What services do drainage professionals offer?

Drain cleaning professionals offer many services besides regular drain unblocking, some of these include:

Drain jetting

Drain jetting is the process where a high pressure jet of water is directed down the drain to remove any debris which may have accumulated within the pipe. This could be non-flushable items such as sanitary wear, nappies, contraceptives or even a build up of congealed fat. High pressure water jetting proves extremely useful to drain jetting firms because instead of using physical methods such as rods to remove a clog, which can damage the inside of the pipe, the jet of water washes through the blockage whilst also cleaning the inside of the pipe in the process.

CCTV surveys

CCTV drainage surveys are a critical part of a drainage professional’s arsenal. In the past a drainage contractor would have to use experience alone to work out what the problem was with a blocked drainage pipe. After the introduction of CCTV survey equipment, images of the inside of the drainage pipe can now be relayed to a computer where a visual analysis of the problem can take place. This means that the number of unnecessary drain excavation jobs has decreased exponentially, as the drainage firm will be able to formulate a plan to remove the problem instead of excavating to see what is happening.

Drain liner repair

After a drainage company has performed a survey on a problematic drain they may find that the drain is cracked, broken or even deviated. If this is the case they will then have one of two options – either excavation, to replace the damaged section of drain or if possible the installation of a drain liner repair. If a drain liner repair is possible, it will mean that excavation will be reduced to a minimum level and the drain will be able to be repaired with the minimum of disruption. In this process a resin impregnated liner is blown into the damaged section of pipe. The liner is then inflated to the internal pipe diameter and left to set. The resin bonds to the original pipe and after the liner has set the pipe will once again be able to carry waste with no problems.

Drainage professionals carry out all manner of drainage jobs, from simple sink unblocking to replacement of the private drain which takes the waste from your home to the public sewer.

If you have a drainage problem, it can sometimes be pertinent to call the professionals before the problems get worse, in big cities like London, for example, it also pays to have a drain maintenance contract in place so if the worst does happen they’ll be someone on the end of the phone you’ll be able to rely upon.

In 2011 461 beaches out of a total of 754 beaches were given excellent status; however this year 516 achieved the accolade.

The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) has applauded the attempts of local authorities to clean up their act, but also warned that recent heavy rainfall could wash raw sewage from overflow pipes into bathing areas.

The results are taken from tests last summer which now show that 68% of beaches in the UK have been given the excellent award. More stringent European water quality rules come into force in 2015, so improvements in standards must still be made by local water authorities.

Rachel Wyatt, a costal pollution officer, was quoted as saying on the BBC that the water cpmpanies should not:

“take their collective feet off the pedal of continued environmental improvements”

“If that happens we could see a drop in the number of beaches recommended by us in the future, which could pose a risk to the great reputation British beaches have,”

The MCS are also calling for all sewer overflows to be monitored to ascertain accurate records as to find out how often and how much sewage is discharged.

The crater appeared a couple of weeks ago in Stoney Street in Southwark, resulting in a section of the road being cordoned off while investigation works took place.

The sudden appearance of the hole was initially put down to a problem with the sewer running directly beneath the road surface, but after Thames Water investigated they found that their sewer was actually intact. Investigators have now claimed that pest damage and subsidence were the most likely reason.

The hole was filled with cement and concrete so that the surface could then be tarmaced.

A council spokesperson commented after the concrete was laid:

“This will need time to cure,”

“We will be tarmacing the road at 8am tomorrow [Friday] morning, followed by reinstallation of the road markings, and the road should be open by 11am.

“We have signs out advising the public that the concrete is curing.”

Most sudden appearances in roads are put down to sewer collapse, and when this happens it can be problematic for residents and road users. However, due to advances in drainage construction and repair, most damaged drains and sewers can now be repaired without the need for excavation.

The sewer scheme, which will see sewers in City Road, Hildens drive and Foxcombe drive all be replaced with larger diameter pipes, will stop sewage backing up in people’s homes and gardens after heavy rainfall.

The scheme has got the backing of local councillor for reading west Alok Sharma. Mr Sharma spoke to local residents about the problems at a drop-in session which took part in early April, he commented:

“Talking to local residents, I know that they recognise the importance of this work to improve the sewer network in Tilehurst. I am pleased that Thames Water is committed to making the sewer network fit for the future.”

The work commenced on the project in January and some diversions have already been put in place. The programme delivery manager from Thames Water Andy Popple said:

“We are hell-bent as a company on putting an end to the misery of sewer flooding. It is utterly vile and has no place in the 21st century.

“Work is progressing well on this project and we have already positive feedback from people whose properties flank the newly-laid sewer.

“We apologise for the continuing disruption and we ask customers to bear with us while we complete this essential work.”

It isn’t the first time that sewage has leaked from the same pumping station, a similar incident happened four years ago, which resulted in Thames Water being handed a hefty fine by the Environment Agency.

The owner of the land onto which the sewage escaped, Sir Martyn Arbib, and his river keeper Edward Starr discovered the damage caused by the leak and immediately informed both the Environment Agency and Thames Water. The field into which the sewage seeped is home to a small herd of Belted Galloway cattle.

