Blocked drain when raining

Enigma80

Hi all,

For while now we've been experiencing blocked drains, especially since it started to rain really heavily last year. Basically, whenever we drain the bath or have a shower the gutter overflows out onto the patio, but only when it's been raining for a few days.

I just had a shower and water wasn't draining properly from the bath tub and it's been raining for while over the past week and it's raining now as well.

All this has only happened over the past year, since last summer I think when it rained a lot. When it's dry for a while, we never experience any problems.

I've looked at the Severn Trent drain boundaries and they say as it's on our own property it's our responsibility.

Is this simply a case of having fork out for it ourselves to correct the problem or can we get help from elsewhere?

phill99

Why should you get 'help from elsewhere'? If your electrics were nit functioning correctly, would you ask the same question?

You need to get a plumber out.

lardlikesdogs

I guess you are taking about the gully overflowing into the garden, It may be blocked , wear some gloves and get your hand down it or put your hand in a plastic bag if you dont have gloves , This may solve the problem.

Enigma80

It's the drain where the guttering goes into and the waste pipes from the waste water (washing machine, sink, bath etc). It's got a fine grate covering it, which I've lifted, and looked inside, and I can't see or feel anything.

Obviously, if there was something stuck in there I'd have seen it been able to sort it out myself.

I was apprehensive of whose responsibility it was, i.e. whether problem is with the main drainage or whether it's with the plumbing on the property. I suppose it if overflowed constantly whether raining or not that I'd be quick to think it was something wrong with our plumbing perhaps. but seeing as it only happens during wet weather I thought maybe there's a fault further down the line?

I haven't a clue, hence why I'm asking.

lardlikesdogs

First port of call would be the gully and then the man hole , The gully might look fine but could have a layer of sand or soil in the bottom, If the gully is clear check the man hole to see if you can see any blockage , if clear put some water down the gully and see if it comes out in the man hole.

SailorSam

With you talking about the bath & shower, is it overflowing where it comes out of the bathroom ? Check the hopper hasn't got leaves blocking it. Same with the gutter, is that the one up by the roof ? Check that for leaves.
It may be able to drain with the normal water from the house but if partly blocked may not manage when you have a lot of rain.

JohnB47

If you've had a good furtle down in the gully and found nothing to cause a blockage, you need to work out where the flow from that gulley goes next. There will be an inspection chamber somewhere, with a metal cover over it. There may be more than one chamber. Find them all and remove the covers.

From what you describe, I would guess that you have a partial blockage in the u bend in one of the chambers - the one nearest the boundary of your property.

Check it out and get back to us.

Enigma80

Hi, the metal drain cover is in next doors garden. As I couldn't see or feel anything blocking it, I've used some drain-unblocking stuff and it seems to have reduced the blockage. After the recent rain we've had I can still see some standing water in there, usually it's dry all as far as the eye can see (the bend).

The only thing I can think of that might be causing the blockage is roots from weeds. I keep getting weeds up along the same wall at the edge of the patio, which I keep killing.