Many people won’t give a second thought about where the water goes when it’s flushed down the drains. It’s simply not something we ever learn about or get taught explicitly, but it can be interesting to learn where it goes, how it makes it back into rivers and how you can help the process too.

 

There are many stages involved in getting wastewater back into a usable, clean state, and you might be surprised at just how much effort is involved in transforming what you put down your drains.

FLUSHED AWAY

At the very beginning of the process, the water which you put down your drains and flushed down your toilet is led out of the property into a much larger sewer pipe under your road. All of these pipes are networked together, but some require additional pumping to get the waste moving away.

SCREENING & FILTERING

Clearly your waste water cannot simply be led back to open water sources as it is, it requires filtering, which is why there are screening plants in place. This helps to remove all sorts of things from your waste water – including the things which people shouldn’t be putting down their drain, such as face wipes and nappies. Once all of these things are removed, the grit present in the water is also removed using dedicated equipment.

PRIMARY TREATMENT

Although a lot of the solids will have been removed from the water there will still be some human waste present, and that’s what the next stage is aimed at dealing with. Put into settlement tanks, the water is left to settle, allowing the solid particles to drift to the bottom where it collects into a sludge. This material is pumped away while the  rest of the water passes over the top of the settlement tank.

SECONDARY TREATMENT

While the majority of the large particles have been taken out in previous phases, the secondary stage is aimed at removing the bugs and smaller particles which might not be visible to the naked eye.

At this stage the water is pumped with air to break down bugs, making good bacteria eat the bad, cleaning the water until all the bad bugs are gone.

FINAL STAGE

Before the water can be put back into rivers it has to go through one final stage, this is yet another settlement tank phase. This time the good bacteria are left to settle, leaving behind clear water. If this does not clean the water to the right level then additional phases can be added, such as putting the water through sand, to filter it further.

Our drains and sewer systems are mostly out of sight and usually out of mind. We view them as a convenient place to pour the things we don’t want but they are not the indestructible waste chutes we think them to be. There are some items which will damage your drainage system, either blocking it, breaking it or simply making it less efficient at what it should do.

In this article we’re going to list the things you definitely shouldn’t be putting down your kitchen sink or flushing away in your toilet.

#1 Nappies

Like so many of the items you’ll see on this list it should be pretty obvious why you can’t flush these away. So many people treat the toilet as the ultimate waste disposal, but being super absorbent and hard to break down means you’re almost certain to block the toilet with nappies – use a dedicated nappy bin instead.

#2 Medicine

While medicine won’t block your toilet or drain – unless you’re flushing a lot of it all in one go – it can be dangerous for the water supply in general. Dangerous chemicals and compounds are present which could alter the water supply and pose a health hazard if enough people flush enough away.

#3 Oils and Fats

Cooking oils and fats should never be poured away in large quantities, your drains will eventually become clogged with congealed materials. Just look up the London Fatberg to see how badly things can end.

#4 Wipes

A trend had emerged in the last few years, with wipes companies claiming that their wipes can be flushed and will be broken up. However, this isn’t always true and therefore you should probably avoid flushing any wipes to prevent blockages.

#5 Hair

Cutting your hair at home? Or simply removing chunks of hair from hair brushes? Wherever you’re getting hair from you should think twice before flushing it away. Hair is a great tangling material and will catch lots of other waste, creating a nasty blockage if you flush enough of it away.

#6 Condoms

You should probably be taught this in school in Sex Education classes but if you weren’t aware already: condoms can’t be flushed easily. They’re essentially a balloon and even if you think it’s flushed it may reappear at a later stage when you have to have a blockage fished out of the system.

#7 Feminine Hygiene Products

Once again, these are items which are absorbent as well as hard to break down, therefore they cannot be flushed. You should keep a small bin for such items to dispose of them discreetly instead, avoiding creating blockages.

#8 Coffee Grinds

If you like to make your coffee the classic way then you’ll probably have dealt with disposing of coffee grinds, and while it might seem easy to pour them down the kitchen sink you should avoid doing so at all costs. The grounds will simply compact and block your pipes if you try to pour enough of them away.

#9 Egg Shells

It’s advised that you don’t put any food down your kitchen drain but eggshells are among the top offenders here. While they might seem fragile they won’t be broken down if they settle in your pipes and they could create a barrier in your pipes.

#10 Paint

Washing brushes off in your is fine, but if you have large quantities of excess paint to dispose of then you should never pour them away down your drains. Most paints contain harmful toxins and chemicals which will disrupt the local water balance and can pose problems for the local environment.

