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Blocked Drains in Reigate

Older pipes, mature gardens and shared runs: we clear the blockage and find out what caused it.

Reigate is an old market town at the foot of the North Downs, with a historic high street, large period houses and mature gardens. Under many of those gardens run older clay drains, and tree roots find the joints in a clay pipe far more easily than they find a modern plastic one.

Where a large house has been converted into flats, or a terrace shares a run of pipe, a blockage can show up in a different home from the one that caused it. Working out where it sits matters before anyone is asked to pay. In October 2011 the water company took on shared drains and the length of pipe outside a property’s boundary, so your own responsibility usually stops at the boundary.

South and west of the town the land opens out onto the Weald. Villages such as Leigh, Sidlow, Buckland and Betchworth have many homes on septic tanks, cesspits and treatment plants, often on clay that drains slowly. We look after those as well as mains drains, and our engineers answer the phone day and night, every day of the year.

What’s included

How we deal with a blocked drain

We start by finding the fault, and then match the method to it.

  • Finding the fault

    We open the chambers, see where the flow stops and work out whether the blockage is in your pipe, a shared run or the sewer.

  • Jetting the pipe

    Our high-pressure jetting clears fat, silt, scale and paper and cleans the pipe wall, not only the blockage.

  • Roots and old clay

    Where roots have got into an old clay joint, we can cut them out and descale the pipe.

  • A camera for repeat trouble

    If a drain keeps blocking, our Reigate CCTV drain surveys show the cause.

  • Village tanks and plants

    In the Weald villages we can empty septic tanks and service treatment plants as well.

  • Straightforward findings

    We tell you what we found, what it needs and what can wait.

Drain blockages in Reigate and the Weald villages

01
Two Clearmasters (Environmental) Ltd vans parked outside a brick commercial building

Period houses, roots and old clay pipes

Reigate’s large period houses and big gardens mean drains that have often been in the ground for a very long time. Clay pipes are laid in short lengths, so there is a joint every metre or so, and each joint is a place for a root to get in or for a pipe to shift.

We clear the blockage with jetting, then look inside if it has happened before. A camera shows whether it is roots, a cracked pipe or a joint that has moved, so you know what you are dealing with.

About drain unblocking
02
Clearmasters tanker on a lawn with its hose run out across the grass

Weald villages: a blocked drain or a failing tank?

In Leigh, Sidlow, Buckland, Betchworth and the villages around them, a slow drain may be a symptom of a tank that is full or a drainage field on heavy clay that cannot cope. A simple blockage and a failing system look similar from the kitchen sink.

Tell us what you are seeing. We can clear the pipework, empty the tank, and if needed arrange a septic tank survey. Our Reigate septic tank page has more on the tank side.

About septic tank emptying in Reigate

Local to you

Blocked drain clearance around Reigate

We clear drains in Reigate, Woodhatch, South Park, Reigate Heath, Wray Common and Meadvale, in Redhill and Merstham, and in the villages from Leigh and Betchworth to Walton on the Hill. Phone with your postcode if you are unsure. The full Reigate area list has the rest.

Drain or tank?

One call covers mains drains and private systems.

Related services

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Free, no-obligation quote

Get a blocked drain cleared in Reigate

Tell us what is happening and we will reply with a price and a date. If sewage is coming up in the house, please phone.

  • No charge for a quote
  • Our own engineers and vehicles
  • Phones answered 24 hours a day
  • Mains drains and private systems
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Questions answered

Blocked drain FAQs for Reigate

Whose job is a blocked drain in Reigate: mine, my neighbour’s or the water company’s?

It depends where the blockage is. Pipes that serve only your property, inside your boundary, are usually yours. A drain shared with neighbours, or the length outside your boundary, is the water company’s. Phone us and we will find where the blockage is first, so you know who should pay.

I share a drain with next door. Should I tell them?

It is polite to, and it helps if the blockage is in the shared section. We can usually tell which side the blockage is on once we have checked the chambers.

Why do older drains in Reigate block so often?

Older clay pipes have a joint every metre or so. Over time joints can open or shift, and roots grow in through the gaps. Paper and fat then catch on the roots or the lip of a displaced joint.

My house has been converted into flats. Who clears the drain?

That depends on your lease or the building’s management arrangements, so check with the managing agent or freeholder. We work for agents and landlords, and we can tell you plainly what we find.

Can you tell what my drain pipes are made of?

Often the camera shows it, as clay, concrete and plastic pipes all look different on film. A survey also shows their condition and where they join.

I live in a village near Reigate on a septic tank. Is a gurgling toilet a blockage?

It could be, but it can also mean the tank needs emptying or the drainage field is struggling. Tell us what else you notice, such as smells or a soggy patch, and we will look at the whole system.

Will a survey show if my drain needs replacing?

It will show the condition of the pipe, any cracks, displaced joints and roots, and where they are. That gives you the information you need to decide on repairs.

Got a different question? Call 03333 233566 or send us a message.

Fully accredited & compliant

We're independently vetted and certified so you can trust who you're letting onto your site.

SafeContractor

Health & safety pre-qualification accreditation, verifying our processes meet recognised safety standards.

RISQS

Railway Industry Supplier Qualification Scheme — approved to work safely within the rail industry supply chain.

Achilles UVDB

Utilities Vetting Database membership, confirming we meet the utilities sector's supply chain standards.

Trading Standards Approved

Vetted and approved under the local authority's trusted trader scheme for honesty and fair dealing.

NADC Member

Members of the National Association of Drainage Contractors, the UK trade body for the drainage industry.

Registered Waste Carrier

Registered with the Environment Agency, so your waste is handled and disposed of fully within the law.

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