Outside drain blocked. The water is still running but not draining away fast enough through the drain pipe. The plumber needs to unblock it before the rain gets in and causes internal problems.
How much will this cost?
It will depend on the severity of the blockage and the type of equipment that is available to you. It may include a rodding machine, jetter hose or even a high-pressure water jet. The price will also vary depending on if you require both an inside and outside drain unblocked by a professional plumber Romford.
Time and Process
Other factors that affect your final bill include the length of time the process takes and whether any additional services are required by yourself once work is done.
Two main reasons for a blocked outside drain are:
- Tree roots
- Buildup of dirt/mud
If these blockages can be cleared using rods etc., at a lower cost than replacing whole drains, they should be done. However, if your drainage system is old or constructed from many small diameter pipes that cannot be accessed easily by rods, it may need replacement instead of being repaired.
Sometimes tree roots find their way into drains over time, especially if the drain is too close to a tree. This only becomes apparent when it gets blocked or flooded, or there are other problems with the drainage system, then it’s time to call in a plumber.
When you phone up an emergency plumber and explain that your outside drain needs unblocking, you will need some additional quotes on top of your usual bill:
- How deep is the drain?
- Do you have any ladders/access equipment?
- What type of blockage is it? Tree roots, for example, may need rods, augers and outside drain cleaners.
- Is there anything underground such as new services which might get damaged or disturbed?
- Do we need access through buildings, doorways, etc.?
Prices
If you are looking online or in the phone book for services, some plumbers charge meagre rates (pound; 15 per hour) and others much higher (pound; 70 per hour).
The ones who demand more usually do so because they have their own vans with ladders etc.
- To make access easy.
- It can save you time by digging deep holes quickly (especially if it’s only tree roots).
- It has high-quality equipment which is very reliable (such as air-rotor drain rods, not water jetting, which tends to damage internal pipes causing them to fail again soon after).
- Can take longer doing less work without rushing it (so everything is done correctly) rather than shortcuts.
- Has many years’ experience in the trade and has a better reputation.
This makes its rates more sustainable when it has good equipment, takes longer but does not cut corners or rush jobs, so things go wrong later.
The cheaper services have no ladders etc. It cannot work without an expensive call-out fee which adds to your bill.
- Often use water jetting instead of precision rods, damaging pipes, causing them to fail quickly after.
- Uses cheap equipment that needs constant replacement (so this is passed onto you in higher call-out fees).
- Less experience in doing the job properly leads to poor quality repairs/workmanship, damaging your drains and further leading to future problems.
How Do They Unblock Outside Drain?
There are many ways to unblock an outside drain, including using rods and augers with high-pressure water jetting. The cheapest way is to use rods which are effective on most blockages except very severe ones, but the problem is it can be messy, smelly and time-consuming.
Plumbers are expensive because they are experienced at their job, so you get a much better service. If the drain cannot be cleaned out using this method, high-pressure water jetting may be used, which does cause damage to internal pipes if they cannot stand the power of this equipment.
If your plumber uses air-rotor rods instead, then no damage will occur to your drainage system.
If you have a blocked outside drain that needs unblocking by a plumber who works from its own van/equipment with ladders etc., to gain easy access, expect to pay around pound; 70-pound; 110 labour plus the cost of the rods.
If you have a drain that cannot be accessed by ladders or other equipment that needs to be accessed through other buildings, doors, etc., then expect to add another pound; 10 per hour on top of this extra work.
Plumbers who do not have their own vans/equipment and have to call while working will pass on added charges such as a call-out fee, transport costs and time spent travelling, so you can expect your bill to be higher.
If you use a company that does too many jobs in a hurry without doing its job correctly because it has little experience in the trade, they may do unnecessary damage to your drainage system, which will need further repairs at extra expense.
