How to maintain your drains with high-pressure water jetting

When was the last time you thought about having to maintain your external drains at home? If you haven’t had any blockages or unpleasant smells recently, the chances are, you probably haven’t. But, regular drain maintenance shouldn’t be kept from any homeowner’s maintenance list.

Substances from the kitchen sink, baths, showers, bathroom sinks and toilets, as well as debris from roofs and paths, are constantly entering the drain and can quickly lead to blockages – even if you don’t see them. Also, drain maintenance performed by an experienced engineer will alert you to other hidden issues, such as broken drains, tree root ingress and subsidence issues.

Rest assured, our experts have answered your commonly asked questions about how to maintain your drains.

Our top tip is always to contact a professional to maintain your drains, even if it feels counterproductive without signs of a blockage. Typically, blockages take time to form, happening from the gradual build-up of substances and material inside the pipes. When tell-tale signs of unpleasant smells or slow draining start to emerge, the drain is at risk of overflowing and becoming an emergency job. Of course, this is what you want to avoid.

A drainage engineer will be able to confirm if there are signs of the substance build-up that’s likely to cause blockages and alert you to signs of broken pipes or tree root ingress within the drain. Plus, regular drain maintenance consisting of high-pressure water jetting will remove the build-up of most substances and materials, giving you peace of mind. Plus, you’ll save on expensive call-out fees for blockages that could have been avoided.

There are household chemical cleaners on the market that can be poured down the plughole to maintain a drain. However, these are better for cleaning the internal drainage pipes, also known as primary drainage, rather than external pipes.

In short, chemical cleaners simply won’t have the power to cut through everything in the drain, as they are formulated to break down specific blockages in primary drainage pipes. Plus, you probably won’t know what material is building up in the external drain without consultation from a drainage engineer, so the chemical cleaner you buy might be money down the drain, too. More information can be found in our blog, What you need to know about chemical drain unblockers.

A drainage engineer can confirm other problems with the drain, beyond substance blockages. As mentioned earlier, tree root ingress and outdoor deposits can often be cleared using high-pressure water jetting. If in doubt, or if broken pipes are suspected, the engineer can put a CCTV camera down the drain for a thorough investigation.

In our opinion, readily available chemical products aren’t up to the job of keeping your external drains well maintained.

Tip: If you need to repair damaged pipework or replace a broken wastewater pipe, our drainage engineers are fully certified to carry out the work.

High-pressure water jetting will will maintain your drains by removing the build-up of substances. Bio slime is a common sticky and slimy substance that forms in drains. It’s made up of microorganisms that stick together to form a protective layer, making it difficult for water to break through. Fat, oil, grease and grit from food and soap build up over time to clog the drain, as well as outdoor debris such as leaves, branches, soil, mud, moss and litter, and tree roots.

Remember: As these deposits accumulate, there aren’t always signs of the build-up until the drain is already blocked. High-pressure jetting deals with the subtle build-up of particles before they start to significantly reduce the flow of water passing along your drains.

Drain jetting will need to be carried out by a qualified drainage engineer because specific training and experience are required to operate the jetting equipment. For example, there are health and safety considerations including pressurised water, loud engines and open manholes that trained engineers are equipped to handle, as well as the operation of the machinery itself.

For single-dwelling residential properties, we recommend having a course of high-pressure water jetting to combat the build-up of deposits once a year.

Booking an expert to maintain your drains with Aspect is simple. Our fully certified drainage engineers can maintain drains and pipework up to 70 feet long with high-pressure water jetting. Plus, you’ll get 10% off labour when you book online.