Signs a drain is blocked
- Sinks draining slowly in more than one room
- Water rising in the toilet when you flush
- Gurgling from plugholes or the toilet
- A smell from an outside gully or manhole
- A manhole cover lifting, or a gully pooling with water
Drain unblocking in Cardiff
Much of the housing in Cathays, Roath, Splott and Grangetown is older terraces, with a drain under the back yards that often serves several houses. Finding the blocked length starts at the nearest manhole, which may be in a rear lane or a neighbour’s yard.
Where a terrace has no lane, the drains are reached through the house. Bay-fronted terraces in Roath and Pontcanna also have front rainwater gullies that fill with leaves from street trees.
Get a quote in CardiffCardiff drain jobs: lanes, permits and shared runs
Where the drain serves several houses, the shared length is normally Welsh Water’s to clear. The length carrying only your own house’s waste is yours.
In Cathays and Plasnewydd one blocked stack can affect several tenants. A ground-floor room flooding first points to the drain under the yard, and landlords can have the whole run checked after clearing.
Many central streets are in permit zones. A nearby bay, a visitor permit or a lane behind the house decides where a vehicle can stop during the job.
Gullies in council roads are Cardiff Council’s to clear. Those on private roads and car parks, such as at blocks of flats around Cardiff Bay, belong to the owner or management company.
Areas of Cardiff we cover
- City centre and Butetown CF10
- Grangetown CF11
- Canton CF11
- Cathays CF24
- Roath and Plasnewydd CF24
- Splott and Adamsdown CF24
- Llandaff and Fairwater CF5
- Whitchