Tag: drain unblocking advice

Drain Emergency: Top 7 Things to Know about What to Expect, Response Times and Cost

Posted on by Josh Paternoster

Drain emergency problems can go from being a small hassle to a serious issue very fast. Knowing what counts as a drain emergency, how you should handle it, and what it might cost makes it easier to deal with these situations without panicking.

This guide explains key points about drain emergencies, like signs to look out for how you can expect help, and a rough idea of the costs you might face.

Handling Drain Emergencies

A drain emergency happens when drainage problems create an urgent risk to your home or well-being. Some common situations include:

  • Sewage Backups: Wastewater returning to your home can cause unhealthy living conditions and potential health hazards.
  • Burst Pipes: Pipes that break cause major water damage and need you to act fast.
  • Overflowing Toilets: An overflowing toilet might mean there is a blockage in the plumbing. Ignoring it could result in flooding.
  • Serious Clogs: When multiple sinks or drains back up at once, it might mean the main sewer line is blocked.

Noticing these problems can prevent bigger damage and high repair bills.

Signs You’re Dealing With a Drain Emergency

Knowing what to look for helps you take quick action. Below are common signs that suggest you have a drain emergency:

  1. Gurgling Sounds: When your drains make odd gurgling noises, it means air is trapped because of a clog.
  2. Water Drains Slowly: If water sits in your sink or tub longer than it should, it’s often an early warning of a bigger blockage.
  3. Bad Smells: Foul smell coming from drains happen due to rotting waste or issues with sewage not flowing .
  4. Several Drains Clogged: When more than one drain in your house is backed up, it’s due to a problem with the main sewer line.

Pay attention to these issues and address them as soon as you notice them.

If you face a drain emergency, follow these steps to control the damage:

  • Turn Off Your Water: Find the main water valve and shut it off to stop flooding from getting worse.
  • Stop Using Problem Fixtures: Stay away from sinks, toilets, or anything else acting up.
  • Limit the Damage: Use buckets or towels to catch water if you can, to protect your space.
  • Call a Plumber: Don’t hesitate and call your emergency plumber as soon as possible for help.

These steps can help you manage things while waiting for the experts to arrive.

How Fast Can Emergency Plumbers Respond?

When you need emergency plumbing help how someone shows up can depend on different things like where you are and what time it is.  Here’s what to expect:

  • Weekday Help: Most plumbers try to reach you in 1 to 2 hours if it’s during normal working hours.
  • After-Hours Help: If it’s nighttime or a weekend, it might take 2 to 4 hours since fewer workers are available.
  • Holiday Help: Expect longer wait times during holidays, so if you can plan ahead to avoid delays.

Knowing these estimates can make dealing with emergencies a little less stressful.

Emergency Plumbing Service Costs

Knowing the possible expenses of a drain emergency helps you plan your budget better. Here is a simple breakdown of potential costs:

Usual Price Ranges

 Service Type  Cost Range
 Emergency Call-Out Fee  £100 – £300
 Burst Pipe Repair  £500 – £1,500
 Clogged Drain Clearing  £300 – £800
 Sewer Backup Resolution  £400 – £1,000+
 Gas Leak Repair  £600 – £1,400

What Affects the Costs

Many things can change how much you pay for emergency plumbing services:

  • When You Call: Calling after regular hours means higher charges, often 1.5 to 3 times more than usual rates.
  • Cost Factors to Think About: Bigger problems, like tree roots getting into pipes or serious water damage, will drive up the bill.
  • Where You’re Located: If you live in a city, you might pay more for services because of higher demand and living costs.

Understanding these things ahead of time can help you budget better and avoid getting caught off guard.

How to Prevent Drain Emergencies

Even though emergencies can show up out of the blue, there are ways to understand sustainable drainage systems and  lower your chances of facing one:

  1. Stick to Routine Maintenance: Hire a plumber now and then to inspect and clean your drains before small issues get worse.
  2. Be Careful with What You Toss: Don’t flush stuff that won’t break down, and watch what you put in your sink.
  3. Keep an Eye on Water Pressure: Too much water pressure can damage pipes and might cause leaks or bursts. You should think about adding a pressure regulator if needed.
  4. Add Drain Screens: Put screens in your sinks and showers. They help catch stuff that could block your drains.

Taking these steps helps lower the chance of facing a drain problem.

Knowing When to Call the Experts

While small problems might be handled on your own, it’s important to know when to get professional help. You should call in an expert if:

  • Several Drains Are Clogged: If more than one drain is acting up, it might mean there’s a bigger problem.
  • You Notice a Bad Smell: Strange or unpleasant smells might mean a sewage backup that needs attention right away.
  • Water Is Spilling Over: Toilets or sinks that overflow with water need fast action to avoid serious damage.

Spotting these signs can guide you to decide when to call in a professional plumber.

Wrapping Up Drain Emergency

A drain problem can feel overwhelming, but knowing what signs to watch for how to respond, and what the costs might be can help you take action right away. Acting and recognising when to get help can save your home from bigger problems and keep your plumbing running . If you are unsure about the situation, contacting a professional is the safest move to avoid making things worse.

When you’re dealing with a drain emergency, call for help as soon as possible. Quick action can ease your worries.

Book your drainage inspection today: Call 0203 633 3897 or send us a message.

How Do You Know When Your Drains Are Blocked?

Posted on by Josh Paternoster

Believe us, we’re the first to understand just how stressful drainage issues can be on your household or business. There’s no disruption and inconvenience quite like it once you’ve realised you have a blocked drain in London or any other area of the UK. So, what’s the solution? preventative measures and early detection. The sooner you detect a blockage issue, the less damage it is likely to cause to your day to day life.

