Drain Cleaning Advice and Tips
Catching your drain or sewer blockage early
Believe it or not, household drains and sewers can take weeks from when it first blocks to when you actually notice a problem. While the liquid soaks away, the solids remain and become packed tight. At this stage, you will need our drain and sewer cleaning expertise, as it is very difficult to clear heavy solids using just drainage rods.
However, if you do manage to catch it early, using drainage rods in the correct way could be the solution. Most drainage rods you can buy are screw type and you have to be cautious whilst using these. We have attended countless emergency callouts to retrieve broken or detached rods from sewers. With attachments like spiral pigtails and plungers on the ends, this can make the original issue worse.
So, ensure that the rods are tightly secured together. Use a black rubber plunger on the end that is the appropriate size for the pipe. If possible, locate the first manhole upstream from the blockage, fill the manhole with water and rod downstream, using a smooth back-and-forth motion, taking care not to let go of the rods due to the suction caused by the rodding action.
Do not twist the rods, as this can cause the rods to unscrew and detach, which will then require a visit from drain cleaning experts like us to solve your problem. Use three or four motions with the rods, remove them and observe what happens. Sometimes, the blockage will go, but sometimes it will be too stubborn and you will need our drain and sewer cleaning expertise and specialist drain cleaning unit.
Remember to stay safe. Wear gloves and a face mask if you have one, but if you are unsure about the depth of the manholes, leave it to the experts. Some properties have main sewers running through them, with manholes up to 25 feet deep.
Signs and symptoms of drain and sewer blockages
- Toilets not flushing and filling up
- Sewerage smells internal or external
- Gurgling sinks, baths or showers
- Overflowing gullies or external manholes
Preventative measures
Cooking oil and grease disposal (even the small amounts that get washed away after washing the dishes) can cause issues over time. It is difficult to prevent this, but you can slow down the process by disposing of larger amounts of cooking oil and grease appropriately and never into the sink or household sewer.
Blue hand towels, baby wipes and even nappies are regularly flushed into the sewer or drains. These items are too heavy to be taken away by the normal flow, and will never break-down when flushed into a septic tank, so please dispose of them appropriately and never into your toilet, drains or sewer.
Septic tank, cesspit and small sewerage treatment works maintenance is extremely important when you have off mains sewerage. Make sure yours is properly maintained with CG Pearce Ltd.
We come across many different types of septic tanks in our line of work; from block and brick constructions with soakaways to newer glass-reinforced plastic tanks. Regardless of their differences, they all need to be properly and regularly maintained to stay functioning at their best. On average we recommend a maintenance visit every year to de-sludge and inspect your system if your maintenance is overdue or just need some friendly advice then please get in touch.
While maintenance is extremely important, it’s also vital that you use an experienced installer. A septic tank which is incorrectly built or placed into the wrong type of ground can end up being a costly mistake, both legally and financially. If you’re unsure if your septic tank is up to the task, then please get in touch.
A quick septic tank lesson
The very basic workings of a self-sufficient septic tank or cesspit system involve waste entering through the inlet, internal bacteria breaking down the solids through anaerobic or aerobic digestion (depending on your system), and the clarified waste being sent to the drain field or discharged to a suitable watercourse. The remaining undigested sludge is then removed by us, using our tankers and disposed of in the correct manner.
Although it’s a simple process, occasionally, problems can appear as a result of the following:
- Poorly constructed drain fields or soakaways constructed in ground that is susceptible to flooding, or has poor or unsuitable soil makeup, can cause an inability for the digestion processes to take place correctly and can result in system or soakaway failure
- Infrequent maintenance, which allows the tank to become full of sludge, clogging up the soakaway and permanently damaging it.
Septic tank systems can also be damaged by disposing items which don’t break down. For example, the following items should never be put into the tank:
- Antibacterial cleaning products and sterilising fluids (baby food utensils) which kill the bacteria inside the tank
- Sanitary towels, baby wipes and disposable nappies
- Cooking oils and fats which solidify and block the whole system — not just the tank
Septic tank, cesspit and small package treatment works maintenance
Unfortunately, due to the nature of closed septic tank/cesspit systems, everyone who owns one will eventually have to fix problems with their drain field or soakaway. This will be exacerbated by poor maintenance and construction. By following this basic advice with your septic tank/cesspit system, we can help you lengthen the lifespan of your closed tank:
- Refrain from disposing of damaging items such as antiseptic wipes, disposable nappies, baby wipes, or oils and fats
- Help the bacteria inside to flourish by buying tank biotic ‘boosters’
- Undertake regular maintenance which can identify problems before they become expensive to fix
If, you are the owner of a small package treatment works please call us for advice if you’re unsure about what you should or shouldn’t be doing as these systems vary greatly in their maintenance needs.
Septic tank installation
If you are having a new tank installed, there are certain tests that need to be done to check the suitability of the ground. Although these checks, trial holes and percolation tests are part of building regulations, they are rarely checked during or after the construction, which can leave you with a poorly constructed drain field/soak away that is likely to fail.
Remember that you have environmental and legal obligations as the owner of a septic tank/cesspit. These include maintaining it and ensuring the waste doesn’t pollute groundwater or watercourses. If you need advice in this regard then please get in touch. We can go through all the tests that should be carried out pre-installation.