Isn't it amazing how many things people take for granted? Just have a look around the home, as an example. Everybody expects to have fresh, running water whenever they need it and also rely on this water disappearing just as quickly as it arrived, down the drain. However, sometimes things don't go as planned and this dirty water seems to stick around, like an unwanted guest. If you have a drainage problem and the cause is not fully obvious, what should you be looking for?

Is It Your Issue?

More often than not, the cause of a blocked drain can be traced to a location within the property. Remember, as a homeowner you are responsible for the drainage system until it reaches the periphery of your property, so you need to be prepared to do some investigation.

Where to Start

While it is certainly possible that movement or tree roots may have broken the exterior pipes, it's more likely that you have a blockage. Begin by having a look at an outside drain to see if debris, leaves and other "gunk" is causing the obstruction. Be aware, this can be a dirty job and you will need a certain number of tools in order to proceed.

Getting Access

Start by removing the drain cover itself. You may need a hammer, screwdriver, some fluid to loosen screws or bolts, or even a length of rope in order to pull the cover off with brute force. However, once you have removed it, you can determine whether the chamber itself is filled with dirty water. If this is the case, the blockage is after the chamber and if not, then the blockage will be above it.

How to Proceed

You will need some proprietary drain rods in order to try and dislodge whatever is blocking the system. Simply enter the rods into the chamber and keep moving forward or backwards until you can feel any obstruction. When you get there, turn the rods in a clockwise motion as you push gently against the obstruction. Plumbers will advise you not to be too aggressive here and don't try turning the rods backwards and forwards, as you could dislodge the pipe itself.

Once you feel that you have freed up the obstruction, try turning on the taps in the home and letting them run to push everything through. If the obstruction is stubborn, however, you can add some bleach or caustic soda to the mixture, but don't do this at the same time and try each solution independently.

One way or the other, this should help to free up the obstruction so that the water will run through without any problem. If you notice any of the debris in the drain chamber, then remove this before you replace the lid.

Getting the Experts to Do It

In an ideal world, this should have fixed the problem. However, if you're finding it difficult to access these drains or don't have any purpose made rods, then you are better off calling in a plumber instead.