Blocked Drains: How to stop it from happening again?

We have now covered the common causes of blocked drains and how they can be unblocked . But now we need to discuss your options to ensure that your drains don't block again in the future. In other words, how do we treat the problem and not just fix the symptoms?

How do you stop a blocked drain from re-occurring?

Okay, so we've unblocked your drain, but how do we prevent it from happening again? If your drain blockage was a result of tree roots, then by simply removing the tree roots and not fixing the crack in the pipe, you will only postpone it happening again. Similarly, if your blockage was caused by debris getting stuck on the rough pipelining, then clearing it away has only fixed the symptom, not the problem.

So what are your options to repair a drainpipe so that you don't have to keep unblocking it?

Excavation

As previously mentioned under methods for unblocking a drain, one of the oldest methods of fixing a blocked drain was to dig it up. By replacing the problem section with a new pipe you obviously have fixed the underlying problem and should have no more problems.

But what about the mess, inconvenience and destruction? What if the pipe in question runs under your house foundations or driveway? The only option here would be to use a Jack Hammer (or similar) to break up the concrete to allow you to start digging up the pipe. So not only are you up for the cost of digging up the pipe but you now also have the cost of reinstating what you have destroyed.

So this method is fine if the pipe in question is out in the open with no solid structures over the top. In fact, if you don't mind the inconvenience and mess, this method will often be the most cost-effective. But what if it isn't?

Chemicals down the drain

Fix Blocked Drains with Chemicals — Fix blocked drains with chemicals

It seems there is a chemical for everything! This method is only for blocked drains caused by tree roots. In this method, after clearing out the tree roots the Plumber will pump a special foaming herbicide down your pipe to kill off the root ends. This will slow down the roots from growing again.

However, once again you are not fixing the problem but only the symptoms. Without fixing the crack the roots got into in the first place, you are simply buying time. In fact, many of the popular solutions on the market only give a 12-month guarantee. This means that the problem will either resurface in the future sometime, or you need to commit to getting the herbicide re-applied every 12 months.

Pipe Patching

Pipe patching is the ideal solution if you have a small problem area in your drain (eg. a crack from tree roots). In this method, after the blocked drain has been cleared, we send down a section of pipelining (pipe patch) and apply it to the section of pipe in question.

The pipe patch is made from fibreglass matting which is impregnated with a specially formulated resin. This is wrapped around a special "DrainPacker" that is then sent down the drainpipe to the damaged section. The "DrainPacker" is then inflated, thereby pushing the packer against the inside of the pipe until it has set. This creates a solid lining in this section, covering any cracks or faults, and has a design life of 50 years (a lot better than the 12-month guarantee on the herbicide method).

Find out more about Pipe Patching .

Pipe Relining

Pipe Relining is essentially the same thing as Pipe Patching, but for longer sections of pipe (you can even reline the entire length of pipe if need be).

There are several different methods of Pipe Relining, but they all do the same thing and it is just in the way they are delivered and cured in the pipe. Reline Solutions use several different methods depending on the size of the pipe and access etc.

The main advantage of Pipe Relining is that once your pipe has been relined it is essentially a new pipe inside your old pipe. Not only that, but you can do it without having to dig up your pipe and destroy any built-over structures.

Find out more about Pipe Relining .

So there you have it, a complete overview of how to fix a blocked drain and prevent it from happening again.

Remember Reline Solutions are your blocked drain specialist in SEQ. So contact us for your blocked drain issues.