How to rod a drain?

29th February 2020


	How to rod a drain


	Shop for Drain and Chimney Rods


			If you are unfortunate enough to find you have a blocked drain, read our simple guide to locating the blockage and clearing the obstruction to allow your drains to work effectively once more.

			How will I know if my drains are blocked?
			You will know if your drain is blocked because waste water will not drain, toilet water will not flush away and drain manhole covers may start to overflow – or you may be able to smell the problem!

			Locating the blockage
			Step 1 – Lift manhole cover First, lift the drain or manhole cover nearest to your house, using either a manhole key, or an appropriate lifting tool. Shop for manhole keys

			Step 2 – Check chamber is empty If the chamber is empty, the blockage is somewhere further back towards the soil pipe at the house.

			Step 3 – Locate blockage If there is water in the manhole chamber, the blockage is either located further down the pipe towards the mains sewer or in the inspection chamber itself.

			Clearing the blockage
			Step 1 – Connect rods together Connect the first two drain rods together, and screw the plunger tool onto the end of the rods. Wonkee Donkee advises using a spanner to tighten the joint to prevent it from coming apart.

			Step 2 – Insert plunger Insert the plunger into the blocked pipe from the empty chamber. Keep adding drain rods as you go until you feel the blockage, turning the rods in a clockwise direction.

			Remember, if your rods have universal joints, you must only turn the rods in a clockwise direction to avoid unscrewing the rods.

			Step 3 – Push and pull rods Push and pull until you feel the blockage start to give way. If it won’t, then remove the rods and try a double worm screw tool instead of the plunger, repeating the process. Shop for Lockfast fittingsShop for Universal fittings

			Step 4 – Replace manhole Once you are sure you have cleared the blockage, don’t forget to fit the manhole lid back in place.



			Interceptor chambers
			In older properties, you may have what is called an interceptor chamber, and clearing one of these is a little more tricky. They are usually housed in rectangular manholes with brick sides. Interceptor chambers are generally the last chamber before the drain meets the main sewer. The lower pipe is essentially a U-bend, which, like that in a toilet, remains filled with water to stop smells coming back up from the sewer. The higher pipe usually has a lid on and is only used to empty the manhole if the U-bend is blocked.

			Using the drain rods, find the cover on the higher pipe (it sometimes has a chain on it), then pull the lid from the pipe. You will see all the waste drain from the manhole. Once it is clear, you should unblock the bottom drain with the u-bend using the drain rods, then replace the cover of the top part of the interceptor drain.

			Once you are sure you have cleared the blockage, don’t forget to fit the manhole lid back in place.