Scotia Drainage Blogs

All you need to know about drainage.
 

Blog 1

High-Pressure Water Jetting and Why It Is Amazing!

When it comes to what we do for a living, there is one tool that stands out amongst the rest. Gone are the days when we had to find out where the problem was, excavate the surrounding area, dig out the blockage and then put everything back in place. Now life is simple: we blast it away!

High-Pressure water jets are fundamental when it comes to repairing or maintaining drains. We come across few jobs where we don’t use water jets to get it done, and even fewer where they are of no use at all. When you are looking into hiring a drainage company, make sure they have sufficient water jetting equipment.

Now, here are three reasons why water jetting is the best thing to happen to the drainage industry - ever!

Chemical Cleaners

There are lots of commercial chemicals available for clearing drains. However, none of them are perfect.

Chemical drain cleaners can be quite effective in the right circumstance, especially in smaller scale domestic jobs, however, the very thing that makes it so effective makes it dangerous for piping. Because it is a corrosive substance that is supposed to be indiscriminate, it will just as readily eat into the walls of the pipes you are trying to clear!

Enzyme cleaners can be a good option for small domestic jobs when the blockage is at the beginning of the pipe, and it won’t do any damage to your pipes, but it will only have an effect on organic substances. Anything else will be entirely unaffected by the chemical, making it frankly a waste.

There are also many downsides to using chemicals. Not only are they dangerous and environmentally unfriendly, but they cost a significant amount of money.

Getting up Close and Personal

The alternative to clearing blockages remotely is to gain direct access to the problem and remove it manually. The issue with this though is that accessing pipes is not an easy task. Sometimes it is necessary, but the process of excavation either inside or outside of your home can be hugely costly and disruptive.

Excavation is sometimes necessary, but it should also be a last resort.

Water Jetting!

And now we come to the solution that is so effective we get genuinely excited about it. Water jetting involves using advanced equipment to force water under incredibly high pressure through a drain system in order to blast way anything blocking the pipes.

Not only is it convenient, as you do not have to be particularly near the problem in question, but it is also cheap. After you have bought the equipment all you need is some energy and some water!

The water will also not harm at all to the surrounding pipes meaning that there the pipes will be left with the same integrity as they did when you began. 

As you can see, there is no viable alternative to water jetting that doesn’t cost significant amounts in time, money, or damage.

When you are looking to hire your drainage repair team, make sure that they have the capabilities to carry out quality water jetting.

Blog 2

CCTV Drain Survey

One of the more recent additions to the technology we have available is the ability to carry out CCTV surveys. Occasionally when you turn up to a job, it is immediately clear where and what the problem is. Other times it only takes some a small inspection to source where the issue has arisen. However, occasionally the problem is much more elusive.

In cases like that, CCTV survey equipment has revolutionised the process of coming up with an action plan. In the past, it would be a case of making an educated guess and testing it. In the best case, you would use the water jets in the appropriate area and see if it had any effect. Otherwise, you would have to excavate and get a closer look at the problem area.

Naturally, both these options waste precious time and, at least in the case of excavation, is very disruptive. Luckily, technology has advanced and times have changed.

How Much Does a CCTV Survey Cost?

It all depends on how the company has opted to charge for the service. Some companies will charge a flat fee which, depending on the size of your property, might end up being a good deal. If you live in a particularly sizeable house, then you may want to explore this option.

Otherwise, it is usually best to find a company which charges per hour. If you have a regular domestic setup, it is unlikely it will take a long time to diagnose the issue in question, so you want to avoid a flat fee which may account for hours of work.

Hourly rates are generally a sign of a company with integrity as it is the fairest way of doing things: it is very difficult to overcharge people using this method.

How Much Does a CCTV Survey Cost?

It all depends on how the company has opted to charge for the service. Some companies will charge a flat fee which, depending on the size of your property, might end up being a good deal. If you live in a particularly sizeable house, then you may want to explore this option.

Otherwise, it is usually best to find a company which charges per hour. If you have a regular domestic setup, it is unlikely it will take a long time to diagnose the issue in question, so you want to avoid a flat fee which may account for hours of work.

Hourly rates are generally a sign of a company with integrity as it is the fairest way of doing things: it is very difficult to overcharge people using this method.

What Happens After the Survey Results?

The HD cameras that any reputable company use for surveys allow the problem to be shown in great detail. This means the technicians can then come up with a plan on how is best to deal with the blockage, collapse, or any other form of failure.

Depending on what the problem turned out to be, the next step can be wildly different.

CCTV Is a Must!

You are always taking a risk by hiring a company you haven’t used before, but there are certain things that are an absolute must. When you are organising people to fix your drains, make sure they have CCTV equipment!

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