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If you can’t see a problem should you ignore it? It’s not always the case that your drains are going to reveal what sort of condition they’re actually in. Problems with drains and drainage may not present themselves so obviously, which is why the drain survey is so important.

There are two sides to this. One is diagnostic, where a drain survey will pinpoint the areas of your drainage system that are causing you problems. The other is knowledge-gathering. This is when a drain survey can help fulfil certain requirements regarding selling or buying a property.

What will a drain survey reveal? The survey will show what conditions the drains are in, including any long-term structural damages, mis-connections or blockages. The mapping of the system will show where manholes and inspection chambers are. The survey will clarify areas of drainage ownership – where the property owner’s responsibilities begin and end.

This kind of information is crucial, not only for homebuyers, but also for banks, mortgage lenders and insurance companies. Basically, the drain survey provides the right kind of information for a large number of interested parties. This may include the utility companies themselves, if certain structural weaknesses are revealed in areas of the system under their control.

Drain surveys normally stay valid for five years, so it’s also worth checking the last time you had one, because the condition of drains can change with the effects of new building work and general wear and tear.

It comes down to you making an active choice to be clear about your drains and what sort of condition they’re in. Modern drain surveys are minimally disruptive and cost effective. What you spend on a drain survey now may well save you money, and heartache, in the long run.

You don’t have to take needless risks on what you can’t easily see. Contact Drainage Consultants today and see how a professional drain survey could benefit you.

Sometimes drainage problems aren’t manmade. Nature can be the cause of drainage damage and when this occurs the consequences can be wide-ranging and significantly harmful. Trees are one of the biggest causes of blockages to drainage and sewage pipe networks. Tree roots can damage drains leading to blockages, leaks and, in some cases if left untreated, building subsidence.

Trees are attracted to drains. It’s a far from ideal match but the moisture from condensation on drainpipes, and sometimes leaking from joints, attracts roots. If there are excavations for building or drainage, these provide easier means for roots to burrow down towards pipework, following the course of the trenches originally dug to lay pipes.

Tree roots can enter the drain system through the pipe joints, or through cracks and fractures. At its worst, this sort of damage can mean major excavation to remedy the displacement of pipe joints or fracturing by tree root incursion.

In the UK, most drainage networks use clay pipes with sand and cement joints. Tree roots can get into this kind of pipework, ultimately reducing the diameter, or bore, of the pipe, and affecting the ability of the drainage system to perform the way it was designed to do. Or they can fracture the pipework leading to leaks.

Clearly, a drain survey is an essential prerequisite for certain properties if they are located near trees, or have trees included in their boundary. This might be a case of undertaking a survey for preventative measures. But a drain survey is also a crucial element when seeking to remedy drainage problems. Where preliminary excavation would be difficult without causing major disruption, the drain survey can provide many answers in advance.

It’s important for property owners to have the right means at their disposal to tackle drainage problems. Our drain survey can provide reassurance and indicate what action needs to be taken to safeguard the property against drainage damage caused by tree root incursion.

The public sewer is the pipe that carries wastewater from more than one property. Wastewater is foul or surface water. The public sewer is run and looked after by the local sewerage utilities company. However, if you have a new or existing property that requires connecting to the public sewer, this is work you need to arrange yourself. This is because the responsibility for this connection will lie within the boundary of your property.

Public sewer connections involve the kind of work that should be done by professional contractors who specialise in it. Once your chosen contractor has completed the work, you’ll need to apply for a Certificate of Satisfactory Inspection from the Water Authority. This involves them sending someone out to inspect and assess the work.

If this all sounds quite complicated you can rest assured that as a professional firm specialising in all aspects of drainage, we can carry out this work on your behalf. The crucial thing is that public sewer connections comply with the regulations laid down by the Water Authority, so that once you’re connected this can be approved and certified.

There are various methods we can use to make the connection, depending on how your property or site has been developed in relation to the existing public sewer. Sometimes we need to add an extra section of drain between your property and the public sewer, known as a lateral connection, usually if the sewer system runs beneath a road or land next to your location.

We may be required to use a Y-piece junction, or something called a saddle, which allows us to connect to a curved section of existing pipe. In short, we have a range of techniques and applications at our disposal to make sure that whatever your circumstances, we can complete the work to the highest standard.

If you’ve any questions, or indeed worries, about how to go about connecting to the public sewer, please give us a call. We’ll inspect your property, take you through exactly what’s needed, and take on the task of completing the work for you.

Contact Drainage Consultants today.

You might have the idea of a drainage investigation conjuring up nightmare images of disruption, of dug up driveways and large excavations blocking entrances. In fact, we can conduct a drainage investigation in such a way as to cause minimum disturbance to surroundings. It’s also worth noting that the investigation is actually more likely to reduce the chance of greater disruption later if it shows where there is deterioration before drainage damage gets too severe.

We’ve had plenty of experience in situations where either the drainage investigation has saved the day, or where initial investigations have indicated that we would require a particularly sensitive approach to solving a drainage problem.

Sometimes we can see the symptoms but the cause is a bit of a mystery. Things like persistent pools of water, and interior damp patches. These symptoms may come from hidden damage to drainage culverts, resulting in rainwater gathering and pooling, rather than draining away. This is an ideal opportunity for a CCTV drain survey. This kind of investigation is essentially non-invasive and allows us to gather vital information about the state of a drainage network before looking at any specific solutions. In some cases the drainage investigation will point us in a particular direction whereby we excavate to expose the deterioration, but with enough sensitivity to avoid further damage during this process.

