Drains don’t always have to be excavated to make repairs; they can be lined using a structural drain lining material.

If your drainage company has found that a drainage pipe leading away from your home is damaged, they will offer various solutions to repair the problem. The first being to excavate the pipe and replace the damaged section. This is the more traditional approach to broken drainage pipes and can be a good solution in some instances. However if the drainage pipe is inaccessible due to it running under your newly laid driveway, or if excavation is not possible due to space constraints, the drainage company may suggest a liner repair.

To carry out a liner repair, the drainage company will insert a resin impregnated liner in the pipe. This is blown along the pipe to the desired location and the liner is then inflated so it moulds to the internal dimensions of the pipe. This is then allowed to set in situ until completely dry.

A pipe with a liner fitted will be slightly smaller in diameter than it was when new, but the increased flow will mean that the difference will be unnoticeable.

Some problems with blocked drainage can be solved really quickly by the homeowner. Problems for example like a blocked sink or leaves in a gutter are ‘quick fixes’ that even the non-competent DIYer can solve.

If the water has started to flow slowly from the sink, there are a few things you can try yourself before you call in the drainage professionals. The first is perhaps to pour very hot water down the plug hole. The hot water will break up fatty deposits and should make inroads to solve the problem. If the water is not being taken away, the next method to use is a plunger. These can be bought quite cheaply from your local DIY store. The plunger will create a pressure difference in the trap under the sink and any solid matter should become dislodged. If this doesn’t shift the blockage, you can then try a drain-unblocking fluid which can be bought from your local supermarket.

All these ways of unblocking a sink will treat a simple blockage quite effectively. However, if the blockage persists, or if all the above fail, it can be a good idea to get in contact with a drain cleaning company, as the problem may be further along the drainage system and the pipes may need to be jetted to remove the blockage.

If you live in a hard water area such as London, scale can cause serious problems to your drainage pipes. Drainage pipes can quickly accumulate a large amount of scale, especially if the pipes are old and the surface provides a suitable medium for the scale to build up.

If you notice the waste water is being carried more slowly when you empty the sink, this could be indicative of scaled pipes. Scale can reduce the internal diameter of the pipe, so on occasions the pipes may need to be descaled. Descaling of pipes is not a difficult job, but needs to be carried out by drainage professionals in the city where you live. They will first conduct a CCTV survey to find out the extent of the scale and then use a descaling machine which cuts the scale from the inside of the pipe restoring it to its previous internal diameter.

If you haven’t had the drainage pipes that lead form your home checked recently, it is a good idea to give them a once-over. You drainage company will be able to determine if there is a problem and will offer a cost-effective solution.

It has been one of the driest summers for quite a few years, with a hosepipe ban still currently in effect in the North West of England. However the weather broke last weekend with many areas seeing a substantial amount of rainfall.

When the weather is very dry, subsequent rain water will not drain effectively into the soil and will instead flow over the surface and make its way into the local sewers and drainage systems. This can mean that the drainage systems can quickly reach their maximum water carrying potential and in the worst situations cause floods.

To stop problems caused by large amounts of rainfall over a short space of time, the sewers around your home need to be kept clear of blockages and maintained correctly. And to do this, drain maintenance professionals will sometimes check the integrity of the sewer systems to find potential problems before they worsen.

Using CCTV survey equipment, the drainage professionals will look into the drainage system to look for damage to pipes or blockages that will cause problems in the future. They can then take remedial action so the drains can take away large quantities of water if the need should arise.

Blocked drainage can be caused by many things, with household products being the most likely culprit. They can also however be blocked by natural causes, such as roots from trees and garden waste that finds its way into the drainage system.

Root intrusion is one of the most likely causes of drain blockage in a garden. Although the drainage pipes might be many feet under the surface, the roots from trees and plants can find their way into the pipes when trying to find a source of water.

If for any reason the integrity of the pipework under your garden is diminished, the roots can quickly multiply and eventually block the drain. You might not notice there is a problem until the pipes stop carrying your liquid waste easily. For example, your sink may start to drain slowly or the liquid level in your toilet might take its time to reduce. It’s when problems like this happen that you need to call the drainage professionals.

If the problem is found to be root intrusion, they can use an electro-mechanical drain cutter to trim the roots back to the diameter of the pipe. They can then carry out a repair, so the pipe can be restored to its previous waste carrying capacity.