Blocked sink

Please avoid pouring or allowing any of the following down your sink:

• any fat, grease or cooking oil down your sinks or drains. Either wait until they are solidified or pour into a container and place them in the bin
• high fat dairy products such as cream and milk to enter the waste system 
• alcoholic drinks such as beer and wine to enter the waste system 
• motoring fluids such as petrol, diesel or antifreeze down sinks or drains 
• any photographic developing fluid.

Find further information at South West Water.

How to unblock a drain

If you have a blocked outside drain, you need to contact your local water provider first, and we will attend after the water company has visited if required.  Find your local water provider and their contact details here. 

If you have a minor drain blockage, you should be able to repair it on your own - even if you are not an expert DIY-er. Just pick up an outside drain unblocker from a DIY shop or local supermarket, and be prepared to get a little bit dirty and smelly!

Figure out what is wrong

The first thing to do when unblocking a drain is to figure out what is wrong. A bathroom drain may be clogged up with soap and hair. A kitchen sink may be blocked up with grease, and a toilet might be blocked by baby wipes. Outdoor drains can also be clogged up with grease, soap and other domestic products, but can also become blocked by leaves and outdoor debris.
 

Unblocking indoor drains

So how can you unblock a drain? Indoor drains can usually be unblocked with a bottle of drain unblocker. Pour this in the drain before you go to bed, following the instructions on the bottle, and then rinse it out the next morning. Make sure you stay safe. Always wear rubber gloves when using drain unblocker, as they can be very corrosive and cause chemical burns. It can be very dangerous if you accidentally swallow some, or makes contact with your eyes. 

Still no luck?

Contact us and we can help! Our technical teams will run through some troubleshooting tips with you to see if they can solve your problem over the phone. If not, we will send a highly skilled and qualified plumber round to get your drains sorted as soon as possible.