Don’t overlook drain unblocking repairs – you’ll save in the long run

Trust Drain Doctor to solve any plumbing problems.

Never ignore the findings in your building survey when you buy a house. Even the smallest details, if ignored, could end up costing £1,000s.

One thing that surveys highlight is the importance of keeping your drains and gutters cleared and repaired. Leaking gutters can cause all sorts of internal damp problems upstairs, making the internal environment unpleasant at best and a hazard to health at worst. Damp walls are a breeding ground for moulds which can cause respiratory problems.

Leaking drains that carry grey water and rainwater away from the house can cause fundamental structural problems if left. A cracked pipe that leaks water into the soil around the foundations of a home can soften the soil and undermine the foundation of the property leading to subsidence. This can lead to uneven floors and cracks in the structure.

All this was highlighted recently in a Channel 4 programme presented by Sarah Beenie. A couple had been living in a property for 15 years and had noticed subsidence and internal damp problems. They had assumed – wrongly – that the house was teetering over a disused mine shaft. They ignored the problem because of fears over expensive repairs.

The reality was that the drains and gutters were broken, leading to structural problems that we have already mentioned. These things were noted in the property survey but were overlooked. Had they been picked up early on the couple could have saved themselves a lot of cash and a lot of worry.

So, it pays to check drains and gutters regularly and get blockages removed and repairs carried out by a reputable drainage repair company like Drain Doctor as soon as possible to avoid problems later.

“Is there a Drain Doctor on board?”

Image via Wikipedia

You’ve all seen the movies (some of them comedy, some of them drama) where a crisis on an aicraft flight deck leads the cabin crew to put out urgent appeals for a pilot or a doctor. There has not yet, however, been a movie where the aircraft crew need assistance from a plumber.

Yet truth can be stranger than fiction. It was a plumbing problem that very nearly caused an air transport disaster according to a report issued this week.

It reports on an incident of nearly three years ago where a blocked drain in the toilet on a Qantas Boeing 747  led to a flood that knocked out the aircraft’s  radar, cabin pressurisation, auto-pilot, auto-throttle and some fuel pumps. The pilots succeeded in landing the plane safely just minutes before (investigators say) the flood would have also disabled the plane’s communications, air speed, altitude and heading displays, warning systems, navigation and engine instrumentation.

In most circumstances , if you have a plumbing emergency, you can call Drain Doctor (telephone 0800 70 71 72 or visit www.draindoctor.co.uk). If you are a few thousand metres up in the air over Bangkok, however, you just better hope that there is Drain Doctor on board.

Where does the water go?

Trust Drain Doctor to solve any plumbing problems.

We looked, in a recent post on this blog, about how the water gets into your home. Continuing our occasional series on your water and plumbing systems, it is time to take a look at how water (and the things you add to it) leave your home.

Depending on the age of your home waste water is probably carried away from your house using one of two systems:

a) A soil-and-vent pipe and waste pipe combination that carries waste from the upstairs lavatories and from sinks, baths and showers separately.

b) A single stack pipe drainage system.  Waste from all the sinks and lavatories is carried underground by a single soil and vent pipe. 

Whatever the system, all the sinks and lavatories in the house have traps which hold enough water to prevent gases escaping back into the house to cause nasty smells.  Traps in sinks also provide a means of access to clear blockages in the waste system.

Below ground, the household waste pipes are channelled through inspection chambers near the house to form the main drain, which then runs into the water company’s sewer.

As a householder, you are generally responsible for all the drains and waste pipes on your property. In later posts we will look at things you can do to prevent problems.

Drain Doctor leads the field in drain condition reporting

Drain Doctor has become the first emergency plumbing franchise organisation to train its franchisees in the new WinCan V8 drainage inspection software.

Peterborough-based Drain Doctor Plumbing  has become the first national emergency plumbing and drainage repair franchise organisation to adopt the new WinCan version 8 drainage inspection software. 

WinCan is the internationally accepted standard system for reporting on the condition of drains. It is widely supported by many of the major insurance companies and water utilities. 

