Our Services

Drains seem to have a nasty habit of blocking at the most inconvenient time. Last thing at night, just before you are due to leave for a holiday, you name it! Premier Drainage Services Ltd are here to help with your blocked drains no matter when you need us, day or night.

Your drains could be blocked for many reasons. Sometimes it could be because you have put something down the toilet or sink that causes the blockage, maybe a neighbour has and it backs up to your property, or it may be down to a damaged drainage pipe owing to root intrusion. Quite often, the blockage could have been avoided.

People often disposed of items in toilets and sinks that should have gone into a bin or compost heap. Items such as waste food, fat, grease, sanitary wipes, disposable nappies and a host of other non flushable objects.

The reason these are disposed of down the toilet or sink is often because people don’t want to encourage flies by placing them into a refuse bin in the home or garden, but by double bagging waste food and sanitary items, you will prevent flies from gaining access to them and could be saving yourself the worry, inconvenience and expense of a blocked drain.

Whether it’s a straight forward unblocking procedure required or a more complex problem, such as tree roots or a damaged pipe, Premier Drainage Services Ltd have an expert team of fully trained and insured drainage engineers who are on hand to solve the problem fast, 24/7.

Using the latest techniques and equipment, our drainage experts will quickly and effectively clean and unblock your drains to ensure they are free flowing and your drains are back to working order in no time. No matter what the problem is, Premier Drainage Services Ltd will have the drain clearing and cleaning solution.

Our drain unblocking and cleaning services include:

• We clear all drain blockages quickly and effectively
• we can carry out drain and sewer cleaning
• Root cutting and repair of damage caused by the roots
• Drain and sewer investigation, using the latest CCTV technology to discover the problem and make a targeted repair
• We even offer a regular cleaning service to prevent the need for an emergency call out.

Premier Drainage Services Ltd offer a first class 24/7 emergency service throughout the Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Essex and North London areas. Premier Drainage Services Ltd are on hand every time you need us.

A rapid response to any drain cleaning issue

There is nothing worse than a blocked drain, it can prevent you from bathing, using the washing machine and can rapidly become a health hazard. Premier Drainage Services Ltd understand that a blocked drain can be a serious problem, not just in the home, but in commercial premises too. A blocked drain can effectively stop a business from operating until it’s cleared.

Drain cleaning and repair by the professionals

With Premier Drainage Services Ltd, our customers can have complete confidence in our company, as all of our drainage engineers have had extensive training to ensure they are up to the task in hand. All work carried out by our fully trained team is fully guaranteed for our customers peace of mind.

Regular preventative drain cleaning available

We know that a regime of regular drain cleaning will keep your drains in good condition for longer. A regular clean will prevent the gradual build up that can lead to a major blockage. After all, you have a chimney swept regularly, why not treat your drainage system in a similar fashion? Just ask us to tell you about our preventative maintenance cleaning service, it could prevent an emergency call out at a later date!

Bluelight is the very latest method of curing CIPP installations.

Bluelight is simple, extremely cost effective and a very safe solution for CIPP lining, Bluelight uses the latest in available technology using a system that was developed by installers for installers. This alone has ensured that the technology delivers exactly what it is supposed to, because the developers knew precisely what was required to get the job done efficiently and quickly, with the minimum amount of fuss and stress for the property owner.

We’ve all been there! Pullout the sink or basin plug and no water drains away, flush the toilet and the soiled water rises dangerously close to the rim, or the drain in the garden backs up, flooding the patio with filthy, smelly waste water. There is no doubt that blocked drains are a real pain and they need clearing quickly.

Premier Drainage Services Ltd have a 24/7 call out service for Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Essex and North London, so drain clearance has never been so easy. Premier Drainage Services Ltd service your home or commercial property in no time, using the latest technology and leaving you with free flowing drains and pipes.

Whatever the problem is with your drains, a blocked toilet, a blocked sink, or overflowing drains, Premier Drainage Services Ltd can help. Our drainage specialists will get you back to normal as quickly as possible.

Inspections prior to drain clearance

We’ve seen it all! Disposable nappies, huge build ups of kitchen fat, even dearly departed pet guinea pigs who were disposed of down the toilet. Frankly it’s a bit of an eye opener what some people dispose of down the toilet. But before we can unblock a drain, we need to determine where the blockage actually is and this is where our drain inspections come in.

Our drain inspections will find the source of the problem and see its exact location, so we can effectively tackle the blockage and give you advice on how to prevent the blockage from happening again in the future and the best way to maintain your drains.

We even offer a preventative routine cleaning service so that emergency drain clearance will no longer be required. By preventing future problems occurring, you can save yourself money and the inconvenience of a blocked drain. We use CCTV drain inspection methods which will identify any problems that may cause a blockage now or in the future.

CCTV Drain Surveys

Our team of drain clearance engineers will deal with any size drain and we have the latest, cutting edge equipment to take on the most serious blockages, quickly and at a very competitive price.

We carry out CCTV surveys to find out exactly what the blockage is, where it is in the pipe and the best way to stop
it from happening again.

Once we have identified the source of the problem, we commence our drain clearance service to return your drainage system to perfect working order. This may involve a simple drain clearance, repairs or maintenance.

Expert drain clearance

Should your drain require unblocking, please call us today. Premier Drainage Services Ltd have years of experience and we provide professional and expert services to help our customers with their drainage problems for both domestic and commercial properties.

Whether you have a blocked toilet or a blocked sink, Premier Drainage Services Ltd will always find a solution. We provide an efficient service that gets to the cause of the problem every time.

When you need drain clearance

Not all drain issues involve a complete blockage, so an overflowing toilet or drain may not be the first sign.

If there is an unpleasant smell coming from your drains, the chances are you have a blocked drain. The smell is often caused by an accumulation of debris from food. Even rinsing off the plates after the Sunday roast before placing them in the dishwasher can cause blockages over time, particularly with fatty foods such as lamb.