Drainage investigations are like surgery for utilities, requiring a high level of precision work, employing state-of-the-art technology and experienced know-how to achieve the best results. We’re established problem-solvers when it comes to drains, and we’re sensitive to the surroundings in which we find ourselves working.

We’ve even excavated on holy ground, where we’ve been commissioned to provide fresh pipework. In this case, once our initial excavations had exposed the nature of where we were working, we consulted with the church and had on-site advice from a priest and an archaeologist.

It’s all about knowledge. It’s about getting the full picture in advance of taking any action. It’s also about exploration and explanation. Drain mapping is vital in uncovering what is otherwise hidden and in allowing for the accurate anticipation of what to expect when commencing any work with a likely impact on the drainage and sewer network.

The historical development of cartography stretches back in time from the Ancient Near East and Ancient Greece, the Roman Empire, the Medieval Mappa Mundi, through eras of exploration and expansion, right up to the present day, where the application of modern technology aids in the production of accurate cartographical material.

Well drain mapping might seem a little unglamorous and less significant in this context, but it’s about the same need to explore and know about an area in order to be able to get the best from it, including being forewarned of any difficult or challenging terrain.

Drain mapping is crucial when it comes to preparing for major refurbishments or building work that may be close by, or even on top of, sewer and drainage networks. Existing plans may be out of date, unclear or untraceable. Using CCTV survey data, drain mapping can bring a high degree of clarity to a situation and a level of technical accuracy that’s essential as part of any planning process.

So consider drain mapping as a branch of cartography, serving a similar desire to map accurately and in so doing, impose a sense of order. It’s an aid to progress and a vital tool in strategic preparation for development work.

We offer a full drain mapping service, incorporating schematic plans, a DVD of CCTV survey footage and comprehensive written records of what we’ve discovered, including manhole locations, water flow direction and the various connections in the drainage network.

When you’ve got blocked drains you want them unblocked as soon as possible. You want to get the problem sorted so you can resume your normal routine, be it at business or in the home.

It’s not unnatural for people to put things off, especially if they can live with the fault for the time being. We often find this with drainage issues, where the problem is only seen as such when it’s become so advanced that something has to be done about it urgently.

A CCTV drain survey won’t unblock your drains for you, but it can be crucial for detecting and diagnosing drainage problems. We understand that your focus is usually going to be on a cure for blocked drains and for immediate remedial action. However, sometimes the most important step is to investigate first.

What are the obstacles in the way of you getting a CCTV drain survey? If you think you have issues with your drainage, from funny smells to sluggish water movement, what are you waiting for?

Perhaps the idea of a CCTV drain survey simply sounds too expensive. But in fact drain surveys are a good, cost effective way of investigating your drains to find out exactly the problem is. If your drains have a blockage, or there has been general deterioration of your pipework, it’s by properly investigating the problem that we then go about solving it for you.

With a CCTV drain survey we can precisely assess what sort of condition your drains are in. It’s the thing that means we can get to the heart of the issue and accurate diagnose a drainage problem.

Sometimes symptoms may at first be little more than an inconvenience but any symptom if left undiagnosed is likely to grow into to something altogether more serious. The CCTV survey can reveal any weaknesses or problem areas that are likely to escalate, if left untreated, into a full-blown crisis.

If you’ve got any doubts about your drainage, don’t hesitate and contact Drainage Consultants today. You might just discover that having a CCTV drain survey now will save you a lot of pain and greater expense later.

A high level clean in Macclesfield.

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The nursery supplements it’s income by holding exhibitions in the greenhouses at this time of year however they were concerned that each time it rained the water leaked in from the silted valleys.

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We cleared 800 meters of silted valleys over a 4 day period.  Since the valley clean the greenhouses no longer flood when it rains and the nursery owners have been able to promote the exhibition knowing that flooding will not occur…

 

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So your driveway is quite new and you’ve had the experts in to fit it. It’s got drainage channels, it’s nice and level and, up to now, you’ve been really pleased with it. However, there’s been some typically poor British summer weather to contend with and this new puddle seems persistent, pooling on the driveway and refusing to drain away. And now you’re beginning to think it smells a bit off too.

Sometimes the symptoms of a drainage problem present themselves as more of an inconvenience than a crisis, a nagging reminder to you that all isn’t as it should be. But you shouldn’t be deceived by the irritation factor – any symptom if left undiagnosed is likely to lead to something more serious. Which is why CCTV drain surveys are so important.

The CCTV drain survey is the thing that allows us to get to the heart of the matter for an accurate diagnosis of a drainage problem. It’s efficient, economical and causes minimal disruption. Once we’ve investigated we’ll supply you with a comprehensive report including a DVD of the CCTV footage, so you can see exactly what it is we’re referring to.

There are several things that might be the cause of an unwanted, persistent pool of water on your driveway. It might be from defective pipes, an undetected blockage, the incursion of tree roots. The important thing is that once we know, and you know, then we can submit a quotation for remedial work to get the problem sorted out once and for all.

That inconvenient puddle might be an early warning of something being not right. Our CCTV drain survey will confirm things one way or another. But it’s not the end of the world if the news is bad, because we’ll have the right drainage solution for you.

Sometimes drainage problems aren’t manmade. Nature can be the cause of drainage damage and when this occurs the consequences can be wide-ranging and significantly harmful. Trees are one of the biggest causes of blockages to drainage and sewage pipe networks. Tree roots can damage drains leading to blockages, leaks and, in some cases if left untreated, building subsidence.

Trees are attracted to drains. It’s a far from ideal match but the moisture from condensation on drainpipes, and sometimes leaking from joints, attracts roots. If there are excavations for building or drainage, these provide easier means for roots to burrow down towards pipework, following the course of the trenches originally dug to lay pipes.

