Closed job
Unblock downpipe drain
Job description
Published on 7 January 2025
A blocked downpipe drain. Ideally would like looked at this week when I am able to be home. Assume blocked with leaves, dirt, and other debris build up (no leaf guards in place in the gutters which I will sort out in near future). I have removed the upper plastic parts of the downpipe attached to the gutter (photo). The lower "very old" metal part of the downpipe (~1.8 metres) is not easily removable and is bolted to the house + painted over several times, and cemented to the ground/drain (photo). Water stands in the remaining downpipe when filled, but does drain extremely slowly (confirmed by filling the pipe to the brim and then leaving overnight). So water can still seep through the blockage eventually. I have had a DIY attempt at unblocking using a small and cheap manual drain auger. The snake reached around 2 metres down before contacting the blockage so I believe the blockage is not inside the remaining downpipe and is lower in the drain just below ground level. Using the auger, I was able to remove about 1 cup of broken-down leaf matter, a piece of masking tape, and two screws. After about an hour of this I have now given up and am seeking a professional plumber with professional grade unblocking tools. Other considerations of the job are: * A ladder is needed to access the opening to the pipe and look down it. I have one on site which can be used if required. * There is an awning around 1 metre above the pipe opening (photo). This would complicate the usage of any sort of long inflexible rod down the pipe. * The back door downstairs is near the drain (photo), so any use of large volumes of water (via pressurised jets etc) as a solution will need to consider waterproofing the door to not flood inside the downstairs property. Our tenant lives downstairs and is away until 12 Jan, but I am able to access her property if needed if waterproofing was required inside the door. * As a last resort, if the old attached/cemented downpipe makes access to the blockage impossible, I would accept removal of this downpipe. In this case that pipe would likely need to be fully replaced due to its age and remedial work carried out on the drain opening. We are planning some major renovations to the property later this year and would prefer to wait until then for that kind of work.