Frequently if you can hear an unusual sound as the water drains from your sink, then this is another sign of a blockage.

If the water in your sink takes longer than usual to drain, then this means you may have a build up of debris in your pipes, causing a blockage. The debris will attract more of the same and over time the pipes will become like a clogged artery, eventually resulting in a complete blockage and requiring drain clearance.

Should the water level rise when you flush the toilet, then this is another sign of a drainage issue. This could be caused by items being flushed down the toilet that shouldn’t be flushed in the first place. Items such as disposable nappies and wet wipes are the usual culprit.

Blocked sinks are a pain, but a blocked toilet can be a potential disaster. Severe blockages can cause flooding of effluent waste, the smell is awful and you will be unable to use the toilet until the blockage is cleared. The very last thing you want is human waste all over your carpet or seeping through your floorboards or ceiling.

So if you are in need of drain clearance, call Premier Drainage Services Ltd today for a free no obligation quote.

Blocked drains are a pretty common occurrence for one reason or another. We usually think that the reason our water is backing up or the water rises dangerously close to the rim in the toilet when flushed is because a foreign object is obstructing the flow, but this isn’t always the case.

Sometimes the drain itself is damaged and requires repairing. A drainage pipe section can move out of alignment causing a blockage, they can crack, causing foul water to make an area in the garden boggy, or roots from trees can break through the pipes, causing a serious blockage.

Before we consider the need for drain repairs, we first rule out simpler blockages. These are often caused by one of the following:

• Sanitary products
• Nappies
• Paper towels
• Dental floss
• Grease, oil or fat
• Cotton wool
• Filters from cigarettes

Once we have eliminated one of the above causes, the chances are that you require a drain repair.

Drain Repair Service

If you have a broken or blocked drain, you need to get it repaired as soon as possible. Premier Drainage Services Ltd will inspect, diagnose and carry out the necessary drain repairs in no time at all. We use CCTV technology to locate the damage, enabling us to repair your drains, getting your water and services flowing properly again.

Our team of drainage engineers are always on hand to repair drains at residential and commercial premises 24/7.

When there is no need to excavate or replace damaged pipework, we offer a service that involves no digging to avoid unnecessary disturbance of the land, this is particularly reassuring if you have an expensive patio you don’t want dug up. Using a technique called CIPP (Cured In Place Pipe) patch lining, we make lasting repairs to your drain with minimal disruption. This involves positioning a patch, which is a short piece of CIPP liner which is wrapped around an inflatable packer. Once in place, the packer is inflated leaving the patch to form a new lining to that section of pipe.

Drain and sewage repairs

Some minor blockages can be solved with a thorough clean, but persistent blockages and sewage backups could well mean that you have a collapsed drain. With our state of the art CCTV survey, our drainage engineers can investigate the damage and determine the exact location to fix the issue at its source.

Damp and mold are another sign that you may need a drain repair carrying out. You may have a leaking or collapsed drain and this should be repaired as quickly as possible to prevent further damage or risk to health. Our drainage engineers will diagnose your issue, detect a leak or broken drain and repair it quickly and at a very competitive price.

Repairing Your Drain

Our expert drainage engineers are on call 24/7 to help customers in Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Essex and North London. Should you require our services for broken and blocked drains, we are only a phone call away.

Once we find the cause of your drainage issues, we can offer the best solution for effective, long lasting repairs. Our drainage engineers are experts in tackling drainage problems, from blocked and collapsed drains to compromised soak-aways.

To keep your drainage system in tip top working order, we even offer a preventative maintenance service that will prevent build up of debris that could lead to a blockage and we can detect the start of problems such as subsidence, root intrusion and cracks before they become a major issue.

Roots from trees and shrubs can also be the cause of damage to drainage pipes and we are able to remove the offending roots prior to drain repair in a number of ways.

Chemical root removal method

A quick word about chemical root removal, we don’t employ this method! This chemical solution is where a solution of herbicide is introduced into a drainage system and the roots then wither and die. The reason we will not use this method is because we are concerned about any potential risk to rivers and water courses, we always like to consider any negative impact on the environment.

So for a fast, efficient and environment safe drain repair service, call Premier Drainage Services Ltd today.

Premier Drainage Services Ltd are the company to call when you are looking for drainage repair, re-lining, CCTV drain surveys or drainage installation.

Our drainage engineers have many years of experience resolving every kind of drainage problem, from the smallest to the biggest kind of drainage job. Premier Drainage Services Ltd pride ourselves on the fact that most of our new customers have been recommended to us by other satisfied customers.

All our drainage engineers are carefully selected and fully trained. We ensure our engineers and supervisors are NRSWA (New Road & Street Works Act 1991), and Confined Space accredited, to allow us to repair, replace and maintain pipework in the public highway in accordance with Heath and Safety Regulations and Local Authorities Regulations.

Premier Drainage Services Ltd specalise in drain lining, which is a lining sleeve, which is impregnated with a polyester resin fibre and offers quality and strength superior to the original pipe material. This is inserted along the length of the damaged drain. It is then moulded into place using air or water pressure and left to cure.

New drainage pipe installation

Sometimes, lining and re-lining existing pipes just will not be enough to fix a drainage issue. This is particularly the case if the drainage pipe has collapsed, making a patch lining ineffective. In cases such as this, a new course of drainage pipe has to be laid.

Other times when new drainage pipes have to be installed is when a new property has been built or an entire drain or sewage system requires replacing.

Drainage pipe installation by the best!

When only the best service will do, call Premier Drainage Services Ltd. We are drainage repair and installation experts for the Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Essex and North London area and we are called ‘Premier’ for a very good reason.

Premier Drainage Services Ltd can repair and install your drainage quickly, efficiently and professionally, and all at a price that won’t break the bank. So should you be looking for a complete upgrade to your drainage systems or you think your drainage system needs serving or repair, give us a call today.