Tree roots can enter the drain system through the pipe joints, or through cracks and fractures. At its worst, this sort of damage can mean major excavation to remedy the displacement of pipe joints or fracturing by tree root incursion.

In the UK, most drainage networks use clay pipes with sand and cement joints. Tree roots can get into this kind of pipework, ultimately reducing the diameter, or bore, of the pipe, and affecting the ability of the drainage system to perform the way it was designed to do. Or they can fracture the pipework leading to leaks.

Clearly, a drain survey is an essential prerequisite for certain properties if they are located near trees, or have trees included in their boundary. This might be a case of undertaking a survey for preventative measures. But a drain survey is also a crucial element when seeking to remedy drainage problems. Where preliminary excavation would be difficult without causing major disruption, the drain survey can provide many answers in advance.

It’s important for property owners to have the right means at their disposal to tackle drainage problems. Our drain survey can provide reassurance and indicate what action needs to be taken to safeguard the property against drainage damage caused by tree root incursion.

A drain survey can be a key preventative measure taken to provide reassurance to property owners and insurers that a local drainage network is working as it should. It can also provide crucial information in the event of an insurance claim. Faulty drains require immediate repair or buildings risk mounting drainage problems, possibly leading to complete failure of the drainage system and subsidence.

Should the worst happen, if you’re a property owner you may in fact find that your existing buildings insurance covers the cost to repair or replace damaged drainage systems. Generally this cover will be valid if a drainage system has been regularly maintained.

However, you may also find the task of making a claim to be daunting, particularly with regard to any technical questions that can arise around drainage and drain failure.

In this light, a drain survey can prove to be an invaluable asset. It provides the right kind of information required to enable you to make a claim under buildings insurance. It will also give the insurer vital information to support the claim. A drain survey will locate trouble spots in drainage systems, including incursion from tree roots, or where the pipework has become degraded. It will also be able to pinpoint where blockages have occurred and what contributing factors there are to any damage.

Finally, the drain survey will assist in determining the right course of remedial action required to put things right. By referring to the collected survey data, including CCTV survey footage, we can then provide an accurate quotation for the repair or replacement work, again essential for your buildings insurance claim.

We can, if necessary, also provide a full subsidence report to insurers, in addition to a drain survey. Our services involve detection, diagnosis, preventative and remedial work. We’re here to maintain drainage systems and, should things go wrong, take the right course of action to get them fixed.

There’s a housing shortage and house prices in the UK are on the rise, and have been for some time. Buying a house is a bigger financial commitment than ever so making the right choice is critical. The homebuyer survey is a vital part of the house buying process and it’s there to make sure that the buyer knows exactly what condition a property is in prior to purchase.

CCTV drain surveys have increasingly become a vital part of the information supplied to homebuyers in advance of buying a property. There are some things regarding drains that you need to consider when buying a house. Firstly, where your responsibilities begin and end. A CCTV drain survey will make this clear. Secondly, the survey can reveal any weaknesses or problem areas that could have a bearing on the value of your home. These might include blockages, pipe deterioration and damage from tree root incursion.

Older properties may well have drainage weaknesses and issues, but this can also be true of new houses if they have badly laid drainage. Furthermore, in 2014 the UK had its wettest winter on record so it’s worth noting that a properly functioning drainage system is an essential defence against flooding. There is also the possibility that drains have been wrongly connected, or that leakage from drains is posing the threat of subsidence.

A pre-purchase CCTV drain survey might not seem an immediate priority if you’re a prospective house buyer, but depending on the area and the condition of the property, it may well be something you don’t want to exclude.

It always makes sense to be in full possession of the facts before you decide on any action and our CCTV drain surveys can provide you with vital information in advance of your decision whether to buy or not.

Plans are essential. Knowing where things are and how they’re likely to be affected by your actions is crucial when it comes to building and refurbishment work. The question then is, are your plans reliable? Are you confident that you have the most up to date version? Sometimes you might not even have the luxury of this answer, because the plans have been lost somewhere back in
the past.

If you’re planning a building or refurbishment project, drain mapping will give you the answers you need before you make any kind of important decision about what to do next. But what sort of things about your drains will you find out from drain mapping?

Typically, drain mapping will show the network of drain and sewer pipes, inspection chambers, manholes, flow direction and connections. It will reveal the diameter of drains, their condition and how watertight they are. You’ll be able to discover the depth of pipes and, if they are laid in shallow areas, whether or not they have received any damage as a result.

Any building extensions you’re considering shouldn’t be made over inspection chambers or manholes. You also need to be considering what diversion routes you can make available should there be a requirement for any future reconstruction of the sewer network, so that your building won’t be affected.

You should think of drain mapping as an essential planning element for your construction project. Our state of the art drain mapping technology involves CCTV drain surveying, which gives us an accurate picture of the drainage network from which we can produce a detailed report and schematic plans
for you.

We’re Drainage Consultants Ltd and we have years of professional experience in drain mapping and working with the construction sector to prepare for a wide range of construction and refurbishment projects. Contact us today to see how we can work with you to ensure you have all the necessary information on hand to plan and execute your work.

Drain tracing is a diagnostic tool for investigating the nature of drainage problems, particularly where there are issues around access. It’s an essential technique for information-gathering when the situation calls for prior knowledge of a drainage system before any remedial work can take place. Not all drain blockages are simple to detect, and in situations where extensive drainage repairs might disrupt other utilities or pipework, sonar drain tracing becomes a key component in our work.

