Drain Rodding Service for Blocked Drains

A drain rodding service clears a blocked pipe by pushing flexible rods along it from the nearest chamber until the obstruction breaks up or is pulled back out. It is the oldest method in the trade and still the right one for many single blockages. We rod drains from our base in Pumpherston, and we carry high pressure water jetting equipment on the same van, so if rods are not enough the job carries on rather than stopping. Call 07427 195142.

What is drain rodding?

Rodding means screwing short, flexible rods together into a long chain and feeding it into the drain through an inspection chamber, a rodding eye or a gully. The head on the end is chosen for the job: a plunger disc to push water and debris along, a corkscrew to grab and draw back rag and wipes, or a scraper to break up a compacted plug. The operator turns and pushes the rods by hand, feeling for the point where they meet resistance.

Because it is done by feel, rodding also tells you something about the pipe. A soft, spongy stop usually means paper or wipes. A hard stop that will not move can mean a displaced joint or broken section, which is when a camera is worth putting down.

When rods are the right tool

Rodding works best on one solid obstruction in a pipe that is otherwise in fair condition: a wad of wipes in a toilet branch, a nappy lodged at a bend, a build-up of paper at the bottom of a soil pipe, or silt packed into a short run between two chambers. It needs only access to a chamber and room to work, so it suits tight back gardens, shared closes and drains where getting a hose in would be awkward.

• Single blockages of wipes, paper or sanitary items
• Short runs between two inspection chambers
• Pipes where water and power for jetting are hard to reach
• Checking where a blockage sits before deciding on the next step

Drain jetting and rodding together

Rods open a path; they do not clean the pipe wall. Where a drain is lined with fat, scale or fine roots, rodding gets water moving but leaves the cause in place, and the drain blocks again. In those cases we follow the rods with a jetting nozzle that scours the full bore of the pipe. The two are often used on the same visit: rods to locate and break the plug, jetting to clean what is left. Our guide on drain jetting vs drain rodding compares the two in more depth.

What happens on a rodding visit

We ask which fittings are slow or backing up, then lift the covers to see which chambers are full and which are empty. The blockage sits between the last full chamber and the first empty one, so that is where the rods go in. Once the obstruction gives, we flush the line and run water through the affected fittings to check it is flowing properly before we pack up.

If the same drain keeps blocking, rodding it again every few months is not a fix. A CCTV drain survey records the inside of the pipe and shows whether there is a crack, root entry or sag that keeps catching waste. You get the footage and a written report, and then you can decide what to do.

Rodding drains yourself

Hired or bought rods can clear a simple blockage, and many people try that first. Turn the rods clockwise only, because turning them the other way can unscrew a joint and leave a length stuck in the drain. Wear gloves, keep the area clear of children and pets, and do not climb into a chamber. If the rods meet a hard stop, the drain has more than one chamber backing up, or sewage is coming out of a cover, stop there and call us.

Sink drain rods and waste pipes

Some searches for drain rods are really about the pop-up rod behind a bathroom tap, the lever that opens and closes the basin plug. That is a small plumbing part rather than a drain. If the basin is not emptying, the problem is usually hair and soap in the trap under it rather than the rod itself. Our page on blocked sinks and waste pipes covers that kind of fault.

Questions