Our dedicated team of drainage repair and drainage pipe installation experts will repair and install drainage systems, pipework, and sewage systems without destroying your property. We always do our level best to minimise disruption to your property and when excavation is unavoidable, we ensure a clean, tidy job and make good as far as practicable on completion.

No matter how big or small your drainage repair or drainage pipe installation requirements are, Premier Drainage Services Ltd are always on hand to help.

Drainage pipe installation services we offer

Commercial drainage pipe installation

Premier Drainage Services Ltd offer commercial drain installation. Our work involves CCTV drainage surveys, all the way through to the drainage pipe installation itself.

Domestic drainage pipe installation

Premier Drainage Services Ltd offer quality domestic drainage pipe installation to many customers in the Home Counties. We make all the necessary connections to public sewers as well as land drainage. Premier Drainage Services Ltd strive to ensure there is minimal disruption to your home, your family or your business, by carrying out the the drain pipe installation quickly, efficiently and professionally, at a surprisingly competitive price.

Other drainage services we offer

Remember that Premier Drainage Services Ltd offer so much more than just drainage pipe installation. We also repair, line, re-line drainage pipes. We carry out CCTV drainage surveys, unblock drains and pipes, carry out root removals that have damaged sewer and drainage pipes. We really are a one stop shop for all your drainage requirements.

Drainage pipe installation that lasts

Our drainage pipe installation and repairs are carried out to ensure you have many years of trouble free drainage. The impact damaged and leaking drainage pipes can have on a property, as well as you and your families health are not to be underestimated. This is why choosing Premier Drainage Services Ltd is such a good call.

Why not call our professional drainage repair and drainage pipe installation team in today?

Premier Drainage Services Ltd believe that drain lining is a repair option that is more cost effective than a major excavation. Drain lining causes minimal disruption to the surrounding land and offers many additional benefits, such as an increased water flow rate and the prevention of tree root intrusion into the pipe work.

Drain lining is avery effective way of getting your drain fixed if you are experiencing any of the following:

• Nasty odours coming from drains or plug holes
• leaks, wet patches, mould or dampness
• obvious blockages
• slow drainage from sinks and basins
• damage to the property walls or ground surrounding the building
• subsidence in the vicinity of drains.

Our team of professional drainage engineers can line or re-line your drain quickly with the minimum disruption. We use the best and most advanced technologies to identify your drainage problem and remedy it as quickly as possible and at a surprisingly low cost.

Please don’t be put off by the affordability of this service, our drain lining is thorough and very long lasting. Not all quality services have to attract an eye watering charge!

Drain and sewer re-lining process

The very first thing we do is to clear any debris or blockages from your drains, and then conduct a comprehensive CCTV survey to identify any further issues to be addressed.

Premier Drainage Services Ltd formulate a detailed treatment plan, which may involve an entire line or re-line of the pipe work. Should the cracks be small or joints are simply misplaced we my opt for a patch repair. In this case there is no need to excavate or replace the damaged pipework, in fact it involves no digging at all. Using a technique called CIPP (Cured In Place Pipe) patch lining, we make lasting repairs to your drain with minimal disruption. This involves positioning a patch, which is a short piece of CIPP liner which is wrapped around an inflatable packer. Once in place, the packer is inflated leaving the patch to form a new lining to that section of pipe.

Finally, we carry out any required work quickly, cleanly and professionally.

While lining or re-lining the drain or sewer may not be suitable in every situation, we can provide other solutions such as traditional excavation and repair work. Examples where lining and re-lining are not an option would be where drains have collapsed. Whatever method we employ to repair your drain or sewer, our ultimate goal is to keep your house and family safe and dry.

For drain and sewer re-lining work at unbeatable prices, call Premier Drainage Services Ltd today for a free, no obligation quote.

Remember also that we offer a 24/7 emergency call out service throughout the Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Essex and North London areas.

High pressure water jetting drain cleaning and descaling

Generally speaking, the majority of us don’t worry too much about blocked drains. We have dishwashers and washing machines that empty hot water laced with detergent into the drains on a regular basis. We occasionally put the odd cup full of soda crystals down the sink to keep things clean and fresh, so how can the drains become blocked?

The truth is that all drains will eventually become soiled with certain deposits, no matter how clean you are. For starters, the drain will most likely be located underground and outside the main building, making it quite a cold place. Deposits containing fats will very quickly solidify in cold drains and pipes, often resulting in the eventual build up of what’s known as a ‘fatberg’. So no matter how much hot water is left to run away through the drain, it cools rapidly and doesn’t have the requisite power to dislodge accumulations of debris that have built up there.

You should also keep in mind that the drains and pipes may well be shared with another property, or even several and who knows what they are disposing of down their sinks?

Premier Drainage Services have the solution and that is to use high pressure water jets to dislodge any build up within the drains to ensure you keep a good flow. But surely anyone who owns a pressure washer can achieve similar results themselves, or can they? The simple answer is no! Try putting the end nozzle of your pressure washer down the drain and depressing the trigger. After you have dried yourself down from all the dirty water that has just erupted from the drain, probably going in your eyes and mouth and covering you from head to toe, give us a call to get the job done properly and safely.

What is high pressure water jetting?

High pressure water jetting is a simple yet very effective method of blasting highly pressurised water out of a small nozzle. The water force generated will cut through any debris that has built up in your drains and pipes.

High pressure water jetting is so effective, even other industries use it under a different name. The more aggressive terms used are hydro blasting and water cutting, yes you can actually cut through some materials with a ultra strong and concentrated jet of water. To illustrate this, many people avoid even the more domestic pressure washers being used on their car paintwork for fear that the paint could be damaged. Pointing of garden pavers can easily be forced out and coatings of wood preservative can easily be stripped down to bare wood, even splintering the material under such pressure.

How much pressure is involved in our high pressure water jetting?

