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Total Drain Care are UK commercial and domestic CCTV drain survey specialists, blocked drain experts who can help to unblock your toilet, unblock your drains and provide a fantastic drain unblocking service. So if you’re looking for a blocked drain company, get in touch now. If there’s a bad smell coming from the sewer system then call us. We can unblock sewage drains. If have have drain rods and have tried to unblock your drains yourself but it hasn’t worked, call us, we can unclog your drains. Read our Help and Advice section for information about How To Unblock A Toilet?, How To Clear A Blocked Drain?, What Is A Pre-Purchase Drain Survey? and much more. Find out more about commercial CCTV drain surveys.

The creepy noises from your drain giving you nightmares? Don’t sell your house just yet. Opt for a CCTV drain survey and get to the root of your problems.

With so much focus on a property’s interior and exterior, it is easy to forget what lies beneath. But when hidden issues like leakage and foul odours permeate the surface, a drain CCTV survey will get you to the source of the problem.

A CCTV drain survey inspects and evaluates the condition of your drain and sewerage system. It is a quick and easy way of getting into your drain system with high-tech cameras that show you the real picture.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

A CCTV drain survey is a low-cost, quick and efficient way of inspecting your drainpipes and gutters. It involves inserting a CCTV camera inside your drainpipes with the help of cable wires and access rods. The camera inside the drain sends live feedback to the drainage inspectors.

The camera travels deep into the drain, highlighting the areas where there is decay, damage, a blockage, or cracks. The distance travelled is also recorded to help in the evaluation.

A drain survey includes sophisticated tech equipment like:

High-Tech and Waterproof Cameras

Drain cameras are protected against water and can withstand its pressure. Because of their size, they can be sent into small, enclosed places and around bends.

The cameras are connected to monitors that stream and record the images. The CCTV footage from them is essential for the drain inspectors to identify the present problems.

Push Rods

The cameras are attached to long thin rods before being inserted into a drainpipe. The rods are then pushed deep into a gutter or a drain to let the cameras do their work.

With a push rod, it is possible to get into even the smallest and most slender of the pipes to get the required surveillance video. Its flexibility allows the access rod to go around tight corners and turns.

Video Surveillance

Drain survey inspectors use CCTV or closed circuit TV surveillance with the drain cameras. It provides live footage of the drainage system underneath your house.

The images and video produced are used for further investigation. Invisible areas in the drain come to life with the CCTV footage, highlighting problems and the repairs needed.

Robot Crawlers

Crawlers are remote-controlled unit cameras that go into obstructed areas to delve deep into drainpipes in the sewerage system. Live feeds then guide drain specialists towards the origin of the problem. Moreover, the drain survey videos and pictures highlight where further maintenance is needed.

Reasons for Getting a CCTV Drain Survey

• To examine a recurring problem with the drains
• A regular maintenance check to prevent future pipe damage and drain blockages
• A pre-purchase drain check to evaluate the condition of the drainage system
• To support extensive pipe renovations and repairs in construction and building projects
• If you are a homebuyer, a surveyor may have requested or recommended a CCTV drain survey report. This is also known as a homebuyers’ drain survey.

Common Drain Problems in the UK

Problems with the drainage system, gutters, and sewers are typically the same world over. The older the drain and sewerage system of a city is, the more problems they have with time. For example, the sewerage system of London pre-dates more than 100 years. The CCTV drain survey cost in London is usually higher than many other areas of the UK.

The routine wear and tear of drainpipes can gradually lead to:

Leakage

Blockages, corrosion, and holes in drainpipes cause water leakages in the drains. A CCTV drain inspection helps locate the origin of the leaks and provides solutions to solve the leakage.

Low Water Pressure

Trash and debris swept into drains and gutters travel into drainpipes. They impede the flow of water and cause low water pressure. A drain inspection camera reveals the area that needs cleaning and help determine if high-pressure jetting is required.

Moreover, timely cleaning of the drain will prevent further blockage that could further damage the drainpipes.

Fractured and Cracked Drainpipes

Routine wear and tear of drainpipes can lead to cracks and fractures. They usually start near the pipe joints but become larger with time. It causes water to seep into the surrounding areas and weaken the ground structure.

Broken Pipes

Damage to drainpipes from overuse, age, and environmental factors like shifting in the soil can cause large breaks. It causes surface and wastewater to mix and leak outside. It also interrupts the flow of water and causes wastage.

Blockages

A drain block happens slowly over the years with the accumulation of waste, fat, debris and other factors in the drain. It can causes blockages in your kitchen sink, toilets, bathroom sink, shower, bath and other drains. It leaves a foul smell and can even cause damage to household fixtures.

Drain openers and DIY methods are just temporary solutions. Usually, they stop working after a couple of times, making the blockage worse. A CCTV drain inspection can find out the reason for the recurring blockage and fix it permanently. If your drains are becoming regularly blocked, it’s usually a sign of a bigger issue, that needs fixing at the source.

Open Joints

Ground movements like traffic, shifts in the soil, and subsidence can lead to gaps in the joints of your drainpipes. Older joints break quickly under pressure, and the gaps result in leakages and pipe damage. Continuous leaking of the wastewater causes structural damage to the property.

Growth of Tree Roots

The roots of trees and plants can sometimes grow deep enough to reach the underground drainpipes. They move through the pipe joints and can break into the pipe material to continue their growth. The resulting holes cause water leakage on your property.

There is further damage when debris and litter get stuck inside the break where the roots have penetrated. It affects the water flow, releases foul smells, and leads to blockages.