Drain tracing involves us transmitting electrical pulses through the drainage network using specialist equipment. Our team above-ground then follows these transmissions with a receiver, enabling us to pick up on issues such as damaged drains or blockages, or expose specific features like concealed manholes.

Once we’ve completed the drain tracing, the data we’ve gathered is analysed and compiled, contributing to an accurate picture of the state of the particular drainage network. The drain tracing procedure is cost-effective in terms of both manpower and time spent. It gives us a necessary forewarning of any likely obstacles we’re likely to face when we’re planning drain repairs.

This also helps us to give you an accurate quote for the work we will need to undertake on your behalf. So while there is a cost involved in the drain tracing itself, ultimately it’s a money-saving device because it allows us to accurately predict what our overall costs will be and it contributes to our planning and preparation for the job in hand.

Here at Drainage Consultants Ltd we very much believe in using state of the art technology to diagnose drainage problems, contributing to the professionalism and efficiency of our work. We place these tools and procedures at the heart of what we do, vital to the essential services we provide to you, our customers.

For all and any drainage problems, please don’t hesitate to call Drainage Consultants Ltd today.

If one person in every five in the north west fries food at least three days a week, and if this involves fat being poured down the sink, then the potential for drain blockages is high. Utility companies answer a large number of callouts arising from congealed cooking fat blocking drains and the cost is huge, at least £20 million spent in the region annually.

Fat and grease from cooking starts to solidify as it cools down. Over time it coats the internal walls of pipes and chambers so reducing the internal bore, or diameter, of the drainage system. The more oil and fat put down the drain, the less efficient the drains are likely to become, which in turn means less oil and grease can be flushed away, so there is an ongoing cause and effect.

Large public sewers and drains will have to cope with oil and fat from restaurants, pubs and other food outlets. For domestic drains, their ability to work efficiently is hampered by fat gathering in the area beneath the sink and where the kitchen outlet meets the main drainage pipe.

A drain survey is crucial in diagnosing this kind of blockage, particularly in being able to detect the build up of fat and grease before it gets to the stage where cleaning it up is going to be time consuming and costly.

Where drainage is persistently slow, or blockages are frequent, a drain survey can reveal exactly the extent of the issue. Once the drainage system has been thoroughly examined, using sonar tracing and CCTV cameras, we can get a clear idea of where the blockages are and if there are any weaknesses in the system that are enabling them to occur.

There are steps you can take to avoid blockages from fat and grease, most obviously by limiting the amount of oil and fat you put down the drain, or avoiding doing it altogether. If, however, this advice comes too late, a drain survey will at least provide you with a proper diagnosis of your drainage problem and we will be able to recommend the best plan of action to have your drains fixed and working as they should.

In August a huge, 40ft sinkhole opened up on the Mancunian Way in central Manchester. It is likely to cause traffic disruption for months to come. The explanation for all this may be erosion from persistent and heavy rain. However, another common cause of sinkholes is deteriorating sewage or drainage pipes. In fact the two possibilities are intimately linked: increased rainfall can cause ground movement that in turn can damage drainage networks.

Sinkholes can open up close to extensive building developments because water runs off onto the surrounding land rather than soaking into rocks below. Another reason why a drain survey can be an essential tool in either the prevention or diagnosis of drainage problems.

The implications of drainage issues for householders and businesses can be severe. Obviously a 40ft sinkhole is a rather dramatic example, but drain blockages and collapsed sewer pipes are enough of a cause for concern. Even persistent drain clogging can be disruptive even if its effects aren’t immediately catastrophic.

Drains are an essential part of a working infrastructure and people expect them to work properly and efficiently on a day-to-day basis. Which is why it often comes as a shock when they don’t.

The drain survey is a crucial investigative tool when it comes to drains. Sonar drain tracing and CCTV cameras allow us to thoroughly inspect and assess a drainage network. We produce a comprehensive report from our findings, including a DVD of the CCTV footage. Where we’ve discovered deterioration or other drainage problems we then provide a clear set of recommendations in an action plan.

We can do all this with minimum environmental impact, providing you with crucial knowledge about your drainage network and pointing the way forward for whatever remedial action needs to be taken. It’s often worth taking steps now to prevent worse things happening later.

No one wants to be surprised by a sinkhole.

For many of us, dealing with temporary blockages to our drains is something we’re happy to take care of ourselves, from using a plunger to unscrewing the p-trap to clear out anything that’s settled and causing an obstruction. And we’re all familiar with commercially available drain unblocking products, the sort you pour down the sink and leave to do the unclogging for you.

But unfortunately there are going to be times when our efforts won’t be enough, when whatever it is that’s blocking the drains is persistent, hard to detect, and clearly isn’t going anywhere. Often the causes of a persistent blockage are the standard kinds of things, such as oil and fat clogging up the drains from the kitchen sink, or the wrong sort of stuff being flushed down the toilet. But the only way to uncover what’s really going on down there is with a CCTV drain survey.

The advantage of having a CCTV drain survey is that however murky, unpleasant and inaccessible your blocked drains appear to be, this technology will be able to expose the detail and help with a proper diagnosis of the problem.

You may baulk at the idea of commissioning a professional drain survey for what might appear to be a standard property issues, but it’s a real asset when it comes to dealing with persistent drain clogging. The CCTV drain survey is a very cost-effective way of finding out the root causes of drainage problems that can save you a lot of money and heartache in the long-term.

We use precision tools to locate defective areas and problems, employing sonar drain tracing and CCTV cameras that can access a range of different pipes. Once our engineers have completed the survey they will supply you with a full report and accompanying DVD of the CCTV footage. From this they will be able to come up with a personal plan for you in order to fix your drainage problems.

