Drainage Services
Across London — Cleared,
Repaired, Signed Off.
Blocked sinks, baths, showers and toilets cleared. External drain jetting on inspection chambers and gullies. Waste pipework repaired and re-routed. Boiler condensate discharge fixed to comply with current Building Regulations — every job diagnosed before it's cleared.
Drainage done by the engineer, not by a marketing brand.
Most drainage work in London is a plumbing job — a blocked trap under a sink, a slow-emptying shower, a toilet that flushes but doesn't clear, a condensate discharge pipe frozen in a cold snap, an external inspection chamber backing up because the run to the street is silted. All of that is day-to-day work for a heating and plumbing engineer.
Chelsea Plumbing & Heating Co. covers internal and external drainage across London properties — sink and bath unblocking, shower waste re-routing, toilet clearance and diagnosis, condensate discharge relocation to Part L compliance, external drain jetting on residential inspection chambers, and drainage on refurb projects.
Suits homeowners with a recurring blockage they want diagnosed rather than repeatedly cleared, landlords needing a same-day fix in a let property, refurb clients whose new kitchen or bathroom layout needs waste pipework re-routing, and anyone whose boiler is 'losing pressure' because the condensate is actually the fault.
Where a job needs a CCTV survey, tanker or excavation it's outside a one-engineer scope — we say so up front, price only what we can do, and refer on cleanly to a specialist for the rest.
The reasons the same drain keeps blocking.
Repeat blockages almost always mean the fault isn't the blockage. A slow bathroom sink that clears with a plunger and blocks again a fortnight later is usually a trap that's the wrong shape for the run, a waste with too little fall, or a build-up in a downstream section that the plunger never reaches. Clearing it is the easy part — diagnosing why it's coming back is the value.
External inspection chambers that back up during heavy rain are frequently a symptom of collapsed clay pipe in the run to the street. Rodding it clears the chamber for the week; jetting clears it for the month; without the CCTV survey and repair, next winter it comes back worse.
Boiler condensate discharge pipework installed to older standards frequently freezes on cold nights and stops the boiler. It reads as a lockout fault on the boiler, gets diagnosed as 'the boiler broken,' and the real fix — re-routing the condensate to current Part L compliance — never gets quoted for.
- ×Pouring caustic drain unblocker into a plastic waste that isn't rated for it — the plastic weakens and the joint fails.
- ×Repeatedly rodding a chamber without ever running a CCTV survey — the collapse in the run to the street keeps returning.
- ×Refitting a bath waste with the wrong trap shape for the run — clears once, blocks again.
- ×Boiler condensate discharge in un-insulated small-bore pipework externally — first freeze and the boiler locks out.
- ×Sink waste connected without adequate fall (min 18mm per metre) — water sits in the run and blocks quickly.
- ×Assuming a toilet blockage is the toilet — often it's the soil stack downstream that's the actual problem.
A methodical system,
not a rushed callout.
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01DiagnoseBlockage or fault located, cause identified before clearing where possible — not just cleared without explanation.
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02IsolateCorrect isolation used — trap disconnect, mains-off or waste re-plumb chosen for minimum disruption.
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03Clear or repairManual rodding, hand-auger, jetting or component replacement — right tool for the actual fault.
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04TestFixture run under load, external chambers observed under flow, no back-up or slow drain signed off.
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05Guarantee12-month workmanship guarantee on any pipework repair or replacement. Written quote given up front for any wider drainage work identified.
Concrete outcomes,
not vague promises.
Diagnosed before it's cleared
Recurring blockages get a root-cause fix, not another rodding invoice every month.
Boiler condensate compliance
Frozen or non-compliant condensate discharge pipework re-routed to current Part L standard — no more winter lockouts.
Refurb drainage coordination
Kitchen and bathroom waste and drainage re-routed cleanly during first-fix, tested at commissioning.
Honest scope
Jobs needing CCTV survey, tanker or excavation are called out up front — we quote what we can do and refer cleanly for the rest.
Same-day emergency cover
Emergency drain callouts on active internal flooding at £150/hr — mains isolation, containment and made-safe repair.
Owner-led
Ian on the tools from arrival to sign-off. Same engineer quoting, clearing, and standing behind the fix.
Drainage work we cover.
Everything below is carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer with many years of plumbing experience — internal, external, and boiler-related drainage.
Blocked sink & basin clearance
Trap removal and rodding, hand-auger where the blockage is further down the run, waste pipework replacement where the trap or fall is the root cause.
Blocked bath & shower waste
Shallow trap access, hair-hook and auger clearance, waste re-plumb where fall or connection is inadequate — common on shower trays with wet-floor installs.
Blocked toilet & soil stack
Toilet auger clearance, pan connector inspection and replacement, soil-stack access where the fault is downstream of the pan.
External inspection chamber clearance
Chamber lifted, rodded or jetted to clear silt and blockage in the run — with an honest call-out if a CCTV survey is needed for a suspected collapse.
Drain jetting
High-pressure water jetting on external chambers and residential gullies for grease, silt and root-ingress clearance.
Condensate discharge (boiler)
Boiler condensate pipework relocated to internal termination where possible, or externally to current Part L specification with correct diameter and insulation to prevent freezing.
Waste pipework re-routing
Kitchen and bathroom refurb waste re-routed cleanly during first-fix — correct falls, correct venting, correct fitting types for boxed-in runs.
Trap replacement & upgrade
Bottle, P-trap, S-trap and shallow trap replacements — matched to the fixture and the run rather than 'whatever fits.'
Overflow & discharge pipework
Cold water tank overflow, cylinder tundish discharge, unvented D1/D2 discharge pipework installed and re-routed to correct Building Regulations compliance.
Do you handle sewer and mains drainage?
Domestic waste pipework and residential inspection chambers yes. Sewer-level work needing tanker, CCTV crawler or excavation isn't a fit for a single-engineer business — where those are needed we say so up front and refer to a drainage specialist.
How much does clearing a blocked sink or toilet cost?
Most internal blockage callouts are completed within an hour at £90/hr. If diagnosis shows the fault is pipework rather than a blockage, a written quote for the pipework repair is given before any further work.
Can you fix a frozen or leaking boiler condensate pipe?
Yes — condensate discharge is a common fault. We re-route to internal termination or to Part L compliant external pipework so it stops freezing in winter and stops shutting the boiler down.
Do you cover emergency drainage callouts?
Yes — out-of-hours cover for active internal flooding at £150/hr. Call 07801 550790 for immediate availability.
Do you use CCTV to survey drains?
Not as an in-house service. Where CCTV is needed to diagnose a suspected collapse or partial blockage we refer to a drainage specialist and coordinate any pipework repair that follows.
Can you re-route waste pipework during a kitchen or bathroom refurb?
Yes — first-fix waste and second-fix drainage is standard on refurb work, coordinated with the builder and tiler.
Will you disturb my garden or driveway?
Not for internal or chamber-level work. Any external excavation would be flagged before it happens and priced separately — we don't dig on a callout.
What guarantee do I get?
12-month workmanship guarantee in writing on any pipework repair or replacement. Straight blockage clearance carries a 30-day satisfaction guarantee on the same blockage.
Which areas do you cover?
Greater London and the surrounding Home Counties — Kent, Surrey, Essex, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Bedfordshire, Middlesex and West Sussex.
Fixed price. Gas Safe.
12-month guarantee.
Free estimates from Ian directly — no call centre, no subcontractors, no surprise bills. One point of contact from first call to twelve-month follow-up.