Rat and Infestation From Other Pests

Small animals like rats, and other pests and rodents thrive in the sewerage. The continuous waste from the drainpipes gives them ample nutrition, and they love this type of environment. Crawling critters also prefer the dampness and dark of the sewerage system.

These animals increase in population, eventually finding their way into your residence and commercial properties. A CCTV drain inspection will show where the animals are hiding and make it possible to clean them out of your drain and gutter.

BENEFITS OF GETTING A CCTV DRAIN INSPECTION

It is always smarter to get a thorough drain inspection done on any property you are investing in. It saves you future stress and undue expenses. CCTV drain surveys can be proactive or reactive. It depends how diligent you want to be when it comes to your drain care.

Furthermore, getting a drain inspection done when experiencing problems results in timely solutions and prevents high repair costs and damage to your house or business. Whereas leaving drain inspection until there’s a serious problem, is never a good idea and leads to greater costs.

For Homeowners

A CCTV drain survey for domestic properties:

• Is an affordable and speedy way of finding problems inside your drain and resolving them
• Keeps your property in great shape, both above and below
• Is essential for your health and safety
• Increases the value of your home
• Protects your house structure
• Keeps the nasties like rodents away
• Protects your garden and yard from wastewater leakage and damage
• Raises the alarm by alerting about potential drain problems like cracked pipes, loose joints, and blockages beforehand and before they get any worse
• Is convenient and safe as there is no digging, just an insertion of a small drain camera (avoiding unnecessary drain excavation work)
• Protects both the tenant and the landlord as surveillance footage is recorded
• Is an essential step before buying a new house as damaged or old drainage systems need extensive repairs that are cost and time extensive.

For Commercial

Imagine staying in a hotel where the toilet doesn’t work or eating in a restaurant that has a leaking roof. This wouldn’t make for a very pleasant experience, would it? Does your office toilets at work smell? It isn’t a pleasant working environment is it? Not to forget, shopping in a place that smells like a sewerage tunnel.

Domestic drains only affect the people living in the house. But commercial drain problems lead to a whole host of other difficulties.

A CCTV drain survey for commercial purposes:

• Can save you from future lawsuits and litigation as drain leakage can lead to accidents and hazards (Health and Safety compliance is key for all UK businesses and organisations)
• Protect you from fines as drain problems lead to hygiene issues and pest infestation
• Will prevent huge losses as paying customers to leave at the first sign of dirtiness, smell, or plumbing problems
• Will protect your investment and appreciate its value if your drainage system is in good working condition
• Does not disrupt the business as there is next to no disruption in business activities
• It’s cost-effective and solution-oriented
• Allows your drain engineers to come up with working solutions best suited to your problem
• Provides long term maintenance and inspection opportunity
• Is essential to your business interests as problems resulting from poor drainage ruins your name and reputation
• Can provide a fantastic return on investment (ROI) as fully functional drains means happy customers, clients and employees
• Protect you from making poor investment decisions.

Pre-emptive Actions For Maintaining Your Drainage System

There is absolutely no way that you can stop drain blockages, cracked pipes, open joints, or corrosion. But you can keep your drains clean and well maintained. It will slow down excessive weathering and keep your upkeep costs low.

Preventive action will stop decay and damage in its tracks, getting repairs done before the problem advances.

Issues like clogged drains are commonplace, but recurring blockages slowly pile up the waste and debris. They can flush simple waste, not high amounts of fat, litter, large objects, or debris.

Even hair and cleaning products pile up to cause severe blockages. The only way to minimise the damage from clogged drainpipes is to keep them as clean as possible. Drain guards or closed gap metal grates prevent large objects and trash from going down the drain. Using them will keep your drain clean and safe from blockage. Use them throughout your house drain holes and the gutters outside.

For businesses like hotels and restaurant kitchens, some sort of protection like a drain or metal grill is crucial.

Using a good-quality drain cleaner regularly will keep your drain and sewerage clean from waste and debris. But be careful about your choice of drain cleaner as some can damage pipes as they produce heat. Often vinegar and baking soda are fantastic drain cleaning solutions. It will flush out the little pieces of debris and maintain your water flow. Lack of rubbish and dirt will also keep rodents like rats, mice and squirrels away.

Lastly, be vigilant. Drain problems do not happen at once. They build up slowly and show up in a reactive explosion of burst pipes of wastewater seeping. Keeping an eye out for minor seepage, excessive moisture, slow water pressure, and more saves you big on repair and maintenance costs.

A CCTV drain inspection is low-cost with minimal intrusion. It gives you a heads-up about your drain condition and ensuing repairs.

Employing The Right CCTV Drain Survey Company

A CCTV drain survey may be a quick process, but it requires experience and skills. Most drain survey companies offer additional services like drain solutions and repairs after your drain inspection.

On top of it, you need the CCTV drain footage to be detailed and thorough. It gives you a clear glimpse into the condition and working of your drain, gutter, and sewerage. Otherwise, the whole procedure is pointless.

Hence make sure that the company you use is accredited, insured and certified and has experience with drain camera surveillance and equipment. It is also advisable to check reviews or get referrals for such companies to see proof of work.

A company’s operatives and equipment also represent their work ethics and professionalism. Keep a lookout for standard safety procedures, skilled handling of the machinery, and work management.

Getting CCTV drain inspection and the subsequent repairs from the same company saves you money and the hassle of going to two different places. Look for professional drain survey companies that offer both services.

It shows that the drain inspectors and engineers have the skills and the experience to understand your drainage problems and give expert solutions.

Up your Drain Game by being on top of your drainage problems before they happen with a CCTV drain survey and inspection.