Kingsbridge grew beside the head of a tidal estuary. Devon County Council is the lead local flood authority, but a blocked drain at home needs a drainage engineer. Ask the engineer to find the cause as well. However the job goes, keep any notes or photos you receive.
A blocked drain often shows up as slow water, a gurgle or a bad smell. The cause is often simple, such as grease, wipes or hair. Sometimes, however, it is a fault in the pipe itself, so ask the engineer about the cause as well as the symptom.
Kingsbridge grew beside the head of a tidal estuary. It was once two towns, Kingsbridge and Dodbrooke, and they united in 1893. Devon County Council is the lead local flood authority, while South West Water runs the sewers.
South West Water took over many private sewers on 1 October 2011. A drain that serves only your home is still yours to look after, up to your boundary. A shared pipe, however, or one past your boundary, may belong to the water company, so ask the engineer where the blockage sits.
Before work starts, ask the engineer how they plan to clear the pipe. Rods suit many soft blockages, while a water jet suits grease and scale. If the water stays slow afterwards, ask what they suggest next.
Tip for Kingsbridge: If your home is close to the water, mention it when you send a request. The engineer can then plan for wet ground. Small details help, because they narrow the search for the engineer.
Say which fixtures are slow and when the problem started. Photos can also help, but you do not need to take anything apart. The more detail you give, the easier it is for an engineer to quote, because they can plan the job.
Since every engineer sets their own terms, ask before work starts. These questions help you compare quotes fairly. Keep the answers, because they are easier to compare in writing.
That depends on the engineer who takes your job and how busy they are. You can send a request at any time, and you can mark it urgent. Ask for an arrival time when the engineer replies, because we cannot promise one.
The price depends on the blockage, the access and the method. Ask the engineer for a written quote before work starts. Also ask whether there is a call-out charge, since that varies between engineers.
Common causes are grease, wipes, hair, food waste and tree roots in older pipes. Property age and layout also matter, since older pipes crack more easily. A camera check can show the real cause if the blockage keeps coming back.
The same service is also listed for blocked drains in Ivybridge and blocked drains in Plympton. Each page has its own notes on drains and flooding, while the basic steps stay the same. You can read either one to compare.
For background, read the signs of a blocked drain. You can also browse all drainage pages for Kingsbridge or the blocked drains overview, since each one covers a different angle. Whichever page you choose, the request form at the top of this page stays the same.