Should I use chemical drain cleaner first?

We would not. It rarely shifts a proper fat build-up, it makes the job unpleasant for whoever opens the pipe afterwards, and repeated use is not kind to older pipework. Cleaning the trap is quicker and free.

Why does it keep coming back?

Almost always fat and oil going down the kitchen sink and cooling on the pipe wall. Wiping pans out with kitchen roll before washing makes a bigger difference than anything else.

Blocked sinks

A slow sink is almost always fat, soap and food waste building up on the inside of the waste pipe until the bore is down to a few millimetres.

The fix is usually quick. What matters is whether it is just the trap, or whether the problem carries on out into the drain.

0113 418 281924 hours, 7 days a week · no call-out fee

Signs you are looking at this

Water draining away slowly, then eventually not at all
A smell from the plughole, particularly in a kitchen
The sink backing up when the dishwasher or washing machine empties
Both sides of a double sink filling when you drain one

How we deal with it

01Check the trap first. The u-bend under the sink catches most of it. Stripping and cleaning it solves a good proportion of calls.
02Clear the waste run. If the trap is clear the problem is further along, and we clear the run out to the stack or the gully.
03Check outside. If the waste pipe is clear too, the blockage is in the drain rather than the plumbing, and that is a different job.

What it costs

Hourly, from arrival, with no call-out charge. A sink is usually among the more straightforward jobs we get called to.

How our pricing works →

When you do not need it

This is genuinely one you can often do yourself. A bucket under the trap, unscrew it by hand, clean it out, screw it back. If that fixes it you have saved a call-out.

Common questions

Should I use chemical drain cleaner first?: We would not. It rarely shifts a proper fat build-up, it makes the job unpleasant for whoever opens the pipe afterwards, and repeated use is not kind to older pipework. Cleaning the trap is quicker and free.
Why does it keep coming back?: Almost always fat and oil going down the kitchen sink and cooling on the pipe wall. Wiping pans out with kitchen roll before washing makes a bigger difference than anything else.

24 hours, 7 days a week

Sink not draining? Ring us.

We can usually tell you what is likely wrong before we set off, and roughly what it will take to put right.

0113 418 2819

No call-out charge. We only charge from arrival.