The drain survey isn’t a cure for blocked drains, but it is invaluable in enabling us to detect and diagnose a problem. Then we provide the cure. It’s an unfortunate fact of life that drain blockages are commonplace. Luckily, we have the technology and tools to be able to find out what the issue is in a quick, efficient and economical manner.

Why is this happening to me? That’s something we hear quite a lot. There are things that can happen over which you don’t have any control. For example, your pipe network may be old and deteriorating, unbeknownst to you. But there are common causes of blocked drains that you can at least look out for.

Your delicious Sunday roast could come back to haunt you. The clogging of drains by grease and fat is one of the most common causes of blockages. Fatty substances will stick to the inside of pipes, gradually building up over time until other liquid can’t get past.

Flushing unsuitable objects down the toilet is another common reason for blocked drains. Modern plumbing might offer the tempting prospect of making various things disappear conveniently, such as soap, sanitary items, cotton wool buds and wet wipes. But while these initially flush away, with persistent disposal, they may eventually build up, causing the drain to become blocked.

Outside a property there can also be problems. Stray leaves can block drains so it’s always worthwhile keeping your garden tidy and making sure leaves aren’t gathering at drain entrances or in gutters, particularly in Autumn. Trees can also damage drainage because their roots are naturally drawn to water sources, and can end up growing into pipe joints and cracking underground pipework.

If the worst does happen and you get a blocked drain, or if you think there is a problem due to poor drainage, bad smells or reduced water pressure, we can find out what the problem is with a CCTV drain survey. Where possible you should ensure that your drains are clear of obstacles and substances that could cause blockages, but you can also feel reassured that we’re here to offer our professional support and solutions.

Say you’ve got a project on the go, a major refurbishment or rebuild of an old building. Such work might be your speciality. And there can be various elements involved, from renovation to retrofitting. Obviously you’ll be going in with a project plan, and a clear idea of materials, milestones and sub-contractors. Being prepared is key, not only for what you know you’re planning to do, but also for what you might find when you start your work.

So how should drain mapping fit in with your project? If any part of your refurbishment involves building over drain or sewer pipes you should consider commissioning a thorough drainage investigation. While it’s true that existing plans may be available, you may find that these are not up to date and that subsequent changes made over time have not been recorded.

It’s important that you consider the implications of starting your work without the latest drain mapping information. It’s one thing to have costed out the project based on materials and man-hours, it’s quite another to then have to pay out for damage or disruption to existing utilities if something goes wrong. Furthermore, if your work is contracted to run to a tight schedule, consider also the kind of delays it might be subject to if you encounter difficulties with the local drainage or sewage network. Drain mapping is vital if you’re going to have all the necessary information in advance of beginning your building project.

Cost-effective and proven to be accurate, CCTV technology is used to survey drains and provide the kind of data from which to produce up to date drain mapping. This includes schematic plans and survey sheets, and the location details of inspection chambers and manhole covers.

In fact, in many instances, accurate drain mapping is essential for a contractor’s pre-qualification information when tendering for public sector building projects, in order to fulfil environmental regulations.

The evidence in favour of drain mapping is clear, just as the evidence from drain mapping itself provides clarity to contractors and is a clear benefit when it comes to project planning for refurbishments and rebuilds.

There are good smells and bad. There are smells associated with the home, like baking and freshly laundered sheets, and smells associated with work, such as fresh coffee. These have positive associations for most people. The smell of drains, however, is unpleasant and, importantly, suggests there may be a problem that requires some attention.

A persistent smell of drains within a property can have a number of causes, some more easily addressed than others. In the kitchen, for example, it may be a case of the pipe beneath the sink being blocked, and this can be remedied in a straightforward way, by unscrewing and cleaning out the p-trap.

But there are going to be times when the smell of drains is an indicator of a more extensive, and potentially serious, problem. Then it’s time to call in the experts and get a CCTV drain survey.

CCTV drain surveys are a cost effective way of investigating your drains to find out exactly what is causing the drains to smell. You could have a blockage, or there may be a general deterioration in your pipework whereby a pipe has collapsed over time. This might sound ominous, but it’s only by investigating the problem and bringing it to light that you can then think about solving it.

Our CCTV drain surveys allow us to precisely assess the condition of your drains. We’ll provide you with a full set of information including a DVD of the CCTV footage, a report and an action plan based on our findings. If there is deterioration in your drainage system, or any faults or blockages, our drain survey will find this out.

Uncovering unpleasant home, or work, truths can be painful, but once you know what’s causing the bad smell, you can rest assured that we’ll be able to take the necessary measures to put everything right for you.

Case Study 1:

Drainage Problem

Client owns large industrial estate in Manchester which suffers from flooding within the warehouse units during periods of heavy and prolonged rainfall. This results in downtime for business operators and insurance claims for the client. Drainage Consultants were asked to investigate and put forward a solution.

A CCTV survey was completed on a 750mm-diameter brick built culvert using a robotic camera system. The survey identified that the brick culvert was collapsing resulting in a significant cross sectional area loss, causing huge reductions in flow capability and flooding to the basement units.

Solution

Sonar Trace from a manhole 9 metres deep to the collapsing culvert approximately 30 metres upstream of the manhole. The area above the collapse was identified as being within a unit and close to a party wall. Following consultations with Surveyors and Engineers within the company a decision was made to submit a proposal to excavate within the unit to a depth of 9 metres to expose the collapsing culvert. The culvert had to be over pumped during this process and CCTV surveys had to be completed 4 times each day to ensure that works to expose the culvert did not cause the culvert to collapse completely before we had chance to repair it. Following the successful repair of the culvert, a UV cured liner was installed between 2 manholes at a distance of 64 metres.

