9 Signs Your Drain Is Damaged

Most drain problems start small and get worse slowly, out of sight. The sooner you spot the signs, the cheaper the fix usually is. Here are the ones to look out for, what they usually mean, and when it’s worth getting a camera down the drain to find out for sure.

1. Water drains away slowly

If your sink, bath or shower takes longer to empty than it used to, something is restricting the flow. If it’s one plughole, it’s usually a local blockage in that waste pipe. If several are slow at once, or the downstairs ones are worst, the problem is more likely further down, in the underground drain.

2. Gurgling noises

Gurgling from plugholes or the toilet when water drains elsewhere in the house means air is being pushed or pulled through the water traps. That often happens when the drain is partly blocked or isn’t venting properly.

3. Bad smells

A sewage smell inside or around the outside of the house can mean a cracked pipe, a joint that has moved apart, a dried-out trap, or waste sitting in a sunken section of pipe instead of flowing away.

4. The same blockage keeps coming back

If you’ve had the drain cleared and it blocks again weeks or months later, clearing it only treated the symptom. Repeat blockages usually have a cause in the pipe itself: roots, a broken section, a dip that holds waste, or a joint with a lip that catches everything. A camera inspection is the way to find it.

5. Water backing up or overflowing

Water coming back up through a gully, an outside drain or the downstairs toilet, or a manhole cover lifting with water underneath, means the drain can’t carry the flow. Deal with this quickly. It can flood the property.

6. Damp patches, mould or soggy ground

A leaking drain soaks the ground around it. Look for damp patches on internal walls near ground level, mould that keeps coming back, or a patch of lawn that stays wet or grows greener and faster than the rest.

7. Sunken paving or ground

Water escaping from a broken drain can wash the soil away. Over time the ground above sinks, so look out for a dip in the lawn, paving slabs that have dropped, or cracks across a drive along the line of a drain.

8. Rats

Rats live in sewers and can get into private drains through broken pipes and open joints. If you keep seeing rats, or droppings near the house, a damaged drain is a common way in.

9. Cracks in walls near a drain

A leaking drain can soften the ground under foundations. New cracks in walls close to a drain run are worth looking into. Not every crack is caused by drains, but it’s an easy cause to rule in or out.

What to do next

One sign on its own might be nothing. Two or three together, or a problem that keeps coming back, are worth checking properly. A CCTV drain inspection shows you exactly what’s going on inside the pipe, and we mark where any fault is on the ground. Then you know whether you need a repair, a clear-out, or nothing at all, before anyone starts digging.

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Questions

How do I know if my drain is broken or just blocked?

From above ground you often can’t tell. A blockage that keeps coming back, smells, damp patches or sinking ground point towards damage. A CCTV inspection shows which it is.

Can a damaged drain cause damp?

Yes. A leaking drain soaks the ground around it, which can show up as damp on internal walls near ground level, mould, or soggy ground outside.

Is a gurgling drain a problem?

Now and then it’s nothing to worry about. Regular gurgling, especially with slow drainage, usually means a partial blockage or a venting problem worth checking.

Can tree roots damage drains?

Yes. Roots grow into the joints of a pipe looking for water, then keep growing until they crack the pipe or block it. Older clay drains near mature trees are the most at risk.