When a drain becomes blocked and you’ve had no success trying to sort out the problem, it’s time to call in a professional to find out what is causing the blockage. The best way of checking the state of your drainage system is to carry out a CCTV drainage survey, which will tell you whether you need to replace or reline the drain.
Look Inside
If there is damage to your pipework, whether from tree root ingress, a crack or a leak, this will show up on a CCTV drain survey. A high-tech camera which feeds live images to an engineer will highlight the problem and you’ll be given recommendations for how to fix it. If you are looking for CCTV drain surveys Bracknell, there are several drain specialists, such as www.drainpower.co.uk/drainage-services/cctv-drain-surveys/bracknell/, who can carry out this work.
According to Ofwat, property owners are responsible for all plumbing fixtures, as well as the drains and water pipes. This means that any repairs or replacements are at the homeowner’s cost.
Relining of the Drain
With relining, the blockage will first need to be removed using a high-pressure water blaster. This will ensure the area is clean and scale-free before the CCTV camera inspects the damaged section and marks it. Next, a relining sleeve made of uPVC is installed, using air inflation over a few hours.
The inflation tube is then removed and the section which has been relined is cleaned again to remove any resin. This solution is fairly quick and requires no removal of any pipes.
Drain Replacement
If a pipe is significantly damaged, with large holes and cracks, you may have to replace the whole drain. This means your drainage system is out of action for a while, as it has to be dug up and the old pipes removed before being replaced with new ones.
With pipe replacement, although excavation work is required, you will have a brand-new, modern drainage system which should last for years. This is a more permanent solution than relining.