CCTV is an emotive issue. We are living, we’re told, in a surveillance society, where the increasing use of CCTV technology could, in the future, change how we live and interact with each other in ways we haven’t anticipated. A former senior counter-terrorism officer has warned the government that there needs to be more transparency around the role of CCTV cameras in surveillance with privacy versus security very much a discussion point.

CCTV technology has its critics and its champions, but context is the key thing. The use of cameras for medical purposes, for example, has obvious advantages in terms of diagnosis, treatment and surgical intervention. Similarly, when it comes to utilities, CCTV provides a modern, technological solution to the old problem of how to investigate in difficult to access areas thoroughly, and safely.

The CCTV drain survey is a vital aid to drainage specialists in diagnosing drain problems and in gathering accurate data for drain mapping. Situations arise where digging to investigate is not an option, whether due to the sensitivity of buildings in close proximity or other location factors. This problem can then be resolved by choosing to use CCTV technology to find out what’s going on underground.

The use of CCTV will enable the drainage specialist to pinpoint any trouble spots and difficult areas, discover exactly what the extent of the drainage network is, and diagnose issues and problems. The survey is cost-effective and quick and it’s a crucial means of discovering in advance what the state your drains are in.

Mortgage lenders and banks frequently stipulate these surveys as an essential pre-condition before purchasing a property; such is their effectiveness in accurately ascertaining the condition of a drainage network.

In the ongoing debate about surveillance and how technology affects us all, spare a thought for those areas where it definitely makes a positive contribution. And if your drains are a worry to you, contact us today and we’ll investigate them thoroughly using the state of the art CCTV equipment at our disposal.

There are a number of tools at our disposal when it comes to drainage inspection and the detecting and diagnosing of drainage problems. Our methods have evolved and become both modernised and more streamlined. Where once we would have relied on drainage rods, now our kit includes CCTV cameras and sonar drain tracing equipment. The detective work is equally important as problem solving, and we have various ways of investigating drains in advance of working out what action to take.

Drain tracing is a vital part of what we do, enabling us to pinpoint with great accuracy the locations of defects and faults. We use it in conjunction with the CCTV drain survey, where we can take the data we’ve gathered there and focus on key trouble spots prior to any excavation work.

It’s crucial that we’re fully prepared and knowledgeable about any situation where we’re going to be working, and sonar drain tracing gives us an early warning about any tricky locations or issues around concealed manholes and collapsed pipes.

It works like this. Specialist drain tracing equipment sends electrical pulses down the drain network, via a transmitter placed in the drain. These sonar pulses can be followed by our team above ground using a receiver, enabling us to get a clear reading of what the network below ground is like.

The use of drain tracing technology is economical both in terms of saving us time and effort prior to starting any work, and in what it costs you the customer as the information gathered allows us to quote accurately and affordably for the work to be done.

Needless to say, the benefits overall are that we’re able to undertake and complete our work on your behalf with maximum efficiency, and you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing that we’ve done this using the very best, cutting edge equipment.

The first question is why have a drainage investigation? There could be a number of reasons: you might have found there to be something wrong with your drains, from them not working as you’d expect them to or smelling strongly; or you could be planning building work where you need to know the condition and location of pipework and sewers beforehand; or you may need a drainage investigation prior to getting mortgage approval.

Inspecting your drains can involve a number of different processes, each designed to shed particular light on the drainage network. These various methods complement one another and, depending on the location, each may be required in order to get a full picture of what is actually going on underground.

 A CCTV drain survey can reveal problem areas or weaknesses while minimising disruption to your property. This gives us the material for a thorough report and provides a health-check and diagnosis for your drains.

Sonar drain tracing uses specialist equipment to ‘read’ your drainage network using electrical pulses. This can uncover any tricky spots or weaknesses, allowing us to work out what action to take and how to take it.

Dye testing involves us releasing a colour dye into your drainpipe. This will highlight any potential drainage issues. It’s a swift and straightforward way of detecting or confirming problems such as leaking pipes. It’s also handy in situations where drainage networks are particularly complicated, or if existing plans of the system are old and out of date.

Drain mapping is essential for anyone planning building or refurbishment work in close proximity to, or over, existing drainage and sewer systems. We produce extensive, schematic plans from our CCTV survey data. We also include manhole survey sheets and a DVD of the CCTV drain survey footage.

Our professional drainage inspection can involve any or all of these aspects, depending on the size of the job or the nature of the problem. But we’re confident that in applying these investigative methods we can come up with the best, most cost effective solution to meet our customers’ requirements. We want you to feel confident in our ability to solve your problems.

The sort of things you might find out about your drains from a drain survey give a clear indication of why drain surveys are so important for the upkeep and maintenance of your drains.

If a building is near to large trees there can be root damage to pipe work. Sometimes there is significant tree root incursion into manholes, making them defective. Pipes may also come to be fractured, broken or displaced over time.

Typically, a drain survey will be able to pinpoint all these defects. It’s not always a case of responding to blockages; sometimes there will be no history of any blocked drains but a survey will uncover issues around leakage due to soil erosion. You may also need to know where main sewer pipes are located if you’re planning to extend a building.

Drain surveys are, then, an essential diagnostic tool and a crucial element in the planning aspects of building and refurbishment work.

What you get from your drain survey is a comprehensive, detailed analysis of the state of your drains. This will include a DVD of the CCTV drain survey footage, a full set of data sheets, a written report and a schematic plan detailing drainage pipework layout, numbered manhole locations and details regarding the direction of flow.

