Drain Unblocking in London: Sinks, Toilets, Drains

Fast Emergency Drain Unblocking

Some blockages can wait a day. Others cannot: a toilet overflowing in the only bathroom, sewage backing up into a shower tray, or a manhole cover lifting in the garden after heavy rain. These are treated as urgent and moved up the list.

On arrival we find the nearest access point, which may be a rodding eye, an inspection chamber or a gully, and work out where the blockage sits. Clearing it is only half the job. We run water through afterwards to confirm the flow is back, clean up around the access point and explain what caused the problem, so you can reduce the chance of it happening again.

Fixed Prices and No Hidden Charges

Drain work has a reputation for surprise bills, so we keep it simple. Before we start, you are given a written price for the clearance method we plan to use. If rods clear the blockage, that is what you pay for. If jetting or a camera survey turns out to be necessary, we explain why and confirm the new price before switching method.

The things that affect cost are access (a shared manhole two gardens away takes longer), the depth of the drain, what is causing the blockage and whether you need a written survey report for a landlord or insurer. Every item is listed, and the invoice matches the price you agreed.

Domestic Blocked Drains and Sinks

Inside the home, most blocked drains start at the kitchen sink, the bath or the toilet. Kitchen wastes clog with fat and food scraps, bathroom wastes with hair and soap, and toilets with wipes and too much paper. We clear traps, wastes and branch pipes, then check the soil stack if more than one fitting is affected.

• Kitchen sinks, dishwasher and washing machine wastes
• Baths, basins and shower trays
• Toilets and soil pipes
• External gullies and rainwater drains

In Victorian terraces, several houses often share one run under the back gardens, so a blockage can start next door. If that is the case, we will tell you.

Commercial Drain Clearance

For shops, restaurants, offices and blocks of flats, a blocked drain can mean closing toilets or shutting a kitchen. Commercial kitchens are prone to fat build-up in the lines between sinks and the grease trap, while office buildings tend to suffer from paper and sanitary waste in shared stacks.

We can attend outside trading hours where that helps, and we work with facilities managers and managing agents who control access to basements and service yards. After clearance you get a written note of the cause, what was done and any maintenance we recommend, such as periodic jetting of kitchen lines, so the same drain does not catch you out twice.

Drain Jetting and High-Pressure Cleaning

Jetting sends water at high pressure through a hose fitted with a nozzle that cuts through fat, scale and silt, then flushes the debris downstream. It cleans the full bore of the pipe rather than just punching a hole through the blockage, which is why it lasts longer than rodding on heavily fouled drains.

It suits kitchen runs coated in grease, drains lined with scale from hard water and runs where roots have started to push through the joints. We check the condition of older clay pipes before jetting, because fragile or cracked sections need a gentler approach, or a repair, before high pressure goes anywhere near them.

Drain Repairs and CCTV Diagnosis

If the same drain blocks again and again, there is usually a physical reason. A camera pushed through the pipe shows cracks, displaced joints, root ingress, collapsed sections and sagging runs where waste settles. You see the footage, and we can provide a written report of the findings for a landlord, buyer or insurer.

The right drain repair depends on what the survey shows. A single cracked joint may be fixed with a patch liner installed from inside the pipe, while a collapsed section usually means digging down and laying a new length. We explain each option, what it involves and what it costs before any work starts.

What Causes Blockages and How They Are Cleared

The usual causes are predictable. Fat poured down the sink sets hard in cold pipes. Wet wipes do not break down the way toilet paper does. Hair binds with soap in bathroom wastes. Outside, leaves and silt wash into gullies, and tree roots find their way into old clay joints in search of moisture.

Clearing methods match the cause. Plungers and hand augers work on traps and short runs. Drain rods reach further from a rodding eye or manhole. Electro-mechanical machines cut through tougher material, and jetting scours the whole pipe wall. Knowing the cause tells us which tool to reach for first, and what advice to leave you with.

Callouts, Response and Availability

To arrange a callout, use Quick Quote Online and tell us where the blockage is, which fittings are affected and whether waste is backing up or overflowing. Mark the request as urgent if a toilet or drain is overflowing, and it will be prioritised. Non-urgent jobs, such as a slow basin or a smelly gully, are booked into the next suitable slot.

It helps if you know where the nearest manhole or rodding eye is and whether it is shared with neighbours. If the blockage turns out to be part of a wider problem, such as a burst supply pipe, our emergency plumber service can take over.