Blocked outside drain - has anyone dealth with blocked outside drains before?

[NextDoorToAlice]

I noticed something last week. Whenever the kitchen sink or washing machine is in the use and the drain pipe outside located at the kitchen that drains into a drain, that keeps flooding and over flowing.

So that is likely blocked.

I bought drain clearing rods and checked YouTube for tutorials and I got to work and I was able to bring the water level in the drain lower but when the sink was used again, it flowed up and out again.

So I bought a drain unblocker.

I think tonight I will have to do some with the unblocking rods and then use the drain unblocker cleaner that I got and hope that helps.

The drain unblocker I got is from the brand HG.

Has anyone here dealt with a blocked outside drain?

Is it easy to unblock? Or do I need to call for a professional?

How about the cleaner I got...what would be the best way to use that?
It says to pour 300 ml down the drain and then pour the same amount of hot water down.

I don't know about pouring hit water down the drain because I would be afraid it will only just fill the water in the drain again.

I looked down the bathroom drains outside and the water levels are down much lower in those pipes/drains. It's just the kitchen outside drain that is raised and over flows.

Can anyone help me please and thanks.

Water company here won't do it if on own property. Drain clearing companies will do it super quick, but wait until Tues if you can as call out fee not so high

@NextDoorToAlice At least that's one less thing to worry about! The previous blockage was caused by elderly parent putting excessive amounts of loo paper down and it formed a sort of papier maché bung. I'm on first name terms with the local drain guy!

If you have a local FB group ask for recommendations, that's how I found my guy and he always responds really quickly, does a great job and is reasonably priced.

Check with your neighbours to see if they are affected. If they are then it's likely to be the public sewer and then your water and sewerage company as it will be their responsibility. Water companies are the only people allowed to deal with it. Don't call a private contractor. They are only allowed to deal with your private drain and have to refer to the water company if it's off your property (and will charge you anyway). Water companies operate 24/7.
I used to work in the control room of a water company.

I had that about a year ago. I tried gallons of unblocker. I got a huge concertina like plunger thing from the local hardware shop. It was disgusting but satisfying when it finally went with a plop and all the gunge flowed away. I wish I’d thought about the water board.

Same 😫😂

There used to be somebody on here called Piglet John who was amazing at stuff like this. Does anybody know if they're still around?

Water companies don't do it for free if its on your property

I wouldn't put chemicals down the drain if you have a septic tank. Call out the professionals.

It depends where the blockage is. The drain from your house connects to a sewer (unless rural is different). If the blockage is in the pipe on your property it’s your responsibility (like you are doing) but if the blockage is beyond your property it’s the water authority’s responsibility.

Theres an access chamber in my garden to the main sewer which belongs to the water authority. Last time it overflowed it was due to a blockage in the sewer about 50 yards down the road caused by roadworks. If your drain unblocker doesn’t work, contact the water authority and they can at least identify where the blockage is

The water company will deal with it even if it’s inside the boundary of your property only if you share the drainage with a neighbour.

Don't put boiling water down the pipes as I've heard that can crack them.

Our kitchen sink was draining slowly and then just wouldn't drain at all. We tried unblocked gels but nothing helped. Local plumber said to call Dyno rod so they could put a camera down. We called dynorod and they said they don't routinely carry cameras so he just did a bit of poking around and the water drained out the sink so they considered it job done. They'd told me they'd take payment on site but didn't. Two hours later and drain was blocked again so I called them and said I wasn't paying as it was a guaranteed job and hadn't been resolved.

They half heartedly asked me if I would pay and I reiterated that I was paying for the drain to drain properly and it wasn't so no, I wasn't paying.

Called a local plumber again.

Turned out it was a broken pipe and had been leaking for god knows how long under the floor. Took a good few days of clean up.

So just make sure you know what you're paying for!

The water board have cleared my blocked drain for free on two occasions, they just don’t advertise it. Why are people adamant they won’t when there are people clearly stating they have used this free service?

I wouldn't put drain unblocker into a septic tank. It may stop it working.

Call a company that deals with septic tanks and drains.

@NextDoorToAlice when was the last time the septic tank was emptied? Even the massive ones need doing every 5 years or so and the home owner is supposed to keep a record of all servicing and emptying otherwise you’ll have a nightmare if you want to sell the property. Water company won’t do anything for private drainage (which is what a septic tank system is) so if you can’t get it moving you’ll need DynaRod or similar. DO NOT use anything bleach based in a septic tank system, it’ll totally destroy the bacteria that is doing all the hard work.

