Signs your drain is blocked
- Water backing up in an outside drain or gully
- Sinks, showers or baths draining slowly
- Toilet water rising, or gurgling when it flushes
- Bad smells from drains, inside or out
- An inspection chamber (manhole) filling up or overflowing
How a blockage is cleared
Most blockages are cleared from the nearest access point, usually an inspection chamber or gully, without any digging. Depending on the blockage, that means rods or high-pressure water jetting to break it up and flush the line clear.
Jetting also scours fat, scale, silt and debris off the inside of the pipe. That build-up is often why a drain keeps blocking, so clearing it properly matters as much as shifting the blockage itself.
When a blockage keeps coming back
A drain that blocks again and again usually has an underlying cause: a cracked or displaced pipe, roots getting in, a poor fall, or a build-up that’s never been fully cleared. Clearing it again only deals with the symptom.
In that case a CCTV drain survey shows what’s going on inside the pipe, so the fix deals with the cause. If the survey finds damage, see drain repairs.
Blocked sinks and toilets
MCR also clears blocked household drains, sinks, toilets and the waste pipework connected to them. If more than one fitting is affected, for example the toilet and the shower both draining slowly, the blockage is usually further down the system in the underground drain rather than in the fitting itself.
Drainage maintenance
Inspection, cleaning and preventative work keeps drainage systems working correctly. It’s worth considering for commercial premises, rental properties and any drain with a history of problems, where regular cleaning costs less than repeated call-outs.
Domestic and commercial
Work for homeowners, landlords and residential properties, as well as businesses, property managers and commercial premises across Glasgow, East Renfrewshire, Renfrewshire, Ayrshire and the Central Belt.
