Why does this keep happening at Xmas...???

If you are in Scotland you might be familiar with East Kilbride (EK), a town on the south-west side of Glasgow. And, if you are familiar with EK you will also remember that mid-December to March-ish this year (2010) saw heaps of snow that one only had to look at and swear all the global-warming theorists had no clue. I am also sure they made a mental note to attend the next global-warming-theorist meeting with the sole purpose of challenging global-warming as there was record-level snowfall since records began, surely the world was getting colder, not warmer? And no, I am not one of these challengers but having seen the snow we had, I had my own doubts! And no, this writing is not about snow, no sir-ree, it's about the blocked drains that happened and gave the plumbers in Glasgow a very busy and profitable time. You see I have always prided myself as someone smart enough to see it when it's coming and sometimes even before it's coming but this situation left me asking why and how we could have had blocked drains in our flat. Deep down I was convinced it was the lady downstairs but since we share the same communal water and drainage system, we all had to foot the bill, paying oldman winter they told me. Needless to say, with all the Xmas gifts and January disease I was not happy about this and wanted to ask my plumber friend from Glasgow to pick his brain a little bit. He goes ''I want to be No.1 in the No.2 business. Your crap is my children's bread and butter.'' Like I said above, I consider myself a smart fella, but it was only after he told me the stuff below that it dawned on me wht that statement really meant. D-uh !

Drains block for a number of reasons. Blockages can occur from a variety of unnatural products flushed into the drain. There are a number of solutions that clear the drain-Rodding & Pressure Jetting.


His Top Tips On Drain Maintenance

If there is a problem with a blocked drainage system, it is important to know what may be causing the blockage. It may be a broken pipe, ingrowing tree roots or accumulated grease from a nearby restaurant.

Problems in drainage systems vary from rainwater ducts overflowing due to an accumulation of leaves or mud or other natural or man made materials. I am sure that we are all aware that it is only natural products that should be flushed away. You will be amazed at the items that I have found in drains.

The most common reasons for a drain or toilet blockages are obvious e.g. Too much toilet paper and foreign objects. Foreign objects that I have had the pleasure to unclog include children’s toys, loo fresheners that hang on the in-side of the bowl, sanitary towels, incontinence pads, paper hand towels, cigarettes, soap, toothbrushes, nappies, baby wipes and kitchen towels. If you know of any one flushing any of these items down the toilet, be sure to give them my number 0800 021 4011 or 0141 560 0134.

Traditional drain rods can be used to plunge the toilet or drain. This method is successful for the majority of blockages. When this method does not work other measures will need to be considered. This includes removal of the W.C. to allow for an examination of the waste pipe for foreign objects such as toilet fresheners (a plumbers friend). A plumbers' snake or Auger(wire) can also clear blockages from waste pipe work. If all of the previous methods fails High Pressure Jetting (H.P.J.)is a fail safe way to clear the most persistent of blockages. A jetter machine is connected to a water supply either by a common garden tap connection or via supply in the street. A nozzle at the hose end converts the water into laser cutting jets which strips deposits and scale from pipe walls, flushes out waste and restores the pipe bore to its full flow. During the jetting operation, the route the water takes must be watched closely and the jetting direction changed as necessary. Water Jetting units are ideal for cleaning soft stoppages such as grease and ice from drain pipes. They use a stream of high pressure water that hits the stoppage and flushes it away. The thrust of the jetter nozzle drives the hose down the pipe and the forward and sideways action of the jet cleans away the blockages completely.

Drain maintenance is extremely important for everyone’s well being. Here are a few things that can be done to ensure proper drain maintenance.

•For homes, ensure every member in the home knows what can and cannot be put down drains. This can stop further drainage problems.

•Drain maintenance is important, whether it is in commercial or domestic places, routine drain check-ups should be made. Look out for smelly surface water at the base of a drain pipe or surface drain. Be aware of waste taking longer than normal to drain or flush away.

•Should blockages occur, whoever notices it should make it known to those in charge or find a drain maintenance service to attend to the problem.

•Ensure drains are always kept clean and free of any debris that could cause it to get blocked. Fitting gutter and drain protection devices such as guards and covers will eliminate blockages from leaves and other debris.

Apart from the usual unblocking of drains, High Pressure Jetters can be used for a diverse range of applications including: clearing road gullies and gratings as installed on many commercial and retail sites which often become inoperative due to silt, etc. This equipment is also used with a lance attachment to provide high-pressure cleaning of walkways, forecourts, entrance areas, etc, which have become hazardous due to build up of natural deposits such as moss, etc. H.P.J. units are excellent at: Paint and limescale removal,

Graffiti, fly poster and chewing gum removal, Patio, drives, paving slab and concrete cleaning.

You have heard the saying “Where there’s muck there’s brass! I was cleaning out a drain when I noticed something glinting in the dirt. I picked up the gold coloured ring and the first thing that came into my head was ‘is this real gold! The only way that I knew how to test for gold was the teeth test. Ooops!