Our high pressure water jetting appliances can reach pressures of up to 15,000 psi and trust us when we say that nothing is standing in the way of that much water force. Premier Drainage Services use these powerful jets with such precision, that we never damage anything other than the built up debris blocking your drains and pipes.

High pressure water jetting is the best way to cut through and blast away any debris that has accumulated not only within, but around or even attached to a drain or pipe work.

High pressure water jetting and descaling

Our high pressure water jetting does not stop at simply unblocking a drain, it thoroughly cleans and even descales the target areas too. Sure you want any old fat, detergent or food deposits removed, but the pressure is so intense it is capable of breaking up everything from rust and scale to laquers, paints and even cement build up. Think about it, we clean our paint and varnish brushes out under the tap and sweep cement dust down the drain after a day of DIY in the garden, so it all adds up to a clogged up drain in time.

The jet created is under such high pressure, that no blockage will stand a chance. The water jet will effectively remove everything found in the drainage and sewer system, so that the drain is able to flow freely once again. Better still, high pressure water jetting is also an environmentally friendly solution for cleaning and descaling sewers and drains, as it uses no harsh chemicals that could damage the environment.

High pressure water jetting and descaling also eliminates the need to excavate the pipework in most cases. That fact alone is going to save you having your patio or lawn ruined, whilst saving you time and money.

Where does the waste go after cleaning?

Don’t worry about the dislodged debris being left for you to clear up either, as our team of professionals will arrange the collection and disposal of any waste remaining after the pipe descaling and cleaning has been completed.

Root cutting to clear your drains

Not many people realise that the intrusion of roots is such a problem when it comes to drainage systems. How can roots penetrate what is essentially a closed system to carry away mainly liquid waste?

There are a number of reasons why roots can end up blocking your drains. Surface roots could potentially creep down an open drain and work their way along, although this is likely to be noticed before it can take hold and become a problem. The smallest of cracks can allow tiny roots to work their way into the pipe or drain, eventually growing to such an extent that a complete blockage occurs, or breaking the pipe still further. More aggressive roots may even be able to break into a pipe or drain causing major issues. The problem with root ingress is that it occurs underground, so the first you will know about it is when your water starts to drain slowly or stops draining altogether.

What do roots block drains?

The simple answer to this question is because tree and plant roots will always be attracted to water and there is no shortage of that in a drain or sewer system. So the roots will enter the pipe or drain through the smallest crack and continue to thrive if left unchecked.

It should be remembered that when roots enter a drain they can very quickly fill the entire inside causing a total blockage. Not only that, but the root mass can become so large and tightly packed that it may even break through other parts of the pipe or drain, causing and even bigger problem.

Is root cutting enough?

Should you have an issue with roots intruding into your drains and pipes, the chances are that you already have a breach somewhere in the pipe. You may have the roots cut away, but they always attempt to grow back, which causes the same problem again in the not too distant future. Fortunately Premier Drainage Services are experts at dealing with the removal of roots, drain and pipe repairs and the relining of damaged drains to prevent it happening again.

The root cutting process

Premier Drainage Services remove intrusive roots from drainage systems with specialist root removal cutters which are powered by high pressure water. Best of all, our root cutting method removes the offending roots without having to excavate the land. This saves a lot of time, disruption, damage to the surrounding property and money with the end result being the full restoration of your water flow.

The root cutters look a little like circular hole saws like you could use to cut a round hole in a sheet of wood. These root cutters come in a range of diameters to match the inside of a whole range of pipe sizes.

Once we have removed the intrusive roots from the pipes and drainage system, we can install a drain lining to prevent the roots from returning and causing the problem from happening again.

Root cutting and drain relining is a speciality of ours at Premier Drainage Services. When you consider the amount of damage that can be done to a drainage system by roots, it’s good to know that you have an expert remedial company who are always on hand to help get your water flowing again.

It is also worth mentioning that drain clearance or damage that has been caused by roots can often be covered under your home insurance.

So if you have any issues with slow drainage or even a complete blockage, why not give us a call today. One of our specialist engineers can call to carry out a quick drain survey using CCTV technology to discover the root of the problem, pun intended and then we can get down to the business of root cutting, drain relining and getting you back to normal as soon as possible.

Why have a CCTV drain survey?

Having a CCTV drain survey conducted by Premier Drainage Services Limited will put your mind at rest! You will have any issues identified by the survey before they can develop into a serious problem.

So should you be plagued by a persistent fault in your drains, a CCTV drain survey could be the answer and will allow you to see the problem in full colour on our monitor. The pipe blockage could be anything from a collapsed pipe to a cuddly toy that has somehow found its way around the U-bend. All manner of household objects seem to find their way into drainage systems and CCTV camera drain surveys eliminate the need to excavate all the pipwork to diagnose the problem.

New Homebuyers should think about a CCTV drain survey

When buying a home, you want to ensure you will not be buying into a property with existing hidden problems and seeing what is going on in the drainage system for that property is always a sound idea.

Most of the time, a potential buyer will make up their mind with what they can see for themselves. The cautious buyer will couple that with any reports made by a surveyor. But even the best surveyor cannot possibly know what is going on below ground in the drainage pipes, this is where a CCTV drain survey can potentially save you a lot of money and stress.

It is quite surprising that few buyers give much, if any thought to the condition of the drains. It is only when issues start to become apparent, such as slow to empty sinks or water that collects near outside drains for too long, that they realise they have a drainage problem. that is until it becomes a problem.

This is why getting a reputable company like Premier Drainage Services to conduct a thorough CCTV Drain Survey makes good sense.

What is a CCTV drain survey?

Quite simply, a CCTV camera with sufficient lighting is fed through drainage pipes and the captured image is relayed to a monitor for viewing in real time. Any issues that are discovered can be easily pinpointed, making a repair far more targeted. A CCTV drain survey literally takes the guess work away from any drainage issue, removing the need to excavate areas where no excavation is actually required. This saves you time, money and any further inconvenience.

