Archive for January, 2011

Descaling London’s drains

Monday, January 31st, 2011

When a drain blockage occurs, the resulting flood and damage to properly can be very distressing for homeowners. However, a quick call to a local drain cleaning company in London is usually all that is needed to get the problem solved.

Most drain maintenance companies in London will usually try to clear the blockage using drain jetting equipment or rotating cutting plant. The blockage will thus be removed and the drain will operate freely again. However, the job of the expert drain cleaning professional will not end there. If a blockage has happened once, there is a high likelihood that one will happen again in the future if the reason for the blockage is not found.

Blockages in London’s sewers are commonly caused by the build up of scale. Scale deposits line the inside of the drainage pipes and hence reduce their diameter. They also leave a rough surface on the inside of the pipe where debris can get stuck.

If the drain is found to be scaled, a drainage expert can descale it using a rotating descaling machine. This removes all the rough edges on the inside of the pipe which can cause blockages. When the scale is removed, it can be flushed through the drain and the drain restored to its full waste carrying capacity.

Drain cleaning to remove congealed fat

Sunday, January 30th, 2011

Drain blockages are a common problem for the residents of London. The city’s sewer system was built in the Victorian era and most of the drainage pipes and sewers are now overloaded and simply cannot cope with the demands put on them.

There are a few things that can regularly block the city’s drains, with perhaps the city’s residents the biggest culprits at causing drainage problems. One of the constant battles that drain maintenance engineers in London face is the battle against fat.

Cooking oils and fats, that when cool block the sewer system, take up a large proportion of a drain cleaning professional’s time. Many homeowners are unaware that the simple process of not pouring the waste cooking oils down their drains could stop future drainage problems.

Fat and grease removal using drain jetting

Blocked drains in London caused by solidified fat can be easily remedied by drain cleaning experts. They simply direct a jet of water at high pressure into the drainage system. The fat is removed from the inside walls of the drainage pipe and can then be flushed through the system or the deposits retrieved at the nearest inspection point. When problems are severe, drain cleaning personnel can actually enter the drain, if it is large enough, and remove the fatty deposits manually.

Work on £8million River Tame water quality scheme gets under way

Saturday, January 29th, 2011

An £8m scheme to improve the water quality in the River Tame has just got underway, with roads in Stalybridge closed.

The work being carried out by United Utilities is going to take place at various locations around Stalybridge and Dukinfield and will help ease the pressure on the Victorian sewer system. The work should stop dirty water flowing into the river at times of heavy rainfall.

Currently, the junction of Trinity Street and Dean Road is closed to traffic while excavation work takes place. The work on these roads is expected to take over 16 weeks to complete.

Drain maintenance work at Rassbottom Street and Corporation Street in Stalybridge is expected to take place later in the year.

The project manager on the job, Steve Taylor, stated:

“We understand how inconvenient it is at this particular location, but we have absolutely no option.

“We need to construct a new overflow on the existing sewer, and the laws of drainage mean this is the exact spot where it has to be.

“We’re working very closely with the council highways department to minimise disruption, but the junction has had to be closed for the safety of the public and our engineers.

“We are sorry for any inconvenience and we would ask people to continue to support their local shops which are very much open for business, even with the road and bus route diversions in place.”

Maintenance of London’s sewer system

Friday, January 28th, 2011

Many London residents face drainage issues on a day to day basis. The Victorian sewers, which were once the pride of the city, are now struggling to cope with the increased demand put upon them. And, while it was once thought viable to dispose of raw sewage into the River Thames, it is no longer deemed acceptable, hence the current plans for the super sewer under the Thames to take away excess rain water experienced at times of heavy rain fall.

Most of London’s sewer system is over one hundred years old, so it comes as no surprise that it needs maintaining from time to time. And the same can be said about the drainage pipes that lead away from your home to the public sewer system.

Once in a while the drainage pipes that lead away from your home may become blocked and you may have to call a drain cleaning professional to clear the blockage. Because drain maintenance professionals in London have all the equipment needed to do the job, they can usually find the cause of the blockage and remedy the problem really quickly. Whether they conduct drain jetting, root removal or complete replacement of a collapsed drainage pipe, they can make rht erepairs necessary to make your life a lot easier.

Morpeth flooding problems looked at by Northumbrian Water

Thursday, January 27th, 2011

Drain maintenance experts are currently working on plans to make flooding on a street in Morpeth a thing of the past.

Bennetts Walk in Morpeth regularly floods at times of heavy rainfall, so Northumbrian Water recently conducted a feasibility study into why this happens and what can be done to solve the problem. It was found that the sewer simply cannot cope with the quantity of water that needs to be taken away so Northumbrian Water have suggested the construction of a Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) to alleviate the problem.

Other areas of Morpeth have been struggling with flooding too, with streets in Middle Greens and Goosehill seeing flooding due to highway drainage problems.

A Northumbrian Water spokesperson stated:

“Obviously we appreciate that the people of Morpeth have suffered extreme flooding.

“The issues are very complex and the council, Environment Agency and Northumbrian Water are working together.

“Northumbrian Water has identified that the sewerage network in the Bennetts Walk area needs to be upgraded and we are currently carrying out investigations to identify the most suitable solution. We will keep residents informed of the progress.”

A local pumping station has had over £50,000 spent on it recently by Northumbrian Water. This is to make sure the station still pumps waste water in the event of a power loss at the site due to flooding.