River keeper Mr Starr was quoted in thisiswiltshire.co.uk as saying that: “I suspect the heavy rain we had on Saturday morning overloaded the pumps and blew the fuses.

“Without the pumps the pressure of the sewage built up until it erupted from a manhole in the field.

“There has not been any water in the Aldbourne for months and what you can now see is the sewage that formed a lagoon here on Sunday.”

The pumps were repaired by Thames Water but no fencing was placed around the slurry to prevent the cattle from coming into contact with it.

A Thames Water spokesperson said:

“Any pollution incident is deeply regrettable and we are working hard to try and minimise the impact of the sewage spill at Whittonditch.

“This was caused by a failure at a pumping station over the weekend, which has now been resolved.

“We are working with the Environment Agency to make sure the area is back to normal as soon as possible.”

Despite years of work on the project, Mr Johnson’s latest comments may end up putting pressure on Thames Water and the Government to rethink there plans. That could mean them returning to the drawing board and spending even more money on a project already estimated to cost around £4.1bn.

Mr Johnson has been accused by Labour’s Ken Livingstone of a “clear electioneering ploy” ahead of the City Hall election. Mr Livingston insinuates that Mr Johnson wants to garner favour of those members of the constituency who live along the proposed tunnel route.

Mr Johnston spoke to the Evening Standard, he commented:

“It is vital that we clean up the Thames and I am committed to support measures that achieve this. But I am increasingly concerned over the rising cost that it will impose on Londoners, already hard hit by the current economic climate, and also the severe disruption for many people in some parts of London. We need greater clarity on whether this is indeed the best scheme that could be devised.”

In response Mr Livingstone’s spokesperson commented:

“Despite personally signing off the proposed London Supersewer sites earlier this month, Tory Boris Johnson has now cynically demanded a review of sites. This is a clear electioneering ploy by the Tory Mayor.”

Many urban rivers were heavily polluted during the industrial revolution and for many decades following, as the country used them as an easy way of disposing of waste. However, many rivers have become so clean that they can once again support aquatic populations, meaning trout and grayling are returning in large numbers.

Theo Pike, who wrote ‘Trout in Dirty Places’, marvels at how the fish have returned to rivers in London, Manchester and Glasgow. He puts the fish’s return down to the vast sums which have been spent on sewage treatment after privatisation a few decades ago.

Mr Pike stated:

“This has been a quiet revolution over the last 30 years, and I have gradually come to realise that in Britain’s towns and cities, there is probably now more water with trout and grayling living happily in it, than without.”

One exception says Mr Pike is the Thames in London, which is still polluted by sewage which overflows from storm water outlets whenever there is over 2mm of rainfall.

He states:

“While the Thames is an awful lot cleaner than it was a few decades ago, it still has major problems in that whenever more than 2mm of rain falls in west London, vast quantities of raw sewage get dumped into the river by the antiquated sewage system,”

To tackle the sewage problems in the city of London, Thames Water are in the consultation stages of a 24 mile-long ‘super sewer’ which when complete, in around 2020, will stop most of the sewage flowing into the Thames.

Many drainage companies in London now use the popular jetting method of jetting to remove drain clogs. In this method a stream of high pressure water is directed down the drain. The force of the water is usually enough to remove even the toughest of clogs, allowing the drain to flow freely again. However if you are having recurrent blockages further investigation may be required.

One of the most common reasons for recurrent drain blockages in London is scale. Scale is a mineral deposit which lines the inside of the drainage pipes and can reduce their diameter. The scale can also provide a rough surface where other debris can easily attach.

Drainage companies in London can remove the scale from the inside of drainage pipes using rotating coring plant. A scale cutter is inserted into the pipe and the cutter trims the scale back to the original pipe diameter. When the scale is removed it will be many years before the deposit reforms.

By hiring a professional drain cleaning company you’ll be safe in the knowledge that your drains will be working again in a jiffy. Here are a couple of the services that they offer.

CCTV surveys

A CCTV survey is an essential part of a drain cleaner’s armoury. Using a CCTV survey a drain cleaner can actually look inside the drain to see what is causing the problem. This may make the cleaner adopt a physical approach to removing the blockage or warrant further investigation. If a drain cleaner in London uses a CCTV survey he will also be able to accurately locate the blockage site making repairs from the surface much easier and less invasive.

High pressure water jetting

High pressure water jetting is an excellent way of removing blockages from a drainage pipe. The water hose can be inserted into the drain and the force of the water hitting the blockage is generally enough to power through the clog. Most blockages can be removed in this simple way in a matter of minutes.

What is a CCTV survey?

CCTV surveys can be used by drainage companies to find the exact cause of a blocked drain immediately. A camera is inserted into the drain and images are relayed to the surface where the team of drain maintenance experts can review the pictures and decide on the most appropriate course of action. Using a CCTV survey also locates the exact position of the drain blockage so that pinpoint repairs can be made.

There are a few reasons why drains become blocked:

• Scale build up
• Silt deposits
• Settlement of dirt and debris
• Build up of fat
• Damaged or deteriorating drainage pipes

When the team of drainage experts have a reasonable idea what might be causing the problem they can tackle the problem quickly and effectively using either high pressure water jetting or another pertinent drain repair option.