I had the same problem the other week, I used the rods and got the level down... Ran the taps and it was back up. So I used the rods again put a carrier bag on my arm and fished about and brought up the dogs ball that had rolled down there.
Problem solved.
But I thought someone in my house was turning on a tap I could hear running as I had my hand Down the drain so I shouted "Turn that tap off!!!!!!" and within seconds it went off
It wasn't anybody in my house who was using a tap. I think it was next door.
I've never mentioned it. They might not know it was me......

Yes, I went about half an hour ago with the rods. I was going to do some more plunging but I noticed the water was some what lower than what I started with during yesterday's session. I am still not very happy with the water level in the drain because down the other drains from the bathroom, they are lower. So I presume the kitchen drain should be that low too.

I just used the drain cleaner tonight and I am hoping for the best by morning. Hopefully that will help bring the water level down some more.

I was checking you tube videos and the word I should have used was gully. The kitchen gully.

I bought a cleaner that is enzyme based. I think it could eat away at any organic matter down the drain. I don't know. I only used a little bit of it. Hopefully it will work.

Probably because they've been in that situation? Maybe it depends on who your water board is. All I know is that when I had issues, they told me I would be charged and I was

Had this problem a while ago, we try and clean outside drains every few months.
We have the drain for the sink etc same as you that was blocked / over spilling, (we also have a small round covered manhole thing on the other side)@

I completed a online questionnaire with our water company.

They came out next day ( sunday) it turned out to be the manhole one that was blocked so water from the other sink drain wasn't running through.
Both a few few inches from the pavement but on my propery so it was my responsibility apparently.
Option to pay them or pay private company.

Because she has a septic tank and isn’t on mains drainage. I used to do this for a living for a water company. We wouldn’t even bother coming out if we realised beforehand it was a septic tank (and the call centre should be able to tell that from their records).

So for anyone on mains drainage normally the householder is responsible for anything inside their boundary. There are exceptions such as shared drains on houses of a certain age or older (excepting ex military property). No idea if it’s the same rules in every area, I’d assume so.

This isn't true. Most modern sewers have other properties discharging into that sewer, and the water company will clear it irrespective of whether its on your property or not.

Rural drains tend not to have other connections. The OP is in a rural property. Here's the full info from CAB just to clarify. https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/water/sewerage/who-is-responsible-for-repairing-drains-and-sewers/#:~:text=Generally%20speaking%2C%20you%27re%20usually,of%20property%20boundaries%2C%20and%20sewers. We don't all live in towns and cities.

I am still having no luck with the outside drain/gully.

I did another half hour approx with the long rod-plunger followed by the the drain cleaner. The water level in the drain did go down but I do suspect it will fill up again.

I have a new tool ordered called 'the gully gobbler'. It's like a long spoon. I do suspect that there's more stuff down the drain blocking it and he'll will freeze over before I put my hand down there. I know I would have to get a very long glove but no way. Still a gloved hand. No.

I do think it is a job for professionals now to be honest because I don't know what I am doing. But it is my mother's house and she's aging now and she can be so so so so odd. She has no comprehension of the consequences of ignoring this and she's paranoid of anyone coming even workers.

That gully gobbler probably won't be delivered to me until about Wednesday approx but I do have my job to go to every day so it might be next weekend before I get a chance to do this again. It's so hard to get a free slot of time too because my mother won't stop using the sink or machines. Like if I was to ask her not to use the sink for a while while inunvlig a drain, she won't do it. I would be lucky to get 20 mins free from her.

When was the septic tank last emptied?

I always wonder why people who don’t know what they are doing buy tools and attempt to do jobs that need a tradesperson. We have issues with our drains sometimes and I call the local drain unblocking company. Just do that. Cancel the latest order for something that won’t work anyway and get a professional in.

I'm in a difficult position regarding my mother. She is aging and she is so odd. She will never be able to take to me phoning a professional and it will only just enrage her.

It took me 3 months to get a plumber before with her. She can be so difficult.

Then there is another issue, if I book a professional, I would need to organise my time in work to be free to be at home to look after it.

She really is a very difficult person with low comprehension.

I watched some YouTube videos and I was hoping for the best.

Since my last post, I did some more plunging and I was able to free some more debris one being a dead mouse 🤢🤢🤢🤢🤮🤮🤮🤮 but then it fell down again. 🤢🤢🤢🤢🤮🤮🤮🤮. There must be more stuff down the drain.

I refuse to glove my hand and arm and get down on my knees into the drain. I am hoping the new tool might help me.