How To Unblock Outside Drain

If you find that the sinks in your home are taking forever to drain or if you smell a funny odour when you step out your front or back door, then it’s a pretty clear sign that one or more of your drains are blocked. 

Once you’ve made this connection, you’ll likely be wondering how to go about unblocking an outside drain and probably considering whether you need a professional to get the job done. 

Well, the good news is that help is at hand either way, because at Express Drainage Surveys, we’re experts in all drainage matters. In this article, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about outside drains so that you can decide whether it’s a small issue you can manage yourself or whether you need one of our experienced engineers to help get the job done.

The different outside drains – find yours

The first stage of unblocking an outside drain is establishing and understanding your drains. That means figuring out which drains exist on your property and where they flow. 

There are several types of outside drains, all designed to channel some form of water away from your home, whether that’s rain or wastewater. Here are two of the most common outside drains:

• Foul water drains: These are the drains that take wastewater away from your home and connect to the nearest sewer system. That water is then directed to a sewage treatment plant. Examples of common foul water drains you’ll see are those that come directly from your kitchen (taking sink water, dishwasher water and washing machine water) and those that connect with your bathroom (taking toilet, shower and sink water).

• Surface water drains: These are the drains around your property that help to deal with rainwater. That could be downpipes from guttering, which collects rainwater from your roof, or soakaways and French drains underground to take runoff from your patio, lawn or driveway.

Depending on where the blockage is within your drainage system, you might see water overflowing either at the gully connection point or by a manhole. This, along with a foul odour will be the biggest clue that you have a blocked drain.

But what causes them to become blocked? Understanding this next point is the next step to deciding on how you can unblock your outside drain.

Common causes of blocked outside drains

There are some causes of blocked outside drains that are more within your control than others, so let’s start with the things people do in their homes that lead to blocked drains:

• Pouring oil, grease and fat down kitchen sinks
• Disposing of sanitary items and wet wipes down the toilet
• Letting soap and hair accumulate and forcing it down the sink
• Putting coffee grounds or other small solid water down the kitchen sink

Avoid the above, and you’re much less likely to need the services of our team. But even in an ideal world, there are outside factors that can create blockages in your drains, including:

• Leaves and sticks 
• Soil and silt
• Moss
• Litter

These items, when they gravitate towards your drains because of wind and rain, can enter the system and amass into a blockage. That’s why keeping your property tidy and maintained is important, as you lower the chances of a blockage.

How to unblock your outside drain

Now we come to the important section. Before you take a look at the different ways you can try to unblock your outside drain, we want to state that we always recommend having a professional drainage company visit your property if you’re not entirely confident – either because you don’t know where the blockage is or you don’t feel safe carrying out the work yourself.

We’re always happy to attend your home or business to unblock your drain with our specialist drain unblocking and jetting services. We can also carry out a CCTV survey to establish exactly where the blockage is and whether there is any damage within your drains that you need to be aware of, restoring full flow for your property.

1. Unblocking your drain by hand – In some instances, you might be able to unblock your drain yourself by hand. And we mean quite literally by hand. You’ll need either some long gloves that extend up to your elbows or perhaps a black bin bag, but if you can remove the manhole cover (if this is where the blockage is) then you can reach in and potentially pull out a blockage if it’s in that section of the drain. This is not, however, a pleasant task. Nor is it viable if the blockage is at a small gulley point where the hole will likely be too small for you to really reach into.

2. Using a tool to reach the blockage – Whether it’s a specific drain unblocking tool you have or just something long you can use to scrape out the drain, this could be an option. Again, it relies on the blockage actually being close to the drain manhole or gulley. Plus, there’s always a risk that you could make matters worse if you get something stuck or push the blockage further in.

3. Use drain cleaning chemicals – Never use drainage chemicals without first reading the instructions carefully and equipping yourself with protective clothing accordingly. Soda crystals and caustic soda are sometimes recommended because they can work through a fat buildup, but you’ll first need to let the water levels go down. This isn’t an ideal option and it can be extremely dangerous due to a risk of burning if it comes into contact with your skin or eyes.

4. Hire a local drain unblocker – The most efficient and thorough way to unblock your outside drain is to hire a professional. At Express Drainage Surveys, we take the risk and the hassle out of this task. We’ll likely get the job done much faster than someone with no drainage expertise, and you won’t have to get your hands dirty at all!

Who is responsible for outside drains?

If the idea of having to unblock your drain has left you a little apprehensive, your next thought might be to find out if it’s actually your responsibility. 

The answer to this lies in whether the blockage is in the drainage system on your property. If it is, and you own the property, then it’s your responsibility to get the blockage removed and dealt with. If the blockage is on someone else’s property or is in the road, for example, then it’s the local water management company’s issue to fix.

For renters, you may want to check your tenancy agreement. If the blockage is an issue you’ve caused, it’s likely you will have to deal with it, but if it’s a result of wear and tear, it will probably be a job for your landlord to take care of.

Not sure who the drain belongs to or where the issue lies? We have an expert team who can assist you. We can even inspect your drains to uncover the root of the problem so that you know exactly whether it’s something you need to tackle or not.

How can I stop my outdoor drain from getting blocked?

Once you know the hassle and stress of a blocked drain once, you won’t want to have the same issue again, so here are our top tips for preventing blockages in your outside drains:

• Maintain the guards over your drains. Most outside drains either have a manhole cover or a grate, so make sure these stay in place to prevent debris from getting into your drain. Clear away any foliage or litter on a regular basis.

• Don’t pour your cooking oil or fat into your kitchen sink or outside drain. This is what causes most blockages when it cools and congeals within the drain. Your local council is likely to offer some sort of oil collection or disposal service.

• Add hair traps to your plug holes. In your bathroom sinks, shower and bathtub, add a hair trap that you can easily remove and empty. This is another key material that builds up and clogs in your drains outside.

For the best flow, we recommend regular drain cleaning and maintenance, but the above tips should help to ease some of the more common issues.

Is there an outside drain blockage that you need to take care of? Look no further than our professional, qualified team of drain engineers here at Express Drainage Surveys. Call us today and we’ll be on hand swiftly to restore order to your drains.