Blocked drains and sewers

As C-S-M handymen we will tackle minor blockages with traditional methods. However our maintenance team often work alongside our drainage specialists to tackle bigger issues. We often remove boxing’s and panelling to ensure that these tasks can be carried out effectively. We have worked all over London to ensure that offices and work places continue to function as they should.

Our company has a blocked drain – who is responsible for the repair?

In general terms, you are responsible for drains inside the boundaries of your property, while the sewerage company is responsible for lateral drains and sewers, which are outside of property boundaries.

So in effect you are responsible for the pipes, gutters and drains in and around your building, including the drains from your property up to your boundary – if you have a problem with these, you'll need to call a plumber, and this is where C|S|M comes in with one of their experienced teams.

But firstly, just to explain that a drain is a pipe that drains water and waste from a building and other buildings which belong to it.

A lateral drain is a length of pipe which carries wastewater away from your property. It’s located outside your property boundary, often under a public pavement or road.

Sewers collect water and waste from the drains of a number of buildings, and they (the sewers) are publically owned and maintained by your water company.

So to answer that question, the blocked drain within your boundary is your problem and must be addressed by your company. Knowing that though, you can call us for a quote (for your insurers) and once given the go ahead we can carry on with the job.

Insurers are normally very good with cases like this and will usually give a go ahead on the ‘phone with following paperwork.

Pre-planned maintenance

Further down the page we mention how one or more of our C|S|M handyman teams can solve your problems where you call us on an ad hoc basis, but there is another way which is more cost effective and which is tailor made to suit your individual requirements and it is called planned drainage maintenance.

First of all we carry out a free site survey and then we analyse any previous problems and isolate areas of concern before recommending an initial ‘clean’ that will return the pipe work to full flow and optimum performance.

A programme is then prepared showing which part of the system needs cleaning on a regular basis. Then, by prior arrangement and at a time to suit you, our staff will carry out the scheduled work, ensuring a minimum of inconvenience.

C|S|M, maintenance contractors in London, tackles blocked drains

Our handyman teams tackle minor blockages with traditional methods. However our maintenance team often works alongside our drainage specialists to tackle bigger issues.

We often remove boxing’s and panelling to ensure that these tasks can be carried out effectively. We have worked all over London to ensure that offices and work places continue to function as they should.

More often than not our handyman team will clear a blockage manually or with one of our specialist jetting or mechanical tools. But if a blockage is more stubborn, there may be a bigger issue, and often we use CCTV to find these problems.

Blocked drains and CCTV

Our teams are supplied with CCTV equipment to give graphic in-colour TV footage of everything down your drain – it may be a partial collapse, it could be a tree root beginning to grow again. It is surprising what things get into drains, and now and then we find all manner of things, including mobile phones.

Everything described above is picked up by our closed circuit CCTV, and so if we can see it we can remove it.

This video shows how CCTV is used to search drains for blockages:

What about disruption to work in progress?

This depends entirely on the type of blockage and where it is. It is quite possible that a toilet(s) may be cut off until the problem is eradicated so you would have the option of requesting that repairs are undertaken outside normal hours.

However, it is equally possible that our team may have to access the pipe outside your premises to free up the blockage.

Common sense says that our experts should locate the blockage first and then you make a joint decision with them as to how and when the repairs should be carried out.

Blocked guttering causing dripping

We can handle this on buildings up to two storeys. More often than not blockages are caused by falling leaves and birds which detach moss from the slates so that it rolls into the guttering. The cure is simple as our handymen just erect a ladder to access the gutter, and then manually clear it of debris.

Repair broken guttering

Older premises usually have cast iron guttering which eventually degrades over time and needs to be replaced. However, new plastic guttering does not join up well with the older metal ones, so it may well be worth changing it all in one go rather than be calling back a repair team and racking up labour charges each time.

Leaks in the joints of plastic guttering are normally caused by moss getting into the joint, causing it to rise and make a porous joint.

All in all then, one or more of our maintenance teams can solve your blockages and leaks, and we recommend that you call us the moment you suspect you have a problem. If you subscribe to a regular handyman day, then we may well be able to fit this into one of those days.

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