Heed flood warnings or face massive disruption says Drain Doctor

Heavy rain is increasing the risk of damaging flooding.

Communities in the South West of England and South Wales have been massively disrupted by flooding caused by recent bad weather. The Met Office has also issued further severe weather warnings for the South West, South East and East of England. Businesses across England could face serious disruption and may lose customers if they don’t take steps to prevent flooding this summer, warns the UK’s largest emergency plumbing and drainage company.

Drain Doctor Plumbing  is urging businesses to make sure their drains are free of any blockages from such things as fallen leaves to ensure the potential risk of flooding is minimised. A simple CCTV drain survey can help to identify any blockages or potential problems.

Many people think flooding is something that won’t happen to them, but the risk is there. Being unprepared simply means the chance of an incident increases.

Although insurance policies can cover damage to property, damage to businesses in terms of lost working hours and even lost clients is often not covered. This is why it is vitally important for businesses to take the time now to make sure their drains are clear of any blockages and are in good working order.

According to the Environment Agency over 5 million people in England and Wales live in properties that are risk of flooding from rivers or the sea. Add to this the risk of surface water, sewer and groundwater flooding and the potential for disruption becomes massive in periods of severe wet weather such as we are experiencing at the moment.

The Association of British Insurers predicts that coastal floods and storm damage will increase significantly over the next 50 years. Inland, more frequent heavy rainstorms and increased seasonal rainfall could result in more flooding from rivers.

This spells trouble for businesses across the country which aren’t adequately prepared for the damage flooding can do.

Let Drain Doctor help you to get your drains clear, and as fast running as they can be, before potential trouble arrives.

• Drain      Doctor Plumbing – 0800 3357 999.

Related articles

• Flooding despite the drought (draindoctor.wordpress.com)
• Warnings of heavy rain and floods (bbc.co.uk)
• Britain battered by gale force winds and heavy downpours as June storm bombards country (independent.co.uk)
• Wales News: Gale force winds and heavy rainfall to batter Wales, forecasters warn (walesonline.co.uk)
• ‘European monsoon’ brings stormy June weather to UK (theweek.co.uk)
• UK News: More floods feared after heavy rain (walesonline.co.uk)

Where does the water go?

Trust Drain Doctor to solve any plumbing problems.

Continuing our series about the plumbing in your home – and how to look after it – it’s time to consider where the water goes when it gets into your home.

British homes have one of two types of cold water supply – direct and indirect. 

A direct supply means that all the cold water taps and toilets in the house are supplied with water directly from the rising main.  This is also known as a high pressure system.

With an indirect system usually only the cold water tap over the kitchen sink (and possibly the water feed to the washing machine) are attached to the rising main.  The rising main goes straight up to discharge water into the cold-water storage cistern, normally located in the roof space.  This cistern has pipes that supply water to the cold taps in the bathroom, the lavatory cisterns and the hot water system via gravity.  This is known as a low pressure system.

It has an overflow pipe to carry excess water out of the house in case the cistern over fills or the ball valve fails.  The overflow normally emerges from the side of the house at around roof level – so if you see water gushing (or even dripping) from a pipe somewhere up high on the building, it almost certainly means the cistern is overflowing. It will not do any damage but you need to get it fixed. Give Drain Doctor a call and we will investigate to find out what the problem is and give you a quote for fixing it.

The capacity of the average domestic cold water cistern is around 230 litres (50 gallons). That is a lot of water so call Drain Doctor if you think that the overflow pipe has become blocked or damaged. If the water comes through your ceiling, instead of going through the overflow pipe, you will have a serious flood!

Harvest time for summer rain

Collect and use rainwater with a harvesting system.

After a recent spell of dry, warm weather in the UK we are now getting wet under heavy rain showers. However, the amount of rain is still not enough to fully replenish our reservoirs. No doubt, later in the summer, we will all experience the usual hose pipe bans.

We all need to take our responsibilities for the environment seriously, which is why we at Peterborough-based Drain Doctor Plumbing are offering rainwater harvesting systems as part of our portfolio of plumbing and drainage services. 

Usually rainwater runs off roofs through the soakaway system and is lost. In properties that have the old combined sewage system, rainwater joins the foul water and flows through the drainage system to the local water treatment plant for cleaning. 

Now it is possible for homeowners to collect and use rainwater and re-use ‘grey’ waste water from sinks and baths – helping to save money and the environment in the process. Reduced water consumption can lower bills and help to create a more sustainable built environment. 

In addition to existing plumbing and drainage services, Drain Doctor provides a complete rainwater harvesting installation service that includes site surveys, planning consultations and building and inspection work. 

There are two types of water harvesting system. By installing a collection tank in the garden, rainwater runoff from the roof can be collected and used to fill a water butt or supply a garden tap by use of a pump. 

Rainwater is harvested for non-drinking water applications and can also be pumped back into the house for use in flushing toilets and filling washing machines. 

The second type of water harvesting involves collecting grey water from sinks, washing machines and dishwashers and using it to flush the toilets. With this system household water is used twice which has an immediate payback on the water meter. 

Drain Doctor franchisees offering the service will project manage the whole installation from start to finish. We will liaise with planners and complete the work using selected highly trained subcontractors, tailoring each solution to the customer’s requirements. The customer will have one point of contact from the start to final completion of the project.

 Robin Banks, operations manager.

Avoiding blocked drains

You are most likely to call a drainage technician because you have blocked drains or traps.  Blockages can cause bad smells and in the worst cases flooding.  There are a few things that you can do to avoid them. 

The kitchen sink is the most heavily used sink in the house, so it is the most likely to get blocked.  

• Watch what you empty into the sink.  Don’t throw food waste, fats or cooking oils down the drain.  Fats solidify in warm water and get deposited on the pipes.  Layers of fat will build up over time and block the pipe.
• Wipe out greasy pans with kitchen towel before you wash them.
• Take food waste out of the sink rather than poking it down the plughole.  Use an empty milk carton or similar to store used fat in until you can throw it in the bin.
• Remove hairs that get caught in the bath plughole each time you bathe.  Leaving hair to build up will clog the drain.  You can get strainers which fit in the plug hole that will catch and collect loose hair.  Clear soapy residue from plugholes by pouring disinfectant down them every once in a while.
• Only use the recommended amounts of detergent in washing machines and dishwashers.  A build up of soapy residue over time will cause a blockage.
• Don’t flush bulky disposable items like nappies, sanitary towels or bags of animal waste down the toilet.
• Check your drains.  Lift covers and inspect for blockages regularly and make sure drain grids are free of leaves, moss and residue from the washing machine or other material that could cause a blockage.
• Make sure that all the drains and gullies are covered and replace damaged covers to prevent blockages.
• Keep an eye on guttering and down pipes (which take water from the gutters to the drains) and make sure that they are not blocked with leaves and debris. 

If the kitchen sink is blocked or slow to empty there is probably a build up of grease or debris in the trap and waste pipe.

To clear the blockage, rub petroleum jelly around the plug hole to protect the chrome and sink from damage, then use caustic soda, an enzyme or chemical cleaner according to its manufacturer’s instructions.  Hook any debris (such as hair or kitchen paper) clinging to the plug hole grid with a hook made from a piece of wire. 

If the sink is completely blocked, and water will not run away at all, place a sink plunger over the plug hole, block the overflow then firmly pump the plunger up and down for a few minutes to clear the blockage.  If this doesn’t clear the blockage, place a bucket under the sink, remove and clean the trap. If none of this works then it is time to call Drain Doctor for specialist assistance.