TL;DR
A blocked drain in Brighton or Hove usually shows itself through a gurgle, a bad smell or several fixtures draining slowly at once. The more fixtures affected, the further down the system the blockage tends to sit. You can often clear a single slow sink yourself. However, anything that affects several fixtures needs proper diagnosis rather than another go with the plunger. Responsibility depends on where the blockage sits, so check with Southern Water if you are unsure. You can also request a free quote online and describe what is happening.
Reading the symptoms: one fixture or several?
The number of fixtures affected is the most useful clue. A single slow sink usually means a local blockage near that fixture's trap. Most households can try to clear that. When a bath, sink and toilet are all slow, the blockage has moved into a shared branch or the main drain.
An outside gully that overflows while indoor fixtures back up is a strong sign of a blockage between the house and the street. That section often needs jetting or a camera rather than hand rods. If this matches your problem, treat it as a blocked drain job from the start. Our guide to unblocking an outside drain shows the safe first steps.
What actually causes the blockage
Older housing in Brighton and Hove shows a few causes again and again. Fat and grease can set inside kitchen waste pipes. Tree roots can find their way into old clay pipework, and displaced joints can catch debris. Basement and lower-ground flats add another factor, since pumped waste is more sensitive to restrictions than gravity drainage. A struggling macerator can therefore be the first sign of a problem further down. Read our guide to Saniflo units that will not flush for more on this.
Shared drainage is a local complication. In many older buildings, several properties share one drain run. A blockage that affects your flat may not start in your flat at all, and clearing your own trap will not always fix it. The pattern can appear anywhere from Whitehawk area to Patcham area, and our team can offer blocked drain help in Hove for shared runs too.
Private pipework or Southern Water's sewer?
Responsibility depends on where along the drain the blockage sits. The generic rule is that the pipe serving only your property, inside your boundary, is yours to look after. Since 2011, many shared drains and the sections beyond the boundary became the water company's responsibility. For Brighton and Hove that company is Southern Water.
The line is not always obvious, especially with shared drains. For that reason, check with Southern Water about your own property before you assume anything. A camera survey can show where the problem sits, which helps when you ask. Our article on what a CCTV drain survey shows explains the process.
How jetting and CCTV work together
For anything beyond a simple gully, see what is happening underground rather than guess. A CCTV drain survey sends a camera through the pipe to find the cause. It might be roots, a cracked joint, grease or a displaced section. High-pressure jetting then clears the blockage by flushing debris away with water.
Survey first, then jet, avoids repeated rodding on a drain that keeps blocking. Costs depend on the property and the drain, so see what affects CCTV survey pricing before you ask for a written quote. Buyers of older homes may also like our homebuyer drainage survey guide.
FAQs
How do I know if a blockage is mine to fix or Southern Water's? It depends on where the blockage sits along the drain. A CCTV survey is the most reliable way to find out, and Southern Water can confirm who is responsible.
Why do several fixtures block at the same time? Usually the blockage sits in a shared branch or the main run. One restriction there affects everything upstream of it.
Is jetting safe for old pipework? It is generally gentler than repeated hard rodding because water does the work. However, a survey first helps confirm the pipe can take it.
Do basement flats block more often? They can be more sensitive, because waste is often pumped rather than falling by gravity. A partial blockage downstream therefore shows up sooner. See our guide to basement flat drainage.
If a blocked drain affects more than one fixture or keeps coming back, request a free quote online and tell us what is happening. We cover Brighton and Hove area, including shared and older drain runs.
