What Causes Blocked Drains?
Most blocked drains come down to a handful of repeat offenders. Knowing what they are makes them much easier to avoid.
1. Grease and fat
Fat and cooking oil poured down a kitchen sink seems harmless when it's liquid, but it cools and solidifies inside the pipe, gradually narrowing the space water can pass through. Over time this builds into a hard blockage that rodding alone often can't fully clear — which is where high-pressure jetting usually comes in.
2. Wet wipes and sanitary products
Despite "flushable" labelling, most wet wipes don't break down the way toilet paper does. They catch on small imperfections inside the pipe and gradually build into a blockage, especially where multiple wipes combine with grease further down the line.
3. Hair
Bathroom drains are particularly prone to hair build-up, which binds with soap residue and forms a dense mass that's hard to clear by hand.
4. Tree root ingress
Tree roots are drawn to the moisture inside drain pipes and can enter through small cracks or loose joints, especially in older clay pipework common across Bedford's older streets. Once inside, roots expand and can eventually crack the pipe further. A CCTV survey is the only reliable way to confirm this is the cause.
5. Structural damage
Displaced joints, partial collapses and ground movement can all restrict flow even without any of the above. These usually need a camera survey to diagnose properly, followed by targeted repair or relining.
Simple habits that help
- Let fat and oil cool and bin it, rather than pouring it down the sink
- Use a drain strainer to catch hair before it goes down
- Bin wet wipes and sanitary products instead of flushing them
- Have drains checked if the same blockage keeps recurring in one spot