Steve Peregrine of Drain Doctor’s franchise support team said: “WinCan V8’s extensive toolkit lets us document critical inspection work rapidly and thoroughly. Installed on an industrial PC it enables our technicians to log digital video from CCTV inspections, still images and text data in an extensive, searchable database. 

“Its reporting tools and a freeware viewer make it easy to share inspection results between technicians and head office. It means that we can provide an even better level of service to our customers, both commercial and domestic.” 

Drain Doctor recently held training for WinCan V8 at its head office in Peterborough to enable its franchisees to train in the use of the new software and get some hands-on experience. 

Commenting on the new software, Paul Woodhouse, WinCan’s managing director said: “The training sessions held over a four-day period were a great success and we were able to demonstrate how effective and easy to use the new software is. We are delighted that Drain Doctor has chosen the latest version of WinCan. As a progressive leading UK emergency plumbing and drain repair company it’s fitting that they should be the first to use the innovative new software. 

“Version 8 of WinCan will allow Drain Doctor’s technicians to undertake detailed surveys of drains, upload them to a sophisticated system that lets them interpret digital images of potential problems and develop permanent solutions.”

Give plumbing problems the red card during the World Cup

With the World Cup just a few days away and football fever soon to engulf the whole country, it is time to get friends and family together and settle down in front of the television to watch Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and the rest of the lads as they aim to win the biggest prize in football. 

However, any celebrations may be cut short if there is a drainage disaster – and you’ll feel more like a hapless amateur defender than a World Cup winning superstar if plumbing problems mean your partying is ruled offside. 

All of the Drain Doctor Plumbing  franchisees across England are right behind Fabio Capello’s men and it is set to be a thrilling World Cup. However, the joy of England’s progression will be severely hindered by blocked toilets or problems with drainage. Nobody wants a blocked toilet causing problems during what could be England’s finest hour.  

With parties and barbecues themed around England’s matches, people will be eating and drinking more – this obviously leads to more trips to the toilet. This puts extra strain on toilets and can increase the risk of problems. 

Simple cleaning and maintenance should be done to prevent major and expensive repairs. It has produced a simple check list for football fans to ensure problems are identified before kick off and that major repair work can be given the red card: 

• Always know where your main stop valve is located and ensure it is labelled.  It is on the incoming mains water supply and is often under the kitchen sink. 
• Stop valves tend to corrode slightly with time, so check that it’s working by exercising the valve twice from fully open to fully closed and back again (and always back the valve off ‘half a turn’ from fully open once you’re done). 
• Inspect toilet cisterns both inside and out for operation and wear. If there are any signs of corrosion or leaking, contact Drain Doctor. 
• Stock all bathrooms with standard toilet paper – this is less likely to cause a blockage than more expensive types. Don’t flush paper towels or napkins.  
• Remove small items that may be above the toilet. These could be accidentally knocked into the bowl and may cause a blockage. 
• Have Drain Doctor plumbing inspect pipes for leaks, damage and corrosion. By using a CCTV camera in the pipes, plumbers can inspect and pinpoint exactly where drains are cracked, damaged or misaligned. 
• Get Drain Doctor to give a diagnosis of the work needed and provide an estimate of the work that needs to be done upfront.
• Drain Doctor will allow you to pay for a job when it is complete and you are fully satisfied with the work.  

If England gets knocked out, resist the temptation to flush your football shirt down the loo!

Robin Banks, operations manager.

Plumbing tips from Drain Doctor

Got a problem with your home plumbing? Well, help is at hand.

We are going to start adding plumbing tips and advice to our blog. We aim to help you keep your plumbing and drainage system in ‘tip top’ condition (sorry – dreadful pun – ‘tip’ – geddit?). So over the next few weeks, look out for our ideas to help you avoid some of the most common household catastrophes.

We will also guide you through what to do if things do go wrong.

But, for the best advice give your local Drain Doctor a call.

At Drain Doctor Plumbing our aim is to always offer our customers a ‘dazzling’ level of service.

There are no call out charges and we give fixed-price, no obligation quotes; all work is guaranteed; and our technicians are fully trained in the latest techniques, such as closed circuit camera surveys and no-dig drain repairs.