What Are the Most Common Causes of Blocked Drains?

Is your basin taking longer to empty than usual? Perhaps you’ve noticed unpleasant odours wafting up from your drains? These are often the first signs that something’s not quite right with your drainage system.

From hair-clogged bathroom drains to grease-laden kitchen pipes, blocked drains are one of the most common household problems faced by UK homeowners. If left unchecked, these blockages can escalate from minor inconveniences into major nightmares, leading to serious damage and lingering odours in your property.

What Causes Blocked Drains (Inside a House)?

The average person sheds between 50-100 hairs per day.

When you consider that an average household might have multiple people (and pets!) sharing bathrooms, the amount of hair going down your drains quickly adds up. Each strand acts like a tiny net, catching everything from soap residue to shampoo build-up. Over time, these strands weave together with beauty products and other debris, creating a stubborn mass that grows larger with every shower or bath.

What starts as a few trapped hairs can quickly develop into a solid blockage that significantly reduces water flow and creates telltale drainage problems like bad odours and backflow that you might be experiencing now.

The second most common cause of blocked drains indoors are kitchen basins.

Kitchen drain blockages typically stem from what we casually wash down our basins. Every time you rinse that frying pan or dispose of leftover cooking oil down the drain, you’re contributing to a growing blockage.

A splash of oil looks harmless disappearing down your basin, but once it’s out of sight, it undergoes a diabolical transformation in your pipes. As the oil cools and solidifies, it clings onto your pipe walls like a stubborn layer of fat – each new addition making that layer thicker until your water barely has space to flow through.

Worse still, it’s not just oils causing havoc in your kitchen drains. Coffee grounds, food scraps, debris, all these solids combined form a solid mass that can completely block your drainage system.

What Causes Blocked Drains (Outside)

Now that you know what causes blocked drains within your home, let’s look at what causes blocked drains outside.

Besides leaves, mud and rubbish, what are the common causes of blocked drains outside your home?

One place you might never suspect is your garden tree. Of course, it makes your property look beautiful but beneath the surface, these natural wonders can spell disaster for your drainage system.

Tree roots can sense moisture up to 20 metres away. Underground, these roots are drawn to the tiny amounts of water vapour escaping from the smallest cracks in your pipes and slowly inch their way towards it. Once they find a way in, they expand, multiply, and create a complex root network inside your pipes creating an impenetrable block that catches everything.

Any building work around your property can also lead to unexpected drainage problems. Even the most careful builders can’t completely prevent small amounts of sand, cement, and other construction materials from washing into nearby drains during wet weather.

Drain unblocking is essential to tackle stubborn blockages and prevent further damage to your property, ensuring your drainage system functions smoothly.

Organic matter might eventually break down but building materials become concrete-like blockages that ordinary drain cleaners won’t affect. All it takes is one rainy day during construction to create months of drainage problems if any building materials find their way into your system.

Drain Unblocking by Watermains & Drains UK

While a plunger or basic drain unblocker might tackle minor blockages, some drainage problems need more than just DIY solutions.

That’s where modern professional drainage solutions come into play. High-pressure water jetting and survey cameras to spot causes of blocked drains are just some of the solutions our professional team at Watermains & Drains UK employ to clear out stubborn blocks. Against challenging blocks, mechanical cleaning equipment might be your only option to break through years of built-up debris that regular cleaners just can’t touch.

Remember, what might seem like a minor drainage issue today can quickly escalate into a major headache tomorrow. If you’re facing persistent problems or want to ensure your drains stay in top condition, getting them checked by drainage professionals could save you both stress and money in the long run.

Don’t let drainage problems escalate into property nightmares. Whether you’re dealing with a stubborn blockage or simply want to prevent potential problems, our professional team is just a call away. For fast, effective solutions to all your drainage needs reach out to Watermains & Drains UK.