We have been clearing drains across London since 2013, and SW1 is inside our core coverage. That covers Westminster, Victoria, Pimlico and Belgravia.
What we cover in SW1
SW1 covers Westminster, Victoria, Pimlico and Belgravia, in the London Borough of City of Westminster. We work for householders and businesses alike in this area, from single blockages to full drainage installations.
Westminster, Victoria, Pimlico and Belgravia are largely stucco terraces and mansion blocks, much of it listed. Deep basements and lightwell gullies mean surface water and foul waste often meet in confined space below street level.
Common causes in SW1
The causes we see most often in SW1 are much the same year to year:
- Cooking fat washed into the kitchen waste, which solidifies as soon as it cools
- Wet wipes, which stay intact in the drain
- Root growth finding an open joint
- Soil and grit settling where the fall is shallow
Signs worth reporting
What to tell us on the call:
- Standing water in a yard gully long after use
- Two or more fittings affected together, rather than a single sink
- A glugging noise from a plughole when something else empties
- Foul odour around a chamber that worsens after rain
How the visit works
We diagnose before we clear:
- Check the chambers along the run to find where the flow stops
- Work out which side of the boundary the fault sits
- Clear the blockage with water jetting at a pressure suited to the pipe
- Prove the flow from every connected appliance before we finish
Before we arrive
Before the engineer arrives, there are two or three useful steps:
- Hold off on taps, showers and appliances, particularly appliances on a timer
- Move children and pets away from the affected area
- Make sure the chambers can be reached
- Note which fittings are affected for the call
Who pays for the repair
Whose pipe it is matters as much as what is in it. Most pipework beyond your boundary became the water company’s responsibility in 2011, which means a fault beyond your boundary is theirs to fix. We identify the location and are straight with you about it, even when that means we are not the ones doing the repair.
What it costs in SW1
Outside drain clearance is a fixed £144 plus VAT. We never charge for coming out, whatever the time. The price is confirmed before we start.