 

At 1st Call Drain Clearance we can help clear your drains and sewer system regardless of what’s blocking them. Contact us today to arrange for drain jetting or a CCTV drain survey to locate your block drain issue.

The humble toilet is the quiet hero of the home, offering a way to quickly, cleanly and discreetly dispose of human waste – without them we’d have some serious issues. Despite being such a vital part of the home the toilet is not indestructible. There are plenty of perplexing ways in which your toilet can develop a fault, leaving you in something of a bind.

While most situations will warrant a visit from a trusted, qualified technician, it’s always helpful to know what is going wrong in your toilet when a fault develops. Take a look at some of the most common toilet faults to quickly identify your fault.

MY TOILET IS RUNNING CONSTANTLY

If you can hear your toilet constantly filling and running then this would indicate that your float valve in the cistern is not giving the signal for the water inlet to shut off. The floating arm needs to rise to a certain point for the water to shut off or you will be constantly wasting water and running up your bills.

Another reason your toilet might constantly be running is if your flapper valve – the area which lets water out of the cistern and into the bowl – is damaged. If you can assess which of these problems you have that is great – but don’t worry if you can’t or if you’re unsure as a plumber will be able to check this out for you.

MY TOILET IS BLOCKED AND WON’T DRAIN

Most people will have come across this particular problem before, with something blocking the bowl from draining. If this is an issue with too much waste, toilet paper or inappropriate items being flushed you should be able to dislodge the blockage yourself with a plunger or toilet snake apparatus. However, if the issue seems to be compounded across your property then your drains outside could be blocked and this will require professional drain unblocking. A CCTV survey can help to locate the blockage while drain jetting is one service which can clear out your drains.

MY TOILET HAS A WEAK FLUSH

More often than not, a toilet will have a weak flush because the cistern isn’t filling up with enough water to clean the bowl. There could be several reasons for this, from blockages in the water ports in your bowl which are easily cleaned, to issues with your floating arm or the chain to the flapper valve – the latter of which might prove slightly more complicated. If you think your flapper or floating arm are damaged and are preventing the tank from filling you may need replacement parts.

WATER IS LEAKING FROM THE TANK TO MY FLOOR

Should you discover water on your floor you will need to act quickly to prevent the problem escalating. The water could actually be coming from several places, including your tank, so it is always best to get the opinion of an expert before you attempt to take apart your toilet. Whether it’s a loose water connection or a leak in the base of your toilet, a professional will be able to assess this is you can’t find the source of the leak to prevent it yourself.

Water is one of the purest things you can think of. It makes up such a large percentage of our body and we need it so desperately that we can barely go a day without it. But what you might not realise is that it isn’t simply H2O – there are many other things you might find in your water. Some of these things occur naturally depending on where your water is sourced from, and some are added  for health reasons. Very rarely are there any harmful elements added to our water, so let’s take a look at the most common things you might find.

Chlorine

More commonly associated with swimming pools, chlorine is actually added in the slightest amounts to our water supply as a disinfectant, it ensures we are protected against diseases such as E. coli. The levels of chlorine are so low in our water that you won’t even notice it.

Lithium

Lithium is not something many people will be familiar with, so to learn that it  is being put into some water supplies might be shocking. However, this is not a bad thing, since the low levels being added are actually thought to provide a health benefit. The right dosage of lithium is said to be a good mood balancer and research in other countries revealed a drop in suicide rates because of lithium.

Fluoride

One of the more commonly read about chemicals added to our water is fluoride. Fluoride is great for our teeth and enamel and actually occurs naturally in many parts of the country. Only a small number of water companies add this chemical to our water.

Aluminium Sulphate

We often think of water as being crystal clear, but given the natural sources it usually comes from it may not always be devoid of foreign particles. Aluminium sulphate forces these minute particles to coalesce and sink to the bottom of the container to be filtered out. This chemical is usually filtered out but you may find extremely small, harmless doses in some cases.

Calcium

Calcium is more commonly associated with milk and how it can benefit our bones. This isn’t a chemical you’ll find in all water supplies, but it will show up on those where the natural source has flowed through limestone or chalk. There is no harm in having small amounts of natural calcium in your water.

Iron

There are two reasons you might find iron in your water, one is because it can occur naturally in our water sources (though it should have been filtered out), the other is from the water flowing through ironworks underground.

Copper & Zinc

These two elements are found less and less in our water supply but are often present because of the domestic pipelines in our streets and in our homes.

Manganese

Manganese is a useful element to have in our diet so it’s handy that it can sometimes find a way into the water supply naturally. Sometimes it might also be present because of cast iron waterworks underground.