CCTV Drain Survey: Prevention is better than cure

You really shouldn’t wait to experience drainage issues before getting a CCTV drain survey. This is why so many prospective home buyers order one before signing on the dotted line, because they don’t want any nasty surprises further down the line. There is a whole raft of issues you could spot that if left untreated, could leave you with leaks, burst pipes, replacement fees, and possibly even structural damage to your new home.

A classic example would be the damage caused by roots from nearby trees. Nobody can see the potential for damage roots can do, until the damage has been done. Roots can be very deep underground and cause serious damage to pipes for drains and possibly even the property itself. Because roots naturally search for moisture and that is what your pipes carry, they are the prime target for invasive roots.

All it would take to gain a foothold would be a small gap in a misaligned joint or a single crack and the roots can grow inside causing untold damage. Once in contact with the plentiful supply of water, they grow and will continue to do so, at an alarming rate. The roots will widen any cracks or gaps in the drain, as well as blocking the pipe, the damage can be so extensive that you may have to entirely replace your drainage system, a CCTV drain survey could prevent all this hassle and expense.

Who is responsible for the drainage on your property?

The responsibility to maintain good, safe drainage is down to the current owner of the property and if your drainage is allowing sewerage to pollute water courses, it will be down to you to replace these systems. A CCTV drain survey can identify this as well as other issues. Remember, even if you never installed the bad drainage, as the current owner it will be you who is liable and you will have to pay to replace them.

A CCTV drain survey can also discover other issues such as where rats are getting into your property and also the source and cause of any surface flooding outside.

A CCTV drain survey can really save you a lot of money and grief if conducted before you exchange contracts too. Any issues discovered by a CCTV drain survey would need to be fixed by the seller if they wanted the sale to go through smoothly. If you wait until you have already bought the property, the responsibility becomes yours.

Premier Drainage Services Limited only employ skilled professionals

Premier Drainage Services Limited employ a small team of skilled engineers who really know their stuff. All of our personnel are fully trained to national standards and are equipped to deal with any situation. Should you require a CCTV camera drain survey, why not give us a call and we can even show you any obstructions in your pipework on the monitor. We carry the CCTV cameras on our vans and can check out any problems you have quickly, allowing us to determine what is the best course of action to rectify the situation.

No hidden charges or nasty surprises with Premier Drainage Systems Limited

At Premier Drainage Systems Limited, we give you a price up front, with no hidden charges. We break down the charges for everything we do so you stay fully informed. If we discover there is a problem with your drains that simply unblocking will not rectify, such as a sunken, cracked or collapsed drain, we won’t try to quote for major works but encourage you to check with your buildings insurance. We frequently liaise with our customers insurers directly to help manage the entire process for you, thus removing all the worry for you. Once the go ahead from the insurance company has been granted, we can start work to quickly and safely repair your drainage system.

Premier Drainage Services Limited look after their clients

All of our engineers take the utmost care when working on your drainage system and ensure the disruption is kept to an absolute minimum. The CCTV camera drain survey is an efficient method of diagnosing a problem without the need to dig up your garden, we don’t just go for a quick fix! We will frequently suggest other solutions to problems should we identify them, such as having a watertight non return valve fitted to help prevent waste water or sewage backing up the drainage pipes in flood prone areas.

Locating, identifying and measuring depth of drainage pipes

Sometimes you will need to find the exact location and depth of the drains and services located at your property and the best way to do this is with a procedure known as sonar sewer and drain tracing.

Many people have a CCTV drain survey conducted and this will offer a good deal of information about their drainage system. The sort of information collected by CCTV surveys would be the overall condition of the drains, the size of the pipes, the type of pipes used for drainage and the invert levels. One thing that the CCTV survey will not show is the exact location and depth of the pipes present.

Drain tracing prior to home improvements

Often the practice of drain tracing comes into play when someone is intending to make some home improvements that involve the construction of an extension, conservatory or garage. Clearly you won’t want to blindly build without knowing if there’s drainage on your land, and if there is where it is and the depth of it too.

It is also important to remember that if you are having such building works carried out on your property and it is within three metres of a public sewer, or within one metre of a public lateral drain, you will need the approval of your local authority before work can begin.
You should also remember that it is your responsibility to show the exact locations of your drains, although your local water authority will be able to provide you with a map of the local sewers. It is likely though that the information they provide may well be out of date and may not be as accurate as it could be, owing to additions or changes that may have taken place over the years.

How does drain tracing actually work?

A transmitter is attached to the head of a CCTV drain camera and placed in the drain, pipe or sewer and sent in the direction required.

The transmitter will then send out a sonar pulse and our drainage engineer is able to follow it above ground using the receiver. The pulse signal is sent out from the transmitter in a circular or arch configuration.

Our specialist drainage engineer will then adjust the receiver to minimise the signal to pin point the receiver. Once this is achieved, the engineer will know that they will be directly over the top of the transmitter.

By pin pointing the receiver, this will give the exact location and crucially, the depth of the drain.

Sonar tracing when used in conjunction with CCTV can positively identify the source, condition and route of existing drains. With this information considerable amounts of money can be saved, by using the existing drainage instead of having to lay new pipework.

Using the method described above can do away with the need to excavate areas of your property needlessly. Clearly excavation works can be very expensive and disruptive, damaging some surfaces beyond economical repair.

What is dye testing?

Drain testing dyes, or tracing dyes as they are sometimes called, are colourful liquids or powders that are dissolved in water. They are used to trace water, which can provide you analysis to work out things such as the direction of water flow, the speed of water flow, or if there are any leaks, and if so where they are located.

Dye testing has been used for many years both for drainage issues as well as determining where swallow holes in the earth led to. A swallow hole that appeared in a Hertfordshire woodland area was dye tested and the dye stained water surfaced in a town many miles away.

