OUR SPECIALITY - Drain/sewer Cleaning & Jetting Services. 
Why do drains and sewers block? The most common "domestic" problem on the East Rand is the growth of roots into faulty or broken pipe systems. The other most common problem is the use of BLACK FIBRE/PITCH pipes. This is becoming a huge issue out here on the East Rand. Follow the link for more info.
Note that healthy pipe systems seldom if ever block. The roots have to be able to get into the pipe! 90% of our work is caused by faulty pipes that allow roots in. Pipes that are infested by roots will block easily if you introduce sanitary pads, tampons and other matter to the system. Drain gullies (open drains) are most often blocked by fat, hair and fabric or plastic materials. See Tips on looking after your drain system.
Sometimes a "root" blockage can be effectively cleared and does not reoccur, but most of the time it does block again. The time that it will take to block again cannot be estimated - it may be months or a few weeks. The solution is to use a drain inspection camera after the blockage has been cleared. This provides a clear picture of the fault in the pipe that is allowing the roots in. The position can be accurately determined and that section of pipe must be replaced or repaired.
How do you know that your drains are blocked? The most common symptom is that the open drains (gullies) overflow and you notice bits of toilet paper (and other stuff!) pushing out of the gully. This generally means that your main connection to the municipal sewer is blocked. This may impact all the gullies or just one, depending on where the pipe is blocked. You may find that the gully overflows but there is no sign of toilet paper and the toilets work okay. This means that it is just that gully that is blocked. An unusually bad smell around the gullies and vents may also indicate that things are not well. Healthy sewerage systems don't smell. A smell means that the stuff is staying in one place and decomposing rather than being transported away. A toilet that does not flush properly where the water rises in the bowl is a sure sign of a blocked toilet line.
Another sure sign is toilet paper coming out of an open drain or gully!
There are two primary methods of clearing a blocked sewer line - a mechanical "roto" spiral coil type machine for small to medium domestic pipes from 70mm to 160mm (these pipes can also be cleaned with a smaller water jetting unit if appropriate) OR high pressure/flow industrial type water jetting for pipes of 160mm and greater. This is a truck or trailer mounted unit that that jets water at up to 300 litres per minute at a pressure of up to 140 Bar. The truck mounted jetting machine can clear pipes of up to 100m in length and is particularly suited for stormwater drains. These machines are primarily used on industrial and municipal sewerage lines. We use the roto type machines most of the time for our domestic/light commercial work. Small jetting machines are sometimes used in a domestic situation - particularly for stormwater pipe cleaning.
Jet Truck for really bix drains.
Sewerage transfer and loading (over pumping). In multi-unit housing or commercial environments you often end up with a considerable backup of raw sewerage at the manholes. We provide special pumping facilities to move the sewerage from the blockage to the functional pipe further down - up to 100m or more if required. We can also pump into sewerage tanker trucks if there is no functioning system nearby. We also provide this service during major pipe rehabilitation projects. About 30 000 litres per hour (per pump) can be overpumped. Sometimes overpumping has to be used before the damage to the sewer pipe can be properly assesed.
Have a look at "typical prices" for an guide of what the typical costs are.
Why should damaged drain be replaced or repaired?
- You keep paying to get the drain cleared - it's cheaper to fix it once and for all!
- The damage will get worse over time and may spread to other sections of the pipe.
- The drain will eventually block solid and you will have to dig it up.
- The bigger the damage the more pipe that has to be replaced the longer it will take.
- The residence/business is effectifly shut down while the pipe is being repaired - Sewerage transfer pumping is required.
- It is illegal to allow soil water to soak into the water table.
- It will cause the soil to smell.
- Continuous cleaning/clearing of vulnerable pipes causes further damage.
How are domestic sewers cleared?
We generally use mechanical spiral machines made by Rothenberger in Germany. This is the most advanced system that deals most efectivly with roots and other obstructions. It consists of lengths of spirally wound springs that are turned by a electric machine. A cutting edge is on the front of the spring. As the cutting edge proceeds through the pipe, more and more spring sections are added. The longest drain we can clean is 80m. There are a number of advantages to using this type of machine:
- It does not damage the pipes.
- It applies force to the blockage rather than the sewerage pipes.
- It goes around bends easily.
- It's quick and pretty clean to use!
- There is feedback to the operator allowing him to "feel" the breaks or problems in the pipes.
Pipe Replacement.
In the event of severe or frequent blockages a pipe inspection should be done. A CCTV camera is inserted into the pipe and a recording of the inside of the pipe is done. Any faults or breaks can be clearly seen and these can be located within a metre. This broken pipe needs to be dug up and replaced. If the pipe is under a building or paved area we may elect to use the trenchless method of repair. If not we will simply dig it up and replace it with a new section. Most smaller jobs can be done in about 4 hours. Start in the morning, finished by lunch time. Longer sections of pipe (+3m) take proportionatly longer. WE PREFER TO FIX THE DRAIN RATHER THAN JUST UNBLOCK IT!
Have a look at some of our recent Projects
New Buildings & Alterations
Blockbuster also lays new drain/sewerage systems. We have found that much of our business clearing drains is caused by a bad initial installation or extension. We know what causes drains to give trouble and we are expert at putting in new systems that wont! We will design and install a system that will provide hassle free sewerage services for the life of the building - it's not hard if it's done properly!
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BLOCKBUSTER DRAIN CLEANING - THE DRAIN BRAINS!
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