In part one of this article we discussed the problems associated with leaks around the home and how you should check potential leak sites on a regular basis.

Waste water connections should always be checked alongside general water connections. If a waste water pipe were to fail, a usual problem alongside the water is the nasty smell that can emanate from the drain. The waste connections under a sink or a bath are usually only push-fit, so these are common failure points. It’s also worth checking the connections between your toilet and waste water pipe to see if these are in good condition. Plastic connections can deteriorate with age and cause untold damage if left to leak.

Further checks should also be made outside your home. The waste water pipe will usually be situated on the side of your house and lead your waste to the public sewer system. Although it is difficult for a homeowner to check the condition of the inside of this pipe, it is a good idea to check the outside of it for cracks or damage.

If further problems are being experienced a phone call to a local drainage company should be all that is needed for them to come and check the drainage system for you. They have the latest CCTV survey equipment at their disposal which they can insert into the drain to check for issues.

Every household will have a leak from a water source at some point in time. However, if you give potential leak sites a check every so often, the chances of a serious leak happening can be reduced.

Most leaks in a home are due to problems with kitchen taps or bathroom taps. However, leaks can also occur on your waste water system and if they do are usually a messy job to fix.

Once every couple of months it’s worth taking a walk around your home from room to room and inspecting points at which a leak may occur. In the living room this may just involve a quick once-over at radiator valves to check no connections are weeping, but in the kitchen or the bathroom a little more checking may be needed.

Leaks on your central heating system such as at the boiler or from a radiator can cause the pressure to drop in a combination system which can result in the central heating system not working. A dripping tap in the bathroom may be nothing more than a faulty washer which needs to be replaced. But if a waste water pipe is damaged, you might notice more than just a wet patch.

Continued in part 2

The regular maintenance of drainage systems is essential for a number of reasons. Among these reasons, keeping the drainage system clean and reducing the occurrence of drain blockages are perhaps the two most important.

Most homeowners neglect the drainage pipes that leave their homes because they don’t envisage a problem occurring, this can be a mistake. Without regular drain maintenance waste debris can build up along the pipe length and create an unpleasant environment where bacteria multiply. In the worst cases of waste accumulation, the drainage pipes can become blocked completely and waste can back up causing damage to a person’s home.

If the drainage system is kept clean because a routine maintenance programme is followed, the likelihood of a drain blockage is significantly reduced. The old adage ‘prevention is better than cure’ should always be applied to drainage and if a drain is maintained correctly it should serve a homeowner for a good number of years to come.

Drain maintenance can include things such as high pressure water jetting which removes debris from drainage pipes. It can also include scale removal, which can reduce a pipe’s diameter. But one of the best things a drain maintenance package can do is give you the assurance that if you ever have a drainage problem an engineer will be on hand 24/7.

Companies across the UK have to make provision for the problems that blocked drains can put on their daily business operations. Areas contaminated with waste water can leave businesses with serious health issues, which will have to be resolved before employees are allowed to re-enter the contaminated area.

Drain maintenance companies offer service contracts so that businesses can rely on an effective drain unblocking solution if a drain were to become blocked. This is especially useful in large cities like London where the drainage system often works at full capacity.

Drainage professional have the latest technology at their disposal should a blockage occur. And if you already have a drain maintenance contract in place, you will be able to rely on the drainage company to attend the problem 24/7. Using the latest drain jetting equipment, which pressurises water up to around 4,000PSI, drainage companies can clear just about any type of drain blockage which may occur.

Other equipment used by drain cleaning professionals in London includes CCTV surveys, rotating coring plant, which can be used to remove roots and scale, and pipe lining technology which can be used to repair pipes which are cracked, broken or deviated.

A great number of drain blockages in the city of London are caused by scaled pipes. Pipes become scaled due to excess mineral deposits in hard water areas which attach to the inside of pipes and slow the rate at which waste water flows through drainage system.

Scale can form incredibly quickly, with areas used frequently seeing the most scale growth. These areas include wash basins, kitchen waste pipes and in underground drains. Many people choose to use chemical solutions to combat the problem of a scaled drain, however whilst this can slow scale build up, it rarely gets rid of the scale completely and can damage the integrity of the pipe.

The problem with recurrent scale build up is that rough areas are created in drainage pipes where waste can get stuck and accumulate. This can, over time, cause a drain blockage, which may prove difficult to remove. London drainage companies are equipped with the latest scale removing tools which mechanically remove the scale from the inside of problem pipes. A scale removal tool cuts the scale from the inside of the pipe and then the system can be flushed though removing any residue. This can reduce the chance of further blockages and improve the function of your drains.