Dye testing tells us a lot about your drainage

At Premier Drainage Services, we have been carrying out dye testing for many years.Dye testing enables us to discover exactly where the water is going, any leaks or any other issues. The great thing about dye testing is that it can be used on very complex pipe runs of any diametre.

The dye testing process

There are several reasons drainage systems may require a dye testing procedure. Let’s face it, drains and pipework that is underground is already pretty inaccessible, making them difficult to investigate. Add to this a very complex drainage structure, then trying to work out where the water is supposed to drain to can be even more frustrating. This can all be made worse if schematic plans of the drainage system are lost or outdated. Dye testing is often an invaluable tool in our quest to discover drainage issues and thus find a solution.

Dye testing is also a very useful method of determining the flow or other issues with pipework when the CCTV equipment used for normal drain surveys is too big for the size of pipework being examined.

Dye testing for sub ground areas

Sub ground parts of properties such as basements and cellars can be adversely affected to excess water. Actually working out exactly what the source of the water is can be very time consuming and therefore quite expensive. Before any remediation can be carried out, the drainage specialist must be able to tell where the water is flowing from in the first place and dye testing is the ideal way to discover this source. Dye testing preparations can be obtained in different colours and may come in the form of powders or tablets.

Dye testing can save time and money

When there is a problem with drainage, particularly when the pipework is very complex and of a small diametre, dye testing can save a great deal of time and money.

The very last thing you want is to have your property or garden excavated in order to discover where a blockage, leak or fault in the pipe is located. By seeing where the heavily coloured water is coming from will enable us to zero in on the source of the problem and get it fixed with the minimum of damage and disruption to your property.

When you consider that Premier Drainage Services have many years of expertise in the drainage industry, combined with the use of CCTV drain surveys, as well as dye testing, it is hardly a surprise to know that we are the go to drainage specialist in the South East of England.

Water testing

From time to time we all have issues with our water supply. Sometimes the change can be slight and other times the difference in the water quality can be significant.

We would all expect our water to be as pure as the driven snow when we turn on our taps, after all, we pay water companies enough money for our water supply and sewerage services, so what could possibly go wrong?

Occasionally our tap water takes on the smell of a wet dog and this can be quite worrying. However, many water authorities state that a change in the taste of your water, a even a colour change, may not necessarily be a health concern. Having said that, it is still important to understand the source of the smell and take steps to eliminate it so you can enjoy better tasting, looking and smelling tap water.

Some common reasons why your water could smell like a damp dog may include concentrations of metal in your water pipes, organisms and bacteria, chemicals used to remove those organisms or just some environmental contaminants local on where you live.

If you do get a waft of that wet dog coming from your tap water, it will more likely be from the hot water pipe, although sometimes it will be from the cold tap, mostly during the summer months.

If your water comes into your home from a municipal treatment facility, the wet dog smell is most probably safe as that water is tested on a regular basis by professionals. If the water comes from a private well, bacteria could well be to blame. Well water does tend to accumulate more bacteria than regularly treated sources.

What is water testing?

Water testing is a very broad description for various procedures used to analyse water quality. Millions of water quality tests are carried out daily by the various water authorities to fulfill regulatory requirements and to maintain safety, but what about on a local and more specific level should you be experiencing issues with your water supply?

How to resolve the problem

Identify the taps where the strange smelling water is coming from and ask your water to be tested by us. For example, if your kitchen supply, usually straight from the mains supply is good, but the upstairs supply, taken from an attic tank smells or looks strange, you may well have contamination in that tank. We can check out the tank and take the necessary action. Similarly, should the offending water be coming from the mains tap, we can carry out a water test to see if that too is contaminated. A independant report on your water quality from us will certainly help with any claim against the local water authority.

What causes the smell?

There are signs you can look for in your home to determine the source of the wet dog smell. There are a natural amount of minerals and metals in your water, but sometimes larger concentrations of metal in your pipes can affect the smell of your water. Lead, copper, magnesium, iron, and sodium can build up over time in your plumbing and affect your water supply.

Organisms and bacteria can also build up in your water supply. Both plastic and metal water pipes can build up mineral deposits over time. They may serve as a breeding ground for bacteria, which can cause your water to have an unpleasant smell. Even the chemicals used to remove these organisms can also cause your water to smell. The smell in your water could also be caused by sulfur, which can make your water smell like rotten eggs rather than the usual doggy smell.

What Should You Do?

Short of contacting your local water authority, a good move would be to give us a call and we can carry out some water testing at your property. The cause could be the pipework and we will be able to advise you as to the right remedial action.

The last thing anyone wants is smelly tap water, whether it be drinking or washing water. With a quick water testing procedure, we will be able to determine what is going on and the best way to rectify it.

Lateral cutting and pipe bursting

Pipe bursting is known to be a proven method for replacing underground pipelines and is the only method of pipeline fixing and replacement other than open cut excavation that can increase the size of an existing utility without trenching.

Residential and commercial sewer lateral pipes often run from the building to the local authority or water company controlled sewer, with little, or very limited access available. These lateral pipes have been constructed of many different materials over the many years including cast iron, clay, asbestos cement and PVC. Although each type of existing pipe will have its own failure modes, the need for replacement of these pipelines is a constantly growing market.

One of the biggest complications with this is in determining exactly where the property owners responsibility ends and the water authority or county council responsibility begins.

Causes of damage to pipes

Many pipes become damaged and fail because of invasive root growth, joints can become offset due to ground movement, there may also be issues of corrosion and other factors that bring about failure.

What is lateral pipe bursting?

Pipe bursting is a trenchless method of replacing buried pipelines such as sewer, water, or natural gas pipes, without the need for a traditional construction trench. Launching and receiving pits replace the trench needed by conventional pipe laying.

There are five key pieces of equipment used in a pipebursting operation: the expander head, pulling rods, a pulling machine, a retaining device, and a hydraulic power pack.

