Drain surveys in SW1 have a habit of happening at the worst time. Someone answers whatever time you call covering Westminster, Victoria, Pimlico and Belgravia, with fixed prices confirmed before any work starts.
What we cover in SW1
The area we cover in SW1 runs across Westminster, Victoria, Pimlico and Belgravia, within City of Westminster. Because we cover the neighbouring postcodes too, we can deal with both ends of a shared run.
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 recurring problems in SW1 follow a pattern:
- A run that blocks again within weeks, which points to a fault in the pipe
- A property being bought, where the drainage condition is unknown
- An insurance claim needing documented evidence
- A structure going over the drain line, so the pipe has to be found before digging
Signs worth reporting
What you are likely to be seeing in SW1:
- Water standing in an outside gully hours after the last discharge
- Several fittings draining slowly at once, which points at the shared run
- Bubbling in the pan when something else empties
- A drain smell outside that is stronger in warm weather
How the visit works
The process is the same whatever the address, so nothing turns into an open-ended bill:
- Flush the run so the camera can read the pipe
- Run the camera through the full length
- Record where each defect sits, and how deep
- Hand over the recording with a written report
Before we arrive
Before the engineer arrives, there are two or three useful steps:
- Keep water use to nothing, including the washing machine and dishwasher
- Cordon off contaminated ground
- Make sure the chambers can be reached
- Note which fittings are affected when you ring
Who pays for the repair
A blockage is not automatically your bill. Shared drains and laterals transferred to the water company in England in 2011, so a fault out in the road is not yours to fund. 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
A CCTV drain survey is a fixed £300 plus VAT, footage and written summary included. No call-out fee applies, day or night. The price is confirmed before we start.