Autumn is upon us and with it comes the array of reds, yellows, oranges and browns of the falling leaves. It’s picturesque, postcard stuff as the leaves tumble to the ground and colour the landscape. There is however, one potentially detrimental impact these leaves can have on your life – namely the blocking of your drains.

Your drains are vital to your home or business because they carry waste water away from you home. Even a single blockage could cause unwanted issues, but a seriously blocked system could force water back out, flooding the surrounding area (a danger in and of itself) or backing up your systems indoors. With this in mind, we’ve got a few ways for you to defend against autumn leaves this year.

Get Messy

One of the simplest solutions to this seasonal issue is, unfortunately, to simply muck in. All the soggy leaves clogging your drains can be pulled away and thrown in your garden waste bin. Get some hardy gloves – and possibly a shovel if there are lots of places you need to dig out – and ensure the drains on your property are clear. This might need to be repeated if you live in an area with a lots of different trees.

Vacuum

When we say you can vacuum your drains we don’t mean by using your household vacuum. There are special vacuums which you can use outdoors to suck up debris and leaves. You can use this to pull any mass of leaves out of your drain openings to leave them clear once more. This isn’t a cheap device to buy so you may want to hire one instead.

Drain Guards

One of the best ways to avoid pulling clogs of leaves out of your drains is to take preventative steps. There is no better way of doing this than getting some quality drain guards. These come in various shapes, sizes and materials but all perform the same job: they let the water through to your drains but keep those pesky leaves from slipping into your system and causing a blockage. Neat, tidy and efficient, you can ill afford to go without these if you leave on a street full leaf-shedding trees.

Often, you can help to prevent these issues by tidying up any leaves which fall onto your lawn, this way they won’t end up eventually blown against your drains and your home. You can add these to your compost heap or use them to start one if you haven’t got on already. Of course, if you’ve realised too late that autumn leaves are an issue in your area and you’re faced with a blocked system then you’ll need a professional drainage company to help you.

At 1st Call Drain Clearance, we can assist you in unblocking any drainage system clogged with autumn leaves. Contact us today to discuss your drainage issue and we’ll arrange an appointment for someone to visit and perform an inspection.

From February 2016, 1st Call Drain Clearance took up residence at a new headquarters in Mayfair, London and are operating from two more locations; another Central London location and High Wycombe.

We have decided to operate from two Central London addresses so we can provide a quicker and smoother service to our local customers.

Please send all correspondence to our head office, which is now located at:

1st Call Drain Clearance
Level 1 Devonshire House
One Mayfair Place
London
W1J 8AJ

Our second office, which is near Liverpool Street Station is located at:

Level 1, 17 Dashwood House
69 Old Broad Street
London
EC2M 1QS

Our telephone numbers, website and all email addresses remain the same, we can still be contacted on our main telephone number which is 0800 859 5953.

The UK has a whole host of water treatment plants, with every region of the country getting its water from a different place. While this can often lead to differences in the water getting pumped into our homes, there are plenty of reasons why your sink water might smell.

This month we’re going to take a look at some of the common causes of water smelling or tasting odd.

MY WATER SMELLS OF CHLORINE

In order to ensure your drinking water is safe, chlorine is added to it during the final stage of treatment. This is absolutely normal, with many people unable to taste the chlorine. Despite close monitoring of how much of this chemical goes in your water, it might be the case that you are more sensitive to this. Another factor on how strong the taste is has to do with how close your home is to the treatment facilities.

If you’d like to avoid the chlorine smell, you can refrigerate your water to reduce this. Some people like to use specific water filters, which can also help, but please be aware it must contain activated carbon to work.

MY WATER SMELLS LIKE RUBBER/PLASTIC

Any kind of rubber or plastic taste in your water is usually to do with the materials involved in the water supply to your home. Often, water can sit in pipes or come into contact with fittings and take of some of the taste when the substances of rubber or plastic dissolve in the water a little.

It’s hard to know which part of your supply could be causing this, but bringing in an experienced professional is probably the best idea if you’re unsure and don’t want to go tinkering yourself.

MY WATER SMELLS LIKE PETROL/DIESEL

This is one of the most dangerous smells or tastes your water can have. The advice is to not drink or use this water in any way. Often, the issue comes from leakages around your property from vehicles or your heating system when you’ve also had work done on the property.

If you have this issue with your water it is important to have your property assessed immediately by a professional or, if you believe the source is not on your property, your water supplier.

