CCTV Drainage Survey

CCTV DRAIN SURVEYS AND SEWER INSPECTION

We are experts in drain surveys and sewer examination and reporting

There a number of reasons why you may decide that your home or building’s drains need inspecting. Sewers and drains can both become clogged or damaged, and when these problems are suspected accurate inspection and diagnosis is critical to cost effective maintenance.

Thames Valley Drainage Ltd is an industry expert in drain surveys and sewer examination reporting with years of experience in the industry. Therefore, you can trust that we are extremely knowledgeable and know how to solve any issue.

HOW CAN WE HELP YOU?

There are several ways in which Thames Valley Drainage Ltd can help you with your drain surveys and sewer inspection.

CCTV inspection – Thames Valley Drainage Ltd has invested heavily in the very latest CCTV inspection equipment and software, meaning that we can provide completely transparent and virtual, the data collected from site is streamed in real time to the local office for processing. In most cases, your inspection report has already progressed to the next step before our engineer has finished packing up his tools. With geography no longer a factor, our team of technical support managers are also able to provide instant technical assistance to each of our local offices, ensuring that even the most complex of cases is analysed efficiently. All of this means that we are able to conclude each of our inspection reports far more quickly than before, allowing us to closely evaluate the problem and report back to you on the most effective solutions to your problem. Each report can be delivered instantly through our live web portal, or should you prefer, we can still place a printed copy and a DVD in the post to you.

HOMEBUYER’S SURVEY

Buying a home is likely to be the single biggest financial decision in your life, the last thing you need is a myriad of underlying drainage issues that have come to haunt you through bad planning. For example, drain damage in homes is often caused by old age and tree roots from out the home, which creates blockages and causes water to leak into the surrounding soil. If this issue is not rectified, it can lead to further problems involving drain collapse and subsidence.

VENDOR

On the other hand, if you are selling your property, you won’t want to be delayed by damaged drains being discovered during your purchaser survey.If your drainage issues aren’t fixed, you may be forced to sell your property at a lower price or you may be forced to repair these defects at your cost will little notice. In the worst case, the purchaser may even withdraw their offer.

PURCHASER

You require the peace of mind that your dream home is not going to reveal any unexpected problems. The last thing you need is having to fork out money to repair damaged drains when you have already pushed yourself financially. In modern times and with general tightening of insurance policy schedules, it’s not often that your insurance company will pick up the tab in a new home if your drainage issue an inherited problem, especially in the absence of a survey. In fact, a drain survey is something that mortgage lenders, surveyors and home insurance companies insist on for properties over a certain age or value.

BUILD OVER SURVEY

Build over surveys are carried out before and after building work. Are you planning an extension? If you are looking for an extension or conservatory on your existing property, the local water authority is going to insist that you carry out a CCTV survey if you are building over or near their assets. This ensures that: – There are no defects on the drains that will be concealed by the extension.
– That any defects are identified and repaired prior to or during building works.
– That building works do not cause any damage to the asset short or long term.

LARGE DIAMETER SURVEYS

Thames Valley Drainage Ltd has a wide variety of the latest CCTV camera units, and we survey larger drainers using crawler units which can provide a panoramic view of the drain condition. Surveys are carried out to the latest 5th edition of the WRC Manual of Sewer Condition and Classification, which is the industry standard.

Bad Smell

A Bad Smell can be a huge inconvenience and something no one want to put up with. It is necessary to know how to clean the drains that smell. Thames Valley Drainage  is available 24/7 to sort out any issue that are affecting your drains.

CAUSES OF BAD SMELL

There are many factors that contribute to a bad smell and sometimes it might not be drain related. Thames Valley Drainage have years of experience in diagnosing the cause. Some of the causes  could be a partial blockage or a build up in the pipe work.

Lack of use of the facilities in the building can be the cause of Bad smells. Water traps are designed to prevent smells. If these traps dry out  it could cause a sewer like smell. These smells can carry throughout the building when having an issue. Its always good to note how long the smell has been present the locations of the smell. and where its strongest and also if the smell comes and goes.

Other causes of smells could be faulty or leaking pipe work, faulty dergo valves or just a blockage in the pipes. If you have rodent issues this could also be the cause.  and our skilled engineers can advise on how to prevent rodents entering your drainage system.

How We Works

Thames Valley Drainage will carry out a full investigation of  smell and where possible identify the cause and remove the issue.We also provides complete description on how to clean drains that smell.

Thames Valley Drainage carries all tools and equipment to be able to assist your needs. The average cost our customer pay for investigation and resolving a bad smell is £99.00.

Chemicals are not Recommended

Some people advise putting drain un blocker, a vinegar and baking soda combination.and also bleach, dish washing soap or a range of other chemicals down the Urinal to try to clear the blockage. Here at Thames Valley Drains we don’t recommend using any harmful substances and will never use these ourselves.

