Many common blockages to drain systems can be identified using a drain camera survey. Slow drains and recurring blockages can be frustrating but what is causing them to occur is often not immediately apparent.
Fat and Grease Build-Up
Solidified fat poured down the sink after being heated up in cooking poured down the sink solidifying on the walls of the pipes to slowly erode away. These images show a thick pale coloured blockage that in time will close a pipe solid.
Displaced Joints Trapping Debris
Displaced Joints Trapping Debris – Older clay pipes move over time. Some joints can end up being only a few mm out of line. These ‘ledges’ can trap a host of items including wet wipes, grit and other solids that a drain rod cannot shift properly.
Root Ingress
This typically occurs where moisture enters the soil through hairline cracks in the pipe and the roots of trees and shrubs grow within the pipe to trap waste products. Why is root ingress to sewer systems one of the most persistent causes of blockages? This is explained by understanding how the blockage has formed.
Collapsed Pipe Sections
Age and soil weight can cause pipes to collapse partially. The extent of collapse and the position can be determined from the CCTV images, enabling the engineer to decide whether to attempt a patch repair or whether the whole section needs to be replaced.
Silt Accumulation
The sludge settles in low-lying sections of a drain. Typically it is found in old residential drains and is formed in low points and sags in the pipework. CCTV drain survey Birmingham conducted by experienced drain engineers will typically locate silt in these types of areas.For more on this visit www.wilkinson-env.co.uk/drainage-services-cctv-surveys-midlands/cctv-drain-surveys/birmingham
Foreign Objects
Items such as children’s toys, and sanitary wear, can blockage sewers as well as large amounts of building debris being poured down drains after building work.
Knowing the cause of a blockage and the exact location of a problem will help prevent unnecessary work and save money in the long run.