Modern expander heads have a leading end much smaller in diameter than the trailing or bursting end, small enough to fit through the pipe that will be replaced. The smaller leading end is designed to guide the expander head through the existing pipe; earlier models did not have this feature and lost course at times, resulting in incomplete pipe bursts and project failures.

The transition from the leading end to the trailing end can include fins that make first contact with the existing pipe. Using these fins as the primary breaking point is a very effective way to ensure that the pipe is broken along the entire circumference.

A machine is set in the receiving pit to pull the expander head and new pipe into the line. The head is pulled by heavy, interlocking links that form a chain. Each link weighs several hundred pounds.

All of the equipment used in a pipe bursting operation is powered by one or multiple hydraulic power generators.

Pipe bursting may also be used to expand pipeline carrying capacity by replacing smaller pipes with larger ones, or upsizing. Extensive proving work by the gas and water industries has demonstrated the feasibility of upsizing gas mains, water mains and sewers. Upsizing from 100mm to 225mm diameter is now well established, and pipes of up to 36 inch diameter and greater have been replaced.

Why lateral pipe bursting?

Lateral pipe bursting has come about for several key reasons. Firstly, the method is very well suited for lateral drainage pipe replacement. It provides a trenchless option for lateral replacement that makes use of the existing pipework and allows for increase in size of the original host pipe diameter. That fact alone is extremely useful on jobs where pipework is being replaced because of capacity issues.

The lateral pipe bursting system needs to be portable. Being able to travel from job to job with the equipment in the van is important to us. Also the lateral pipe bursting system needs to have the power to burst size to size and even upsize existing pipework. Finally, the lateral pipe bursting system needs to be affordable and easy to for us to use.

Deep excavation and repairs

Premier Drainage Services offers a deep excavations and repairs service for their customers. The deep excavations and repairs we carry out are not just for our domestic customers, but our commercial ones too, no job is too big or too small for us.

Deep excavation is required for drain or sewer repairs where we have dig down a considerable depth, often up to fifteen feet deep or more to carry out repairs to the damaged pipework.

Deep excavation and repairs for the commercial sector

This is mostly required for large commercial buildings, but can also apply to domestic premises, particularly older properties. Deep excavation is needed to repair a buildings damaged drains without actually damaging the buildings foundation or disturbing electricity cables or gas supply pipes.

Everyone we employ at Premier Drainage Services have the qualifications and experience to carry out this procedure. After all, before you start digging anywhere, you need to know what is buried, how deep and any potential hazards that lurk below the soil surface. It is for the aforementioned reasons that we always recommend calling in the professionals to get the job done.

Deep excavation and repairs for the domestic market

As mentioned above, we carry out deep excavation and repairs to pipes and drainage systems at residential properties too. This is often where there are several sewer connections entering the property within quite a confined space. The main drain pipe feeding the property often becomes damaged because of root intrusion from nearby vegetation. This ends up fracturing or causing joints to separate and move, creating a sever blockage. Domestic properties are more prone to this sort of issue as the garden can often be over populated with vegetation and often the wrong sort of shrubs or plants for the size of garden.

Deep excavation is required to rectify the problem whilst reducing the risk of disturbing nearby pipes and electrical cables. Once the excavation has been completed, the requisite repairs can be carried out and the earth can be replaced as quickly as possible.

Insist on the best for deep excavation and repairs

Because deep excavation repairs can be an invasive procedure, causing a good deal of disruption to the surrounding land, we strongly suggest you only trust this work to a professional company such as Premier Drainage Services.

Deep excavation repairs require very specialist skills because of the potential not just to cause damage to the land, but the other services that could be present. The engineer must ensure utility cables that supply gas or electricity are not disturbed or damaged during the repair process. We use state of the art sonar tracing equipment to ensure the work is carried out in a safe and responsible manner.

We advise strongly against DIY repairs as utility cables are very often laid within the same trench as the drain pipe. Disturbing and damaging the other utilities in the trench could cut off essential utilities and expose you to life threatening danger from exposure to flammable gas or unprotected electrical current.

What about any consent or permissions?

No need to worry about any paperwork giving permission for the work to be carried out, as we take care of that side of things for you.

In nearly all cases where deep excavation repairs need to be carried out on privately owned property, then the need for restrictive permissions and consent paperwork are unlikely. But, when deep excavation repairs take place on a public road or pavement, you must abide by the rules set out by the local authority in charge of that land. Because we know this can seem a little daunting to the average homeowner, we seek out the relevant permission of the local authority. This is a far better approach as we already have the relevant public liability insurance in place and the expertise to stay safe, keep you safe and keep other members of the public safe.

Before the deep excavation repairs begin

Before excavation has even started, we carry out a thorough pre dig survey. We regularly employ CCTV inspection methods to determine the exact location and cause of the problem.

Because deep excavation repairs can be so disruptive, before any excavation is started our engineers will consider the possibility of a less invasive procedure such as manhole to manhole relining. Should the pipe joints or lateral connections be damaged, then excavation will become necessary, as relining will no longer be an option

Pitch fibre reforming

Because of our top of the line equipment and expertise, we can restore deformed pitch fibre pipework to its original shape. This ensures that your drains will continue to deliver a steady and reliable service.

Drain pipes and drainage systems which have become damaged, deformed, cracked or may have even collapsed, can cause a wide range of problems for you and your property.

At Premier Drainage Services we use the finest pitch fibre reforming equipment to deliver a superb drain restoration service. We work at many homes and businesses to rectify whatever drainage issues they encounter.

You want your drainage system to work perfectly and we strive to ensure that your drains work as they should do. After all, drains are designed to carry waste and water away from your building, when this function breaks down, serious and costly property damage can be the end result.

How does pitch fibre reforming work?

When one thinks of drainage works being carried out, one usually imagines deep excavations and pipework stacked high ready for laying in the trenches, but this is not always the case.

