Heavy rainfall in the city of London can cause many problems for the decades old sewer system. When rainfall levels are higher than normal the Victorian sewer system cannot cope with the amount of waste water that needs to be sent to the local treatment works, so instead it flows though emergency overflows into the River Thames.

To improve the water quality in the river and to bring the city in line with current environmental thinking, a super sewer has been proposed underneath the city, roughly following the current line of the river. Built at a depth of 75 metres this super sewer will be able to collect and transfer the excess rainfall from the Victorian system to improved treatment works on the outskirts of the city.

It is hoped that when the super sewer is complete that the 34 most polluting discharge points along the river will instead have their discharges sent to the Becton Sewage works in the east of the city. The cost for the completion of the work has been estimated at £4.1bn and construction has been provisionally scheduled for 2016.

Customers always want services which they can rely on, which is why when they find a reliable drain cleaning company, they usually keep their number pass their details on. There’s nothing worse than phoning a drainage company to attend a problem and then having them mess you around as they try to fit you into their hectic schedule.

Reliable drainage companies are hard to find, especially in a big city like London. London’s Victorian sewer system is continually put under pressure by the city’s growing population and drain blockages are a common occurrence. This is why many companies in the city choose to have a maintenance contract in place with a reliable drainage company. This way when a drainage problem occurs, they can rely on the company to attend the problem straight away so business is not affected.

Drain maintenance is a must in large cities, but when you have a friendly and reliable drainage company that you can trust to do the hard work for you, you’ll be able to sit back and relax and let them take care of any problem quickly, affordably and effectively.

Drainage companies in London find that many of the drain blockages they attend are caused by the infiltration of roots into the drainage network.

The drain that leaves your home will likely be decades old and the structure of the pipe may not be in pristine condition. Adjoining sections of pipe may have shifted or deviated and the seal between these sections may also show signs of damage. Small sections of the drainage pipe may also be cracked or at least show signs of deterioration, which if not treated will only get worse.

All the above drainage problems will likely not be evident to the homeowner unless roots find their way into the drainage system through any cracks or holes in the drainage pipe. When the roots do enter the system they increase in size and also multiply, further damaging the section of pipe. Roots can even block a drainage pipe completely which can cause significant damage to a homeowner’s property.

Drain maintenance engineers in London can remove roots from a drain using spinning root cutters. When the roots are cut back, the drainage company can then insert a liner into the drain which covers the damaged section so the roots cannot grow back.

Many people think that drainage professionals are only there to help when you have a drain blockage, but this is far from the truth.

As well as unblocking drains in an emergency, drainage professionals can also offer services such as:

Scale removal

In hard water areas it’s quite common for scale to build up on the insides of your drainage pipes. When this happens, the inner pipe surface can become quite rough and cause debris to be caught on the uneven edges. Drainage professionals in London can cut back the scale in your drains so that the chances of a blockage are reduced and the pipe will restored to its full waste carrying capacity.

Manhole cover removal

Manhole covers can be extremely difficult to remove if they have been in situ for a number of years. Drainage professionals in London have to deal with this problem on a daily basis and can even remove manhole covers which are rusted shut.

CCTV surveys

People rarely look at the condition of the drainage pipes that leave their potential new home. Drainage pipes may also need to be surveyed if you are about to make modifications to the home.  A drainage company can perform a complete CCTV survey of a drainage system so it can be mapped and the extent of repairs analysed.

If you are having recurrent drainage problems, your local drainage company in London might suggest that you have a CCTV survey to see if there is any structural damage to the pipe network.

CCTV surveys are an important tool and can be used to assess damage within a section of pipe. When a drainage company knows what is wrong, they can suggest a suitable repair.

If during a CCTV survey a section of pipe is found to be cracked or if there is a gap between sections of pipe, the drainage company may suggest a liner repair. To install an epoxy flexi line, the drainage company simply has to blow the liner into position to the corresponding section of damaged pipe. Once the liner is in position the drainage company inflate it and the impregnated resin liner sets, bonding it to the pipe wall. This covers any fractures in the pipe and stops water getting through the pipe and causing a damaging void.

When the liner is in place, the cross section of the pipe will be slightly reduced but the pipe will be repaired so the flow rate will be increased by as much as 15%.