The drain survey is produced with the end-user in mind, so we try to keep it as straightforward and easy to understand as possible. We want you to be able to understand exactly what issues you may be facing with your drains so that you’ll be reassured when we tell you how we’re going to deal with them.

We’ll include these recommendations in your report, so that you’re clear what needs to be done and how we can accomplish it for you. Our drain survey may have uncovered a few things you didn’t expect, but the important thing is that we can then take action to get them fixed.

There are a number of tools at our disposal when it comes to drainage inspection and the detecting and diagnosing of drainage problems. Our methods have evolved and become both modernised and more streamlined. Where once we would have relied on drainage rods, now our kit includes CCTV cameras and sonar drain tracing equipment. The detective work is equally important as problem solving, and we have various ways of investigating drains in advance of working out what action to take.

Drain tracing is a vital part of what we do, enabling us to pinpoint with great accuracy the locations of defects and faults. We use it in conjunction with the CCTV drain survey, where we can take the data we’ve gathered there and focus on key trouble spots prior to any excavation work.

It’s crucial that we’re fully prepared and knowledgeable about any situation where we’re going to be working, and sonar drain tracing gives us an early warning about any tricky locations or issues around concealed manholes and collapsed pipes.

It works like this. Specialist drain tracing equipment sends electrical pulses down the drain network, via a transmitter placed in the drain. These sonar pulses can be followed by our team above ground using a receiver, enabling us to get a clear reading of what the network below ground is like.

The use of drain tracing technology is economical both in terms of saving us time and effort prior to starting any work, and in what it costs you the customer as the information gathered allows us to quote accurately and affordably for the work to be done.

Needless to say, the benefits overall are that we’re able to undertake and complete our work on your behalf with maximum efficiency, and you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing that we’ve done this using the very best, cutting edge equipment.

We all want peace of mind and drains are not where we want our surprises to come from. Knowledge is power, so the old quote goes, and it’s particularly true when it comes to drains and CCTV drain surveys.

Most likely you have a business plan, you have milestones and goals, projected turnover and profits to consider. Drains probably don’t normally figure in all of this.

But what if your drains aren’t working quite as they should? What sort of cost might this be to you if they end up in a bad state? What will the effects be on your staff and customers? In short, what could faulty drains end up costing you in business terms?

There’s nothing wrong with giving your drains a health check, and if you’ve already got your suspicions, then why take the risk? You might also consider that CCTV drain surveys are often a requirement from banks and mortgage companies for property purchases, so it’s not just us, it really is sound advice and good practice to get your drains looked at properly.

CCTV drain surveys are quick and efficient, and quite possibly a money, and business, saver. We go in with precision sonar drain tracing, we provide you with a full report and accompanying DVD of the footage, and we devise a personalised action plan for you, depending on what the report’s findings are.

The CCTV drain survey will give you a full drain mapping result and diagnosis, clearly showing where there is any deterioration, or weaknesses and faults within your drainage system. If you think you need one, are you willing to take the chance of not having one?

Remember, it’s better to know so you can take action sooner and save yourself a lot more trouble later.

Construction is a vital sector in our economy, and with building costs high and the recovery going fairly slow, builders need to minimise disruption to their work as much as possible when starting a new project. Location is key, and, crucially, an understanding of what builders will be building on or over.

This is where drain mapping and drain tracing become essential to building projects. Building over agreements are usually part of the approvals process when it comes to sewers so it’s important that contractors are aware of all the consequences when thinking ahead.

Often a firm is required to complete a pre-qualification questionnaire before it can become an approved contractor, particularly with regard to work being commissioned by local councils, and an accurate drainage report will need to be included. Time is also a crucial factor here: a huge amount of effort goes into planning building work, and a contractor’s ability to meet required milestones is essential, so any drainage investigation and consequent report needs to be turned around quickly and professionally.

Builders require precise integral reports and schematic plans of drainage systems and pipework. Effective drain mapping needs to include the location of drainage runs, details of pipework materials and any defects discovered, the size of pipework and any hidden connections.

Drainage Consultants Ltd has a huge amount of professional experience mapping and tracing drains, producing schematic plans to order along with survey sheets and a DVD of CCTV drain survey footage. We also include manhole survey sheets, giving details of all connection points and pipe diameters entering or leaving the manhole.

We understand how important it is to get these details right and to provide the kind of absolutely assured drainage information that builders can rely on and trust. Supply us with your site plans and we can quote quickly for any work that you require.

What are the business implications of having drains that don’t function properly, or become completely blocked? Whether you’re a business owner or a landlord, you could face a variety of serious and damaging consequences should drainage problems occur. It’s worth considering having your drains thoroughly inspected and a cost effective way of doing this is with a CCTV drain survey.

Having drains in poor condition can cause serious problems. If you run a customer-facing business you might have to shut it down while the drainage is being looked at – there are health and safety issues that might impact on you, resulting in unscheduled downtime. You might be putting your business premises in danger of flooding. Furthermore, if you’re a landlord you have obligations to your tenants regarding the condition of your property, and making sure the drains work, and that no one is going to be flooded out, is a very big one.

If you were feeling unwell you’d visit your doctor for a check up, and if there were signs of certain things being not quite right then the doctor would arrange to have tests done. It shouldn’t be any different for your property. If there’s any sign that your drains aren’t working as they should then the best thing you can do is to get them checked out.

A CCTV drain survey can reveal any weaknesses or problem areas and indicate how best to remedy them. This method minimises disruption to your property and becomes the basis for a thorough report and health-check for your drains. CCTV drain surveys are now an established industry-standard diagnostic tool and many banks and mortgage companies insist on them before granting loans for property purchases.

