Blocked Drains St Albans

St Albans has one of the widest mixes of housing in Christchurch: old mid-density workers' cottages, council flats, modern high-density flats and apartments, and large low-density sections of various ages. It came through the September 2010 quake mostly with fallen chimneys, but the February 2011 earthquake brought liquefaction and damage that led to houses and shops being demolished. Lowered ground and damaged drainage later caused chronic flooding in the Flockton Basin. In St Albans the usual suspects are wipes, kitchen fat, roots finding a cracked joint and, on rebuilt properties, grout or concrete slurry left in new pipe. We clear the line and tell you which one it was, so you know if it is likely to happen again.

St Albans blocked drains: Flockton Basin ground, mixed housing and older laterals

Few suburbs pack in as many housing types as St Albans: workers' cottages, council flats, modern apartments and large older sections sit within a few streets of each other. Each brings its own drain problem. Cottages and older homes often still have clay laterals where roots and dropped joints cause trouble, while blocks of flats and apartments push the waste of many households through one line, so a single bad flush affects everyone downstream.

The February 2011 earthquake brought liquefaction to parts of the suburb, and in the Flockton Basin lowered ground and damaged drainage led to regular flooding by 2014. On ground that has dropped, a private lateral can lose some of its fall, and a pipe with too little slope lets solids settle instead of carrying them away. Where the gully trap fills during heavy rain, it may be the public network that is full rather than your own pipe, so we check that before clearing.

We open the line at the gully trap or nearest inspection point, clear it with a drain machine and then run a camera along it. The footage shows whether a length has sagged, whether a joint has pulled apart or whether it was simply a build-up of paper and fat, and it is yours to keep for the council or your insurer. Abberley Park, St Albans Park and older gardens bring big trees close to some homes, so roots stay on the list.

Local tip: In the lower St Albans streets, avoid running the washing machine and dishwasher during a heavy downpour, because a surcharged public main can push water back towards the gully.

Blocked Drains in St Albans: Local Factors

On land that moved in 2010 and 2011 a drain can have sagged, cracked or pulled apart at a joint even where it was repaired afterwards. A dip holds waste and keeps blocking, so after clearing we look at the line on camera to see if it has settled.

For anything else, see our plumbers in St Albans.

How We Handle Blocked Drains in St Albans

If the blockage turns out to be on the public side of your St Albans boundary, we stop, show you the footage and tell you to report it to the council, rather than charging you for their pipe.

Pricing: quotes are free, and every job gets a fixed price before we start, so there are no surprises on the invoice.

Blocked Drains problem in St Albans?Describe it in chat and we will tell you what it likely needs, what it costs and when we can get there.

Blocked Drains Jobs We Do in St Albans

Tree roots in drain
Camera drain inspection
Blocked toilet
Slow shower drain
Blocked stormwater sump