Chinese exploding drain CCTV footage shows potential dangers

This dramatic footage from a CCTV camera in China shows why it is important to follow the appropriate health and safety procedures and wear personal protective clothing when dealing with drains.

The right approach to safety is essential in clearing drains.

It is not clear what the lady in the brief film clip was trying to do but at first sight it seems she was using a stick to clear a blocked drain when it exploded in her face, apparently as the result of a build-up of methane.

Such hazards are thankfully rare but they do exist. Drain Doctor technicians are trained and equipped to deal safely with drain blockages and other plumbing and drainage problems.

If you have any concerns about a blocked drain, call the professionals – ring Drain Doctor on 0800 3357 999.

Drain Doctor helps householders avoid rip-off festive plumbers

“Here’s the problem” – a Drain Doctor technician shows a customer what needs fixing.

A burst pipe or blocked lavatory is a problem at any time of the year – at Christmas or New Year it can be an expensive nightmare. ‘Rip off’ plumbers can charge a small fortune just to take a look at the problem. Extra expense at this time of year is always unwelcome, particularly in these days of economic gloom.

That’s why Drain Doctor is reassuring its customers that it is maintaining its fixed prices, even if it is called out to an emergency over the festive season.

No overtime is charged for evening, weekend or bank holiday emergencies and there are no call-out charges – not even on Christmas Day. Every job is priced before work starts, working to a national pricing menu. We are truly on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Service requests are handled quickly and efficiently and prices are agreed before the job is done, so there are no surprises. Our constant aim is to give superb and specialised service.

Drain Doctor customers can rest assured that if they are unfortunate enough to suffer a plumbing emergency this Christmas or New Year, Drain Doctor will not charge any more than at any other time of year.

The central principle is to deliver dazzling levels of service in a market plagued by cowboy operators who are overcharging customers for shoddy workmanship.

Franchisees offer a full 24 hour per day seven-day per week service with no call out charges and they give fixed-price, no obligation quotes with a full guarantee on all their work.

Technicians are trained not just with technical skills – including the latest techniques such as closed circuit camera drain surveys and no-dig drain repairs – but in customer care that is reflected in such things as wearing overshoes while in customers’ homes and clearing up carefully after every job.

If you are unlucky enough to need a plumber over the festive period call us on 0845 357 999.

Jan Mitman is elected Chair of the British Franchise Association Midland Forum

Jan Mitman: Probably the most influential woman in the UK plumbing and drainage industry.

Jan Mitman, franchise sales director of Drain Doctor Plumbing Ltd , the UK’s largest emergency plumbing and drainage business, has been elected chair of the Midlands Forum of the British Franchise Association.

The results of the elections that took place throughout the preceding few weeks were announced at the BFA’s annual general meeting held at the Hyatt Regency, Birmingham, which was followed by a gala charity dinner last week.

Jan, who helped establish the Drain Doctor business in the UK with her husband Freddie in 1993, is probably the most influential woman in the UK plumbing and drainage industry. Drain Doctor has been involved in franchising for almost 20 years and is a full member of the BFA.

Commenting on her election Jan said: “I have been working in Drain Doctor Ltd as a member of the Board of Directors in charge off recruitment and PR since the company started in 1993.

“Understanding the franchise business from the viewpoint of both franchisees and franchisors, I feel that I will be well able to chair regional meetings aimed at helping franchise companies to grow their brands.

“I would like to help promote teamwork between the BFA, experienced franchisors, new franchisors and affiliates, all of whom need each other.

“The synergy that can be created at such meetings gives the individuals attending greater strength to see, and achieve, their goals.”

Jan’s election is a measure of the high esteem in which she is held in the franchise industry. BFA spokesman Paul Stafford said: “Chairmen are elected by the members of the BFA through a members voting system open to the whole BFA franchise community.

“We are looking forward to working with Jan over the coming year in her role as chair of the Midlands Forum.”

The British Franchise Association is the trade association for individuals and businesses that consider franchising. Its role is to ensure ethical franchising and retain a commitment to best practice and robustness.

As well as providing information and advice to businesses wanting to franchise or people considering joining a franchise, the BFA also works closely with its members to help advance their expertise in the industry and speaks on their behalf to the media and government.

The forum meets three times a year and offers BFA members the opportunity to network, discuss general industry issues, franchise business issues and anything related to the BFA and how it affects their businesses.
The next meeting of the BFA Midlands Forum, the first since Jan Mitman’s appointment, is due to take place on Tuesday 29 January, 2013.

Living with a plumber is not always easy

It’s essential to have the right PPE when working alone

It is very easy to take the day-to-day work of a Drain Doctor plumbing and drainage technician for granted. Customers see a smartly turned out technician in a uniform wearing overshoes and a carrying a mat to avoid causing problems in their homes.

But what about the times when customers don’t see them, when they are at home? The life and work of a plumber have impacts on those they live with as well as those they work for.

This blogger – who lives with a plumber – has provided a few tips on how to live with a plumber and how to stay healthy once the working day is over.

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All change at Anglia Drain Doctor

Rob (right) and Sam with Freddie Mitman at the Drain Doctor awards ceremony in Bruges.

The Anglia Drain Doctor franchise which covers Cambridge, Colchester, Chelmsford, Southend and Ipswich – and all the places in between – has expanded.

Franchisees Rob and Sam Simpson have just acquired the neighbouring Norwich area. The expansion means that Anglia Drain Doctor now covers the entire Eastern region, providing additional emergency pluming and drainage repair services in Norwich, Great Yarmouth, Lowestoft, Cromer, Attleborough and Swaffham. The Simpsons have taken on the area from previous franchisees Jason and Debbie Hawkins, who have moved on to take on new challenges.

Anglia Drain Doctor has a team of dedicated technicians living throughout the region. The area’s customer satisfaction levels are extremely high and the company is aiming to become the logical choice for businesses and households within the area.

Back in 2007 Anglia Drain Doctor became the first franchise area in the network to turn over £1 million. Since taking over the area in 2009 Rob has continued this growth.  The business is now CHAS accredited and Constructionline approved. It also holds ISO9001 status and is council approved. This means that Rob and his team can provide a ‘dazzling’ level of service to just about anyone throughout the region. And plans are in place for continued sustainable growth in the future.

If anyone in East Anglia has a plumbing or drainage problem call the local professionals on 0800 3357 999.

Unused cellar door leads to huge waste clearance job

Mark Lloyd (pictured), Clive Tucker and the Chester Drain Doctor team have cleared more than 40,000 litres of waste material from a restaurant cellar.

Forty thousand litres and still counting. That is the amount of waste being removed from a restaurant cellar by Chester and North Wales Drain Doctor franchisees Mark Lloyd and Clive Tucker and their team.

The team was called to a local restaurant when staff reported a smell problem. Following a thorough inspection they found an entrance to a disused cellar under the building. A blocked drain leading to the cellar had ruptured causing the chamber to fill up with waste.

So far the team has removed 40,000 litres of waste material using specialist equipment. The job is ongoing, now involving the restaurant’s insurers and loss adjusters.

It just goes to show that there is no job too large for Drain Doctor to tackle. And indeed, no job too small. Drain Doctor is on hand to help with the smallest domestic blockage right up to large commercial contracts.

If you experience any blocked drains or plumbing problems call Drain Doctor on 0800 33 57 999.