With drainage systems there are many things that can go wrong from Drain Blockages, things falling down the drains and even Frozen Pipes.
There are however fairly simple solutions to many of these problems as explained below.
Identifying Drainage Problems
There may be a situation you can't solve your self but you can at least identify the drainage problems your self.
This will save time when the drainage engineer or plumber arrives, and if you can fix the problem yourself you can save time.
With drainage problems the first step is to actually identify the problem this is why we have a troubleshooting guide below that states what the problem may be from certain symptoms.
Below is a troubleshooting guide designed to help you determine what the problem is with your system. To find out about DIY Drainage Maintenance visit the DIY Maintenance page.
Problems with Toilet System Flushing
There are many reasons your toilet may not be flushing and obviously if it doesn't work properly after using a plunger then the problem lies further down the pipework.
There are tools you can get that are metal coils that can be pushed down into the drain. As the coils are so flexible they can be used down most types of drain.
If you can not find a blockage along the pipe then you may need to take away the bowl from the toilet and gain access to the main pipe line. This work is always advisably done by drainage professionals because of the toilet bowl being so fragile and the work having to be done correctly to avoid leaks or damage.
Frozen Pipes in Cold Weather
Frozen pipes is a fairly common drainage problem in areas with extremely cold weather and happens often to people that turn their thermostat down whilst on holiday.
This is because although there is still water in the pipes it is moving very slowly and is also at a fairly low temperature, so makes it easy for the ice to slowly build up causing a blockage.
There are several things you can do to tackle frozen pipes. One of the safest methods used is to wrap heat tape around the length of the pipes and leave for a period of around 24 hours for the pipes to fully un-freeze.
Overly Noisy Boilers
The main reason boilers become noisy is a build up of air in the system causing steam to build up and cause hot spots in the boiler.
When these hot spots become too hot they can sometimes make a loud bang which causes the boiler to be noisy. this caused by a lack of water running through the system.
Noisy boilers may also be caused by scale building up on the inside of the boiler. If this is the case then you can buy a boiler cleanser to feed into the expansion.
Professional Drainage Maintenance
There are many more drainage problems you can have with your plumbing and drainage systems so if you are unsure of what the problem is yourself you would be best to hire a professional to check over your drainage system for you.
You should hire a drainage professional if you know what the fault is but are unsure on how to fix the problem because if you don't do it correctly you can just cause more damage.