Don’t forget, early detection and diagnosis of a drainage problem, whether it’s a blocked drain or general pipe deterioration, will save you money and heartache in the long run.

Too often it’s a bit of a minefield trying to find reliable tradespeople and this is perhaps even more so for drainage repairs - these are potentially big jobs and you can’t even see the problem. When you’re looking at finding someone reliable for commercial drain repairs, the problem only gets larger, as you need someone to come out quickly, and fix any issues before you start to lose business.

You also need someone who will do an excellent job, who you can trust in and around your commercial premises, and someone who won’t overcharge so, where to start? Here are a few things to consider…

Personal Recommendations
A recommendation is a valuable tool in choosing a drain repair company. If previous businesses been happy with the job done, then you’re at least halfway there – even more so if recommended by two to three other companies. That way you know it’s not a fluke or a coincidence.

A really good company will also be happy to show you references and testimonials and will probably have a page on their website dedicated to just that here at Drainage Consultants Ltd will cover all these reassurances.

Also useful are ‘recommended tradespeople’ websites. These CAN be helpful BUT beware - companies usually have to pay for the privilege of being recommended, either to join the site in the first place or by bidding for the jobs that are posted, so many companies simply decide against getting involved.

Local Reputation
A company based in your local area, established for many years and with a good local reputation is DEFINITELY doing something right. If that company also offers nationwide coverage you know they have an excellent reputation. What this also means for you is that they will not compromise that hard-earned reputation by doing a shoddy job.

Superb Customer Service and quick response
Allied to recommendations and reputation, and easy to check from your initial enquiry – do they get back to you quickly? Politely? When can they come to survey and quote? Do they have a call out service? Do they know how important quick response is when it comes to commercial premises? Are they discreet? And do they have a policy for complaints and problems? After all, customer service is as much about how they react if things go wrong as getting it right in the first place…

Experienced Staff and Professional Accreditations
Speaks for itself. The businesses website and/or company literature should show this very clearly – after all, they’ll be proud to display it. If there’s no mention of qualified and/or experienced staff, or accreditation, be wary and dig deeper. Also ensure you check whether they’ve done commercial work before. Your handy drainage guy that did your best friend’s home is not necessarily the person you’d hire to perform complicated drain repairs to commercial premises.

Price
Price is NOT the be-all-and-end-all. Expertise and experience do cost – why would they not? However, you don’t want to pay over the odds – you have your company budget to think of too, so what you need is competitive and reasonable pricing for a job done well, and quickly too, to save you losing business down to drainage problems.

Remembering all of the factors above when choosing drainage repair companies for your commercial premises will ensure you get the right people for the job at hand, giving you peace of mind that there’s someone to call if things go wrong.

In commercial buildings, it’s vital that you keep on top of your maintenance, and If you are currently dealing with problems in your building’s drains or if you’d just like to avoid one in the future, a drain or sewer survey is a fast and accurate way to get an instant look at the condition of your building’s drain. Drainage problems that are left unrepaired or unnoticed can cost literally hundreds of pounds to fix, and can cause immeasurable problems with staff and customers, especially when they start to smell. Having a CCTV drainage survey can determine both current and potential drainage issues that will save you money in the long run.

Prevention

The best way to repair a problem is to catch it before it gets out of hand. This is easy when you’re dealing with elements of your commercial property that are in plain view. Pipes have an easily visible exterior, after that, everything is a mystery, as there’s no insight into any issues that could be happening within the drains. Your pipes are not only hidden in the walls, basements or crawlspaces, they’re also run below and well past your building’s structure, which is why most people are not aware of any drainage issues until the problem is large enough to noticeably affect the drainage, often with a pretty unpleasant smell to boot.

Drain blockages rarely happen overnight, and are usually down to problems that progress over time. A CCTV drainage survey can catch these blockages long before they get out of hand and become an extremely costly repair, both in terms of expense to fix and lost business as customers cannot use your facilities.

Problems related to blocked drains

A blocked drain can cause numerous problems to your commercial property as well as your staff and customers’ health. Usually considered a product of a structural problem or as a result of water resurgence issues, a blocked drain can easily and quickly turn into a nightmare for a commercial property owner, and the worse it gets the more money it will cost.

Health risks of standing drainage water

One of the most common issues that will arise from a blocked drain is contaminated water. Contaminated water that’s left standing, is a breeding ground for bacteria in the form of legionella, which will thrive in contaminated waters that lay still in a blocked drain.

Standing water in a blocked drain also needs very little time before it can begin to emanate an unpleasant or offensive odour, which can be extremely difficult to deal with, not to mention the various health issues this can cause for you, your staff and customers. Business owners can also be affected financially as a result of a foul smell related to standing water in drainpipes, as it will repel customers from the property.

Benefits of a CCTV drain survey

CCTV drainage surveys use closed circuit television technology to get a clear and precise view of the state of your drains. A plumber or drainage specialist will install a camera in the piping network and the images captured by the camera are then viewed on a large screen device to allow the plumber or specialist the opportunity to closely monitor the blocked area within your pipes. This will provide the plumber or drainage specialist with an in depth view of the situation, to help them to determine the most efficient solution for your drainage problems. You can request a CCTV drain survey from any good drainage company.

Get detailed knowledge on your new property’s drainage

Pre-sale commercial property inspections will give you only a general idea of your new building’s current or potential issues. Hiring a professional to conduct a CCTV drainage survey will give you a clear understanding of the state of the building’s drain pipes, which can be especially helpful for commercial property developers who are planning to add additional plumbing to the property and want to avoid any unexpected drainage issues during renovations.