As plumbers, we find all types of curious objects in people’s drains.
Children are often the culprit. Having a miniature whirlpool on demand is just too much for many under 5s to resist. Toys, brushes and entire rolls of toilet paper often find themselves thrown into a journey they simply cannot finish. Adults aren’t off the hook either though. We’ve found sanitary items and even nappies blocking pipes. Excessive toilet paper use is another common pipe blocker.
However, if you do have a blocked drain, it might not be the fault of loo roll or Bob The Builder.
Here are some of the other most common causes of blocked drains.
- Heavy rain and storms.
Storms can dump leaves and dirt into drainage systems, blocking your pipes and causing flooding and damage to your property. Many drains are not designed to deal with the kind of water levels they endure during heavy storms.
- Nasty trees.
Trees are great! Those multi-coloured, erosion fighting oxygen factories can do no wrong……….right? Wrong. Tree roots are a major cause of sewer blockages. Fixing an underground plumbing problem can be difficult and expensive, depending on how hard it is to access the area. If a pipe breaks, it can collapse and cause blocking.
- Dodgy pipes.
Poorly laid pipes can collapse or become misaligned. With the rise of DIY, tasks that were previously carried out by people who’d spent years training and learning are now carried out by people with 10 minutes of YouTube under their belt. Poor workmanship can cause wide scale, expensive plumbing problems for you and your neighbours.
To work out the source of your drainage problem, contact us today. We’ll send an experienced plumber to assess the situation and let you know the best way to fix it.