We use high tension winches and reformers which are used to force the pipework back into the desired shape. This really is one of the simplest and most cost effective methods of repairing structural damage to your drainage system. The pipework may have become warped owing to an increase of pressure in the drainage system and we aim to reform the individual pipes and drains.

In conjunction with pitch fibre forming, drain lining is used. This is a structurally soft felt liner which goes on to be hardened to create a robust and reliable drainage solution. This felt liner will also prevent the original pipework from deforming again in the future.

How is drain lining coupled with pitch fibre reforming?

Once we have reformed the pitch fibre pipe, the drain lining will be inserted into the drainage system. It will be guided to the damaged area. Once firmly in place, the felt will be inflated to match the correct shape and then hardened. Drain lining felt is hardened by using high temperature water and chemicals which react to turn the soft felt lining into a hard and durable surface.

Once the drain lining process is completed, the pitch fibre pipework is returned to its original circular shape. This will create a very hard wearing drainage solution that resists further damage and it can last for many years to come.

Moling

In the construction industry, moling is a trenchless method used to lay pipes. During the moling process, a pneumatically driven machine known as a mole forces its way through the soil along the desired path of the pipe. It operates in much the same way as Moles themselves displace soil when digging their burrows.

Moling does away with the need to dig a deep trench and can be used to lay water pipes efficiently, without the disruption caused by digging trenches.

More recently, moles that are steerable have been developed to allow the operator to correct the track of the mole and to achieve curved bores, making moling a very useful method of pipe laying.

The standard approach to moling is to dig a hole about one metre square by two metres deep. Such a hole is small enough that it can be dug by hand instead of by machine. This fact alone opens up otherwise inaccessible locations. The mole is then inserted into the earth on the horizontal face at the bottom of the hole. A destination hole of similar proportions is also dug, and this is where the mole eventually emerges. The mole itself is a steel cylinder about sixty centimetres long and six centimetres in diameter. It works as a pneumatic cylinder with pulsed compressed air causing the head of the mole to repeatedly hammer against the soil in front of the mole. Once the mole has passed through the earth the pipe can be pulled through the long horizontal hole.

Drain moling repair

When a drain and the pipes become so badly damaged and beyond repair, they will need to be replaced. Premier Drainage Services often employ the drain moling method as it is such a convenient method to use. Drain moling allows us to replace the drain pipes without having to excavate a large area, this is particularly important as you won't want your entire garden dug up. The drain moling method can be used for the installation of any new pipes used for drainage purposes.

Why we use drainage moling

Because drainage moling is such a fast and easy way to repair a drain without having to dig up the land, we find many of our customers are quite keen for us to adopt this method of drainage pipe replacement.

We use a special piercing tool that creates a bore from compacting and moving the soil instead of digging it up. Moling can be the simplest and most cost effective way of installing a new drain pipe, mainly because there is no need to excavate large amounts of earth.

As drainage moling works by impacting the ground at the beginning of a drain pipe to move the earth to the sides while placing the new pipe inside, we find it a far less invasive method of drain pipe replacement. It stands to reason that moling is much quicker and more cost effective than other methods, after all, if you could avoid having to dig gaping great trenches, why wouldn't you?

Excavating the earth to repair collapsed or damaged drains can be expensive as it is rather labour intensive, plus it makes a mess as well as damaging the area to be worked on. Drain moling is a far more cost effective solution to replacing drain pipe work.

Drain moling is like an all in one drain replacement solution as firstly, it avoids the need for digging trenches; secondly it bores out the route for the new replacement pipework; and thirdly, it inserts the full lengths of pipe and all at the same time. So the whole job is quicker, cheaper and less damaging than traditional methods of drain replacement.

What is a trial hole?

Trial Holes, also known as Trial Pits, are a very time efficient and cost effective technique used in order to assess soil profiles, as well as groundwater conditions at a specific location.

They help surveyors and drainage workers to assess and confirm shallow foundation construction where there are existing utilities by deploying custom built machinery, or by manually digging out the area. At Premier Drainage Services, our qualified engineers provide trial holes to assess the ground conditions where there are Soakaways or excess water that fail to drain away in a reasonable time.

Trial holes are an effective way of determining how long standing water takes to soak away and gives a far better idea as to what steps need to be taken to remove said water quickly, safely and hygienically.

The problem is often where a patio has been laid incorrectly, or it may even be where lawns and soil borders remain waterlogged for longer than would be expected. Nobody wants a waterlogged garden and mud and dirty water can be trodden into the property, particularly if there are pets at the property.

Soakaways

A soakaway is a hole dug into the ground that is filled with coarse stone and rubble or plastic crates. It allows water to filter through it, and literally soak into the ground, in essence, taking the water away from that area, in particular, the surface.

Soakaways are used to manage surface water at its source, and serve as an alternative option to draining off surface water via a stream or sewer system.

Many dog owners have used purpose built dog waste disposal soakaways to get rid of their pets waste products. Unfortunately, if the ground in of a high clay content, these units will rapidly become overwhelmed and the householder is left with a very soggy, smelly patch in their garden. A trial hole procedure prior to installing one of these units could save you the headache of trying to remove an overflowing container full of dog waste at a later date. Not a pleasant task by any standard!

Trail holes are also as useful as the trial hole

Areas of gardens, fields or woodland that form part of a trail can also be subjected to standing ground water. This again depends on the composition of the soil. A trail hole works in the same way as the trial hole, to determine the reason why water will not drain as expected.

Because fixing trails in boggy areas is expensive and needs to be repeated periodically, discovering the reason why water will not drain away is paramount. Once we know the reason for the standing water, we can advise accordingly. The relocation of the problem section of trail could be the first consideration.

We can use trail or trial holes to discover suitable places to relocate trails to, somewhere they won’t be affected so drastically by standing water issues. After all, we wouldn’t want you to reroute a problem section of trail to another boggy piece of ground. If you do, the result will be two problem trail sections instead of just the one.