If you have a recurrent drainage problem, you might need a drainage company to look into the problem in finer detail. Jetting does remove drain blockages, but if the blockages are frequent there may be some reason why this is happening.

There are many reasons why a drain can become blocked, but there is usually a trigger which causes a blockage. It may be that there is a part of the drain which has a rough surface, a drain may be cracked or deviated, a drain may even have roots growing in it. The only way a drainage company will find all these things is if they conduct a CCTV survey of the drain so they can visually interpolate the internal workings of the drainage system.

Roots are one of the most frequent reasons for recurrent drain blockages. These roots find their way into the drainage system, and when they find an easy supply of water they quickly multiply and block a section of the pipe.

To remove roots from a drain, a drainage company don’t usually have to excavate. They simply have to use a spinning root cutter which they insert into the drain. This cuts the roots back to the internal dimensions of the pipe. When this is done the drainage company will insert a liner into the pipe which stops the roots growing back.