MY WATER HAS A BITTER TASTE

Similar to the rubber and plastic taste, some homes often find their water has a more bitter or metallic hint to it. This is usually from the use of copper, iron or other metal pipes in the water supply system of the home – usually limited to older properties which haven’t been updated.

In order to avoid this, it’s recommended you fill a washing up bowl of water to rid the system of the affected water each time you’re going to use the sink. Dispose of this water in the garden – to help your plants – and use the water from your tap after this.

MY HOT DRINKS TASTE FUNNY

Almost everyone uses their kitchen sink tap to fill the kettle, so it stands to reason that if your water only smells or has a bad taste when you use hot water, it could be due to the kettle. Some kettles have either metal or plastic parts (or both!), which can begin to react with water after time.

You should either replace your kettle or, at the very least, rinse and thoroughly clean any kettle which may be causing the problem.

OTHER FACTORS TO CONSIDER

There are other factors you might want to consider if you think something is slightly amiss with your water.

• Tap washers – There are some tap washers, whether it’s because they’re brand new or extremely worn, which cause the taste of water to change. It’s advised you replace washer for non phenolic ones to avoid this.
• Hoses and valves – Similar to the issue with washers, you should ensure you have the best hoses and valves in place, both because of their material and their linkage to other water using appliances.
• Drainage – Sometimes people mistake the bad smells from their drains with their water since it’s so overpowering. In this instance your water is safe but your drains might be hiding a deeper problem in need of inspection and remedying.

Here at 1st Call Drain Clearance we deliver professional drainage services, from drain jetting to clean any debris and blockage to the unblocking of toilets and sinks in your home. Contact our friendly team today for more details or to discuss your drainage query with us – we’re always happy to help.

As they do every year, the winter months have brought with them freezing temperatures that strain our heating and plumbing systems. Sometimes the frost can bite especially hard, with some homes even falling prey to frozen pipes. However, you aren’t helpless in the fight against the cold this winter – there are some steps you can take to prevent your pipes from freezing which we’ll outline here.

1. PREPARATION IS KEY

Well in advance of the coldest and harshest of the winter weather hitting, you should take some time out to locate certain areas of interest within your home or business. Firstly, ensure that you know where the stop valve is located so that you can turn off all the water to your property should a pipe burst. Then, think carefully about where the most exposed pipes in your property are located and take note of them, including any that come into contact with an exterior wall or feature outside. We’ll return to address this secondary point later.

 

2. REMOVE YOUR HOSE FOR THE WINTER

Your water hose outside should be detached from the tap for the whole of winter. Any water that drips into your hose could cause problems which might back up into the tap itself. Eventually, this could reach the pipes in your home. Detach the hose and store it in your garage, taking time out to ensure the tap is turned completely off while you’re at it.

 

3. INSULATE ALL EXPOSED PIPES AND KEEP THEM DRY

Any and all exposed pipes that you noted earlier you should now return to. Check the insulation in your loft and garage and top up wherever necessary to help protect your pipes. You can also install insulating fibreglass in areas to try and protect more exposed pipes, or even run heating cables along especially vulnerable pipes to ensure the water in your pipes never drops too low.

In addition, you need to ensure that your pipes stay dry. If they are wet, they could speed up the freezing process in exposed areas. Keep them dry to avoid the worst.

 

4. RUN WATER SLOWLY, YET CONSTANTLY

In extreme circumstances, you may need to resort to more active methods of prevention. For instance, if the power goes out and the temperature has plummeted, it may be more suitable for you to run a slow, constant stream of water out of your taps to prevent your pipes from freezing. Moving water cannot freeze, so bear this in mind if you run into trouble in a power outage but still require water.

5. TURN YOUR THERMOSTAT UP

Nothing works better to protect your pipes from freezing than turning up your thermostat. The extra and continued heating of your home will work wonders for keeping the liquids in your pipes well above freezing point. You’ll take a hit on your energy costs, but the inconvenience of frozen and even bursting pipes makes this cost one worth paying.

 

6. TURN THE WATER OFF

If push comes to shove, you may not have any other option than to turn the water off completely using the stop valve. This may be because you will be leaving the property unoccupied during the worst of the cold, or as a precautionary measure whilst you sleep. If a pipe cracks and bursts, you’ll also need to turn off the water, as addressed briefly above.

 

7. CONSIDER USING HEATING LAMPS FOR THE WORST AREAS

In extremely vulnerable areas, you may need to take extra measures to ensure that your pipes don’t freeze. Heating reflector lamps can be used to concentrate heat on pipes in areas exposed to large amounts of cold, such as crawl spaces, cellars and lofts. Heater tapes may be used instead, which seek to insulate the pipe itself.