For more information give our office a call on 01189888288 or email us info@thamesvalleydrainage.co.uk

Collapsed Drain

Sometimes you find that the problem you have is a bit more than just a blockage.It could be collapsed drainage.  At  Thames Valley Drainage  we always recommend looking at the condition of the pipes and correcting faults before they get to a collapse stage. For example CCTV surveys can identify  faults in system that can lead to a collapse if not dealt with early.

CAUSES OF COLLAPSED DRAINAGE

There are many factors that contribute to a Collapsed drainage and here are the most common of them. Ground movement and settling, overhead traffic movement e.g. drains on driveway for cars etc. and outside influences such as roots activity,

Drain deterioration usually starts with small cracks leading to fractures in drainpipes that can further develop into breaks, deformation and holes and eventually a total collapse making the drains unserviceable. They can occur in both plastic and clay pipes. Pitch fibre can also be affected by deforming first until the pipe gives way totally.

Cost

Thames Valley Drainage carry all tools and equipment to be able to assist your needs. The average cost our customer pay for a CCTV survey to ascertain the condition of your drains is £120.00. This will identify potential areas of concern and enable  to make an informed choice as to  best course of action.

Detailed Description with each Survey

With every survey we provide a detailed description (where possible). Detailed description includes about cause and  will also provide our best advice on how to eliminate issue from happening again. There are many solutions to repairing pipe faults including no dig technology. If however the collapse as already occurred we can recommend the best excavation method to rectify.

For more information give our office a call on 01189888288 or email us info@thamesvalleydrainage.co.uk

Drain Clearance

BASIC BLOCKED DRAINAGE PROBLEMS

Basic drainage unclogging usually involves rodding to remove the blockage, followed by using High Pressure Water Jet to flush through the system. Although clearance has been achieved by rodding to ensure your Blocked drainage is completely clear and flowing. We always use High Pressure Water Jet where possible to ensure maximum flow is achieved.

How Blocked Drainage Occurred?

If it’s an indoor blockage, it could have occurred because of heavy materials or objects flushed down the drain.  Sanitary products often caused  Blocked drainage .In addition paper towels or other hard to flush materials which can clog pipes and obstruct drains. Wipes, tissues, and even hair can also be the culprits

Private Drains

If yours is the only property using a pipe, it’s a ‘private drain‘. Which means that if it gets blocked, you are solely responsible for dealing with the blockage, and you’ll have to pay for it to be cleared

Why is my drain slow?

Slow-moving or backed-up drains are common in bathroom sinks, but luckily the fix is usually simple. The problem is caused by hair and gummy soap scum that get caught up in the pipework.

The first answer is YES:

Your sewer drains should hold water in certain locations.  The reason for the water in the drainage fixture is to prevent rodents and smells entering the building.  For example a toilet pan has water in its bowl always this is to prevent foul smells entering the building.  Other examples could be the P trap or shower drain these are also designed to hold water during normal operation.  If you do however notice excessively high levels of water there could be a blocked drainage causing the problem.

The second answer is NO:

If you notice that drains are overflowing or making a gurgling noise or even sucking the water seal dry it would most likely point towards a fault in the drainage system.  The main sewer drain is designed to self cleanse (when installed correctly) and this is achieved by having the correct grade or slope on the pipe and therefore when any debris put into the line it will move along the pipe and end up in its correct destination.

Using CCTV Surveys for Blocked Drainage?

Through using our CCTV drain investigation equipment we can identify areas of a Blocked drain. Block drain may be holding water due to a blockage or even a collapsed section of pipe.  When a drain has been newly installed or recently cleaned out there will be very little debris standing still in the line it will all move away promptly and this is how we identify Blocked drainage problems by using our special equipment.

For more information give our office a call on 01189888288 or email us info@thamesvalleydrainage.co.uk

FAILED OR BROKEN SOAK-AWAYS

A simple blockage may not be the only problem contained within your drainage system. At  Thames Valley Drainage  we always recommend looking at the condition of the pipes by using cctv equipment.

It could turn out that the problems that are being experienced are not to do with the drainage pipes but actually relate to the soak-away. The soak-away is simply a pit of stones that allow natural drainage into the ground, Its size depends on the area expected to be drained.

Soak-aways can be used in both rainwater situation and in outfalls to septic tanks,

For example a rainwater downpipe travels down under the ground several metres to a soak-away, The soak-away has reached its saturation point, is possibly silted up and is exhausted causing the pipe to back up and act like a blockage. This would require re-siting the soak-away to a new location. This would involve carrying out a percolation test in the proposed area for the new soak-away to insure it can cope with the expected water load. Obviously re-siting the soak-away will lead to re-running the drainage pipe also.

In the septic tank situation foul waste products are processed through the septic tank in a biological action resulting in the excess liquid being drained of by the tank outfall to a soak-away.

Apart from the straight forward pit scenario drainage can be delivered into the ground via a herringbone system which is multiple pipes in the shape of fish bones perforated with holes to allow the water to be dispersed  over a greater area.

The success of a new soak-away is determined by finding a suitable site that can cope with the requirement.

For more information give our office a call on 01189888288 or email us info@thamesvalleydrainage.co.uk