We are a family-run firm covering London since 2013, with SW7 among the areas we attend most. That covers South Kensington and Knightsbridge.
What we cover in SW7
SW7 covers South Kensington and Knightsbridge, inside Kensington and Chelsea. Homes, flats and commercial premises are all covered, whatever the size of the job.
South Kensington and Knightsbridge have tall stucco terraces, museums and embassies, with extensive below-ground space. Deep basements discharging into nineteenth-century laterals are the local complication.
Common causes in SW7
What actually causes most of the work in SW7 follow a pattern:
- Fat and cooking oil poured down a kitchen sink, which cools and hardens inside the pipe
- Cleaning wipes, which stay intact in the drain
- Root growth entering through a cracked joint
- Soil and grit settling where the fall is shallow
Signs worth reporting
The symptoms worth reporting when you ring:
- Standing water in a yard gully when nothing is running
- Two or more fittings affected together, not just one
- Bubbling in the pan as another appliance drains
- A drain smell outside that is stronger in warm weather
How the visit works
Here is what happens when we attend:
- Check the chambers along the run to find where the flow stops
- Confirm whether the fault is inside your boundary
- Jet the restriction out 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:
- Stop using water in the property, including the washing machine and dishwasher
- Keep people and pets away from any standing waste water
- Clear access to the drain covers if you can
- Note which fittings are affected for the call
Who pays for the repair
On terraced and converted property, ownership is the first thing to settle. Pipework inside your boundary serving only your property is yours; past the boundary it is normally Thames Water. You get that in writing.
What it costs in SW7
Outside drain clearance is a fixed £144 plus VAT. You get a fixed figure rather than a running clock, which means a stubborn blockage costs what we said.