Floating Drones for Drains

How Anglian Water’s Draincare partnership will be using floating drones for Grimsby’s sewers

Floating drones image by NH (via Shutterstock).
“I don’t care whose it is, It’s floating!” In this case we should. What is there not to like about the use of floating drones to inspect our sewers? Apart from an innovative way of identifying problems, fewer road closures and temporary traffic lights are priceless. Image by NH (via Shutterstock).

Ever been annoyed each time you see a set of temporary traffic lights? On some occasions they could be working on the drains. This job usually requires a degree of manpower and inspecting the sewers could be an arduous and smelly one. In Grimsby, Anglian Water’s Draincare have got a marvellous plan up their sleeve: floating drones.

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What is a Fatberg?

(Above: Photo of a Fatberg – source: Wikipedia)

How is a fatberg formed and why do they cause so much disruption to the sewerage system?

A fatberg is a nasty piece of work. It is the accumulation of fat that has built up inside a sewer. This is caused by the flushing of vegetable and animal fats, sanitary items, and wet wipes. Whereas bog-standard toilet paper can break down, wet wipes and sanitary items cannot. If you flushed a bit of vegetable oil down the sink, it will create an iceberg style clump of fat, floating in the sewer itself. Instead of polar bears, you get rats, the odd cotton bud and the remains of one’s takeaway.

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Me and My Girl, Drain Spotting

How a drain spotting photographer is shaming Cornwall’s blocked drains

Blocked drain image by Liz Boynton.
Whether in the street or at home, a blocked drain can be an annoyance. Image by Liz Boynton (via Shutterstock).

Choose clear drains, refrain from pouring fat down the sink, forget flushing ear buds down the toilet… ah yes, but there’s always somebody somewhere doing the opposite. Somebody who has brazenly poured fat down the sink and – in due process – it had joined several fatbergs in one of Bazelgette’s finest creations.

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The Most Common Causes of Drain Blockage

Drainage specialists in London

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What to do with a Drainage Emergency

Many people have had a blocked drain emergency London wide, and with the leaf fall from autumn now being compounded by the cold, frost, snow, rain and ice of winter many people are finding themselves with an emergency blocked drain London wide. A blocked drain problem can range from slow drainage all the way through to a complete blockage. The cold weather means that sitting water will freeze quickly, making a bad situation even worse. It is for this reason that in the winter it is more important to resolve any problem with your drainage as quickly as possible without delay, to avoid accidents caused by the ice and making the drainage issue even harder to fix.

People with a blocked drain emergency London wide have been using our drain unblocking specialists for some time now, in part due to our reputation for having a fast response time, and in part because the level of efficiency that we offer. Blocked drains are unpleasant and smelly, as well as a massive inconvenience, and by having a rapid response time, we can identify the underlying cause of the blockage as soon as possible, making it easier to fix. Being quick to respond also reduces the level of inconvenience to yourself, and means your schedule is as uninterrupted as possible.

Our reputation for efficiency comes from knowing the various kinds of blocked drain issues it is possible to have and the best ways to overcome them. Some simple blockages can be moved with high pressure jets, blasted down your drainage system to dislodge the blockage. Other more serious issue such as tree roots can be removed by long handled cutting equipment which means that any backlog can then move along. We diagnose the problem before trying to fix it with state of the art CCTV systems designed especially for drainage systems. By diagnosing the problem first we can ensure we are using the correct method to fix it, and reduce the risk of doing further damage.

If you have an emergency blocked drain London wide, give us a call for an impressively quick response, as well as the peace of mind that comes with using a company with a great track record for reliability and efficiency.

Factors Which Lead to Blocked Drains

There are a number of factors that lead to blocked drains London wide. London is a densely populated city and with that many people in one area there are bound to be systems that cannot cope with the volume of usage. The drainage system is, on occasion, one of them. Each season brings a different problem that can lead to blocked drains in London. There are, however, precautions and steps that you can take to prevent the inconvenience that blocked drains can bring.

In the spring and summer, people are making use of the warmer weather whenever it’s not raining, and spending a lot more time outside. This can lead to an increase in litter such as food wrappings which can easily get stuck in drains and cause a backup. In the warmer seasons people also need to carry out a lot more garden work and mow the lawn more frequently. Despite garden waste bins often being provided, many people believe that garden waste will break down quickly and don’t dispose of their waste responsibly, but a built up of grass and weeds in gutters and drains can easily lead to a blockage. You can prevent blocked drains in London by ensuring that you are disposing of your rubbish and garden waste effectively.

In the colder seasons of autumn and winter the buildup of leaves is an inevitable problem. Gutters can become clogged with leaves and the weight of rain will just force them down the drain. When the temperature drops the ice and frost can make these leaves practically solid. By clearing your guttering regularly you can prevent this inconvenience in the colder weather.

Since the smoking ban, the buildup of cigarette butts has become a problem all year around, causing difficulties and blocked drains London wide. By ensuring anyone in your household doesn’t casually discard their used cigarettes you can contribute to stopping the problem, and requesting that any of the local businesses such as pubs or restaurants provide an easy way of customers to dispose of their cigarette butts.

Blocked drains can be an inconvenience but by taking some small steps you can prevent problems no matter what time of year it is preventing a potentially costly drain unblocking service in London.

How to Fix your Drain

A slightly unnerving statistic is that according to MP David Davis, there is approximately one CCTV camera to every fourteen people in the London area. This amounts to a grand total of 422,000! CCTV helps combat some of London’s biggest problems, as it is useful for reducing crime and prosecuting offenders, as well as monitoring traffic congestion and accidents. CCTV also plays a big part in one of London’s other problems, drainage. There are constantly problems with blocked drains London wide, with natural blockages, tree roots and build ups of litter.

Every drainage problem is different and it is only by diagnosing the cause of the problem that the blockage can be dealt with time and cost effectively, as well as comprehensively enough to prevent the problem from reoccurring.We have used state of the art CCTV technology for years now, as an efficient way of identifying the causes of blockages, as well as checking for potential future problems such as damaged pipes and drains.

By finding out the kind of blockage you have, we can use the best tool for the job; whether that be one of our high pressure water jets, or mechanical equipment such as blades and cutters attached to flexible steel cables. Using the correct equipment for our Drain Unblocking service in London also means there is little risk of causing any further damage.

CCTV is less invasive and messy then digging up drains, and as it is more time efficient, it is more cost effective. If you have a problem with blocked drains in London, or you would just like your system checked for possible future problems, give us a call for a competitive quote from trained drainage professionals.