Blocked drain: whose job is it to fix?

Whose drain is it?

If the blockage turns out to be in the public sewer, report it to Uisce Éireann. If it's in your own pipes, chambers or yard drains, it's yours to sort, and that's the work we do.

What causes blockages

• Fats, oils and grease poured down the sink. They combine with wipes, hair and other waste to form fatbergs.²
• Wipes flushed down the toilet. They don't break down. Bin them.²
• Silt, leaves and grit washed into outside drains and gullies.
• Roots getting into older pipes.

Warning signs

• Sinks, showers or baths taking longer to empty.
• Gurgling from plugholes or the toilet when water runs elsewhere.
• A sewage smell from drains, inside or out.
• The toilet water rising when you flush.
• Standing water when you lift the inspection chamber lid.
• An outside gully or yard drain overflowing.

What to do

Lift your inspection chamber lid if you can do it safely. If the chamber is full of standing water, the blockage is further down the line. If it's empty, the problem is between the house and the chamber. Either way, that tells whoever comes out where to start.

Don't keep flushing or running water into a blocked drain. It only backs up further.

How jetting works

A high-pressure water hose with a special nozzle goes into the drain. Jets on the nozzle pull it up the pipe and blast the blockage apart, and the water scours grease and silt off the pipe walls, so the drain stays clear for longer than if it were just poked through.

Blocked now? Ring Ryan on 085 195 6808, or WhatsApp a photo of what you're seeing.