Here’s 4 simple signs to look out for, when assessing whether your drains are clogged:

Unpleasant Smells

One of the most obvious, and unpleasant signs of a blockage in your drains is a foul smelling odour. One of the most common causes of drain blockages is food debris. This debris begins to slowly decompose, which, in turn, begins to produce a very bad smell! You may notice this more when your tap turns on, or you might catch the scent of sewage around your house or drain cover.

Water Draining Slowly

Again, a clear sign of drainage issues and blockages is water draining slower than usual in your toilet, sink, shower or bath. As well as a blocked drain, in some cases, water draining slowly can also be a sign of a  a collapsed pipe. Blockages are one thing, in the case of a collapsed pipe, you will need drain repairs done by a professional drainage company.

Blocked Drain Water Running Slowly London

Gurgling Sounds Coming From Drains

Any noises which sound different to normal, especially gurgling noises originating from drains, plug holes, toilet flushes and pipes are easy red flags to watch out for. When you run water, a gurgling sound is an indication that there is trapped air which is escaping. It’s common for dirt and grease to build up in your drains. This buildup can cause the water to drain slowly and as a result, the air bubbles can not go through the pipes and instead, travel through the nearest vent. That’s why you hear a gurgling noise. 

Raised Water Levels

If you’re in a situation where you notice a rise in the water level of your toilet when flushed, it’s a clear sign that you have a blocked toilet. For any temporary or partial waste blockages, it may be easy to unblock with a plunger. However, for longer-lasting issues or where the water is at the point of overflowing – It’s time to call an emergency toilet unblocking service.

What To Do About Your Blocked Drains?!

Prevention is the ultimate solution for looking after your drains. Ensuring that you’re not flushing items which can cause blockages, pouring fatty oils and large amounts of food debris down the sink and so on.

However, if you have noticed any of the above signs – it is best to call a professional drainage contractor, as soon as possible. For rapid response, efficient results, and to prevent the risk of any further costly damage to your property, give Quick Clear Drainage London a call.

Quick Clear Drainage provides drain unblock services in London, and the surrounding areas.

How To Prevent Blocked Drains

Posted on by Josh Paternoster

Is there anything more frustrating than having a blocked drain? You can’t use the toilet for fear that it is going to overflow. You may even find that you can’t use water in any parts of your home, depending on the nature of the blockage. It can be very annoying, to say the least. But what makes matters worse is learning that the blockage could have been avoided. This is the case more often than you would realise. Mostly, blockages tend to occur because we act in ways we shouldn’t in terms of what we put down our toilets or sinks. Therefore, with a few little changes, you can go a long way to ensuring that your drains do not end up blocked. With that being said, let’s take a look at some important tips to follow to prevent blocked drains…

Some tips for the kitchen

Let’s begin by taking a look at some of the different things you can do with regards to your use of your kitchen sink in order to stop a blocked drain from occurring. When it relates to the kitchen, blockages usually occur because food has gotten down the sink.

This can be especially damaging if it is cooking oil, grease, or fat. This is because these liquids will solidify when they cool down, and this causes a pretty big blockage, which can be hard to remove by yourself. This is why you need to make sure that you never pour grease, fat, or cooking oil down the sink.

You should also make sure that you scrape any leftovers from your plate into the bin before you wash it in the sink. Another useful tip is to use a strainer in your sink plughole, emptying the contents into the bin. This will act as a barrier, ensuring food does not make it passed the plughole and into your drains. It’s always best to clean your sink properly to be absolutely sure you can prevent blocked drains.

Blockages in your own drains, as a result of clogging your pipes with fatty oils, grease, and leftover food, can cause a world of grief for your home. But there are also some more severe consequences. In the UK, “Fatbergs” have been an issue within London sewer systems since 2010, due to the rise in usage of “disposable” wet wipes.


BBC Earth Lab “Disgusting ‘Fatberg’ Found In London Sewer”

Fatbergs occur due to a combination of oils, fat and wet wipes, all combining into one large solid piece of matter. With that in mind, blockage prevention can be heavily influenced by what we flush down our toilets.

Some tips for the bathroom

Of course, aside from the kitchen, most of the mistakes happen in the bathroom when it comes to blocked drains. Did you know that one of the biggest causes of blocked drains in London and the UK, in general, is people trying to flush nappies down the toilet? You may think that this is something you can do because of the materials that modern nappies are made from. However, they have not been designed to be flushed down the toilet. This is one of the quickest ways to end up with a blockage because the nappy will end up stuck in the pipe, as it does not degrade in water.

Another big drain blocker is hair! If you have long or thick hair, this point is for you! It can be very difficult to avoid hair getting into the sink and shower plugholes. After all, you can’t help if strands of hair come out while you are washing! However, a good method for dealing with this is to get a trap or guard so that you can catch the hair before it is washed down the pipes.

Aside from nappies and hair, common blockages occur because of wipes and feminine products. With wipes, you need to throw them in the bin. They are not designed for toilets. Moreover, feminine products can range from cotton buds to sanitary pads, and these have not been designed to be flushed down the toilet either.

Whether it is food or a bathroom product, don’t have the attitude that now and again won’t make a difference. Little build-ups can easily result in big blockages.

Call Quick Clear Drainage London For Blocked Drains Emergencies!

If you do find that your drains are blocked, it is important to deal with the problem as soon as possible so that you can enjoy your home and the bill does not get bigger and bigger. After all, if you leave the blockage it may get worse, and this could mean that you have a more expensive plumbing service on your hands. Plus, who can really afford to leave a blockage as it is in any case? We all need water and to use the toilet! So, if you find yourself in this situation, don’t panic. Quick Clear Drainage London is here to provide an emergency blocked drain unblocking service. It does not matter what time it is or what day of the week it is, we have got you covered. Simply give us a call on 0203 633 3897 to book an emergency appointment if you have a blocked drain London.