 

8. KNOW WHO TO CALL IF THINGS GO WRONG

When water freezes in a pipe, it expands and puts the stability of the pipe at risk. Soon, it could burst and cause major problems. If your pipes freeze or burst this winter, you’ll need to have a professional lined up ready to help. Do your research and find a qualified plumbing service in your area that can be of assistance at short notice.

 

1st Call Drain Clearance are the premier drain unblocking and excavation specialists working throughout London, Harrow & Ealing. We offer a range of services, including CCTV drain surveys, jet pressure unblocking, drain relining and more. We even offer a 24/7 emergency service for your complete peace of mind. To find out more, please don’t hesitate to contact our friendly team today.

When our plumbing is working like it should, we often don’t pay it a second thought. In not paying it much attention, we might grow complacent and allow things to go down our drains that we really shouldn’t. Worse still, if problems don’t occur, we might grow confident that we can stick other things down our drains, too. However, there are many things you should never put down your drains, and here we’ll be listing some of the worst.

• Grease: Any type of grease is bad for your drains. Melted fat from bacon or other meats and even gravy can massively clog your drains.

• Eggshells: After boiling an egg, you may find it easy to peel the shell off over the sink to catch any small flakes that break off. However, you must not allow these to go down the drain – the sharp flakes can clog other bits of waste together to block drains.

• Cotton Buds: Cotton is an extremely absorbent material that will expand in your drains, making it likely that cotton buds disposed of down your drain will cause blockages. What’s more, the plastic handle isn’t biodegradable; it’s risky for both your drains and the environment to flush it down your drain.

• Medication: Whether you’re taking liquid medicines or tablets and capsules, you should avoid pouring any medication down the drain. Antidepressants and birth control hormones may be found in water supplies due to natural human excretion, but other times medicines can be found undiluted in large quantities. This is both harmful to the environment and our own water supply. Unused medicine should either be returned or stuck in the bin.

• Oils: It doesn’t matter what the oils are or what you’ve been using them for, they cannot go down your regular, in-house drain. Be it cooking oils, salad dressings, engine oil, braking fluid, or any likewise product, your drain is a no-go.

• Condoms and Hygiene Products: The latex used to make condoms isn’t biodegradable, meaning they can’t be flushed down your toilet or drains. In all likelihood, if they don’t block your own drains then they’ll probably make their way to the sea, where they could harm marine life or greet an innocent swimmer. Bin them instead. The same goes for tampons and sanitary pads.

• Fat: Whether it’s meat trimmings, lards and butters, ice cream, cheese, milk or any other type of fat, your drains don’t want it. Dispose of it elsewhere.

• Paint: Paint must always be disposed of in a responsible manner, and that means never putting it down your drains. It is toxic to the environment and can cause havoc in your drains themselves. Paint should be disposed of appropriately at a dedicated waste facility.

• Produce Stickers: If you regularly rinse your fruit and veg off in the sink, be aware that allowing the produce stickers to go down the drain is a mistake. Unfortunately, they can get stuck in the drains, caught on filters and generally cause trouble.

• Conventional Cleaning Products: Adverts may tell you that antibacterial cleaners and bleaches are good for your surfaces and that they’ll kill almost all microbes and germs, but the reality is that they can sometimes do more harm than good. In fact, they won’t kill the majority of germs at all in the long run, they’ll merely make whatever germs are left resistant to antibacterial formulas. Such cleaners are also harmful to the environment. Instead, you should try and use all-natural cleaners instead.

• Coffee Grounds: If you’ve ever left the lid off the coffee for long enough, you’ll know that coffee grounds harden and congeal when oxygenated. While they might wash straight through, having been diluted by water drainage, your coffee grounds are far more likely, en masse, to block the drains up instead.

• Food!: Last but not least, you should never, ever, ever let food go down your sink’s drain. Over time, food can build up in the u-bend of your drainpipe and lead to a major blockage. Telltale signs that a blockage may be forming is that the drain will smell or water will take longer to empty, or both. Tiny bits of food may be fine every now and again, but larger bits or consistently allowing food to go down the drain could lead to some serious problems that your standard drain unblocker may struggle to dislodge. At that point, you may need the assistance of the professionals here at 1st Call Drain Clearance.

 

No matter the time of day or the issue you have with your drains, 1st Call Drain Clearance will be on hand to help. We offer a 24/7 emergency drain clearance and repair service for the complete peace of mind of our clients. Be it a drain re-lining, excavation, a CCTV drainage survey or more that you require, we’ll have the solution for you. Simply contact our professional team today to find out more.