Drain Cleaning

Professional drain cleaning is a preventative service that removes the build-up of grease, hair, soap scum, scale, silt and debris coating the inside of your pipework – long before it becomes a blockage. It’s carried out by trained engineers using high-pressure jetting and mechanical cleaning, and finished with a CCTV check to confirm the pipe is fully clear.

For most domestic homes in Birmingham, a professional clean every 12 to 18 months is enough. Older properties, large families and homes on shared waste runs benefit from annual cleaning. Commercial kitchens, washrooms and food premises typically need a clean every 3 to 6 months.

Regular drain cleaning prevents emergency blockages, reduces foul smells, improves drainage speed, extends pipe lifespan by removing corrosive build-up, and gives advance warning of cracks or root ingress through CCTV inspection. It’s almost always cheaper than the cost of an emergency call-out and any associated water damage.

We use high-pressure water jetting as our primary method – it’s fast, chemical-free and reaches the full pipe wall. For compacted blockages we use mechanical rodding or electromechanical clearing. Every clean finishes with a CCTV inspection so you can see the pipe is properly clear, not just flowing again.

Domestic drain unblocking is £96 inc. VAT during standard hours (Monday to Friday, 08:00–16:30) and £132 inc. VAT outside those hours. There are no call-out charges, no inspection fees and no weekend surcharges – the price quoted is the price you pay. Larger properties, commercial sites or planned multi-clean contracts are quoted separately. View full pricing.

In most cases, yes. Bad smells are usually caused by biofilm and decaying debris coating the inside of the pipe – both of which are removed by professional jetting. If the smell persists after cleaning, the cause is normally a dry trap, a damaged pipe or a vent issue, which we’ll diagnose during the same visit.

Yes. We clean drainage in flats, terraced houses, semi-detached and detached homes, listed buildings, HMOs, commercial units and industrial sites. The technique and pressure are matched to the pipe age and material – particularly important in older Birmingham housing stock with clay or pitch-fibre pipework.

A standard domestic drain clean takes between 1 and 2 hours, including the CCTV check. Larger properties, commercial sites and severely scaled drainage take longer. Your engineer will confirm an estimate after a quick site walk-around at the start of the appointment.

Caustic chemical drain cleaners can damage rubber seals, corrode older metal pipework, harm chrome finishes, and cause burns if water splashes back. They also rarely fix the underlying cause – they just punch a channel through soft build-up. Mechanical clearing or jetting is safer and more reliable for anything beyond a minor sink slowdown.

Don’t flush wet wipes, sanitary products or cotton buds. Don’t pour fats, oils or coffee grounds down kitchen sinks. Fit hair guards on bath and shower drains. Sweep leaves and silt away from external gullies. Book a professional drain clean every 12 to 18 months for older properties or homes with mature trees nearby.

Bad drain smells are usually caused by a build-up of organic matter – food scraps, grease and hair – coating the inside of your pipes and feeding bacteria. A partial blockage can also trap stagnant water, which makes the smell worse. In most cases professional drain cleaning removes the source of the odour. If the smell persists after cleaning, it normally points to a dry trap, a cracked pipe or a vent issue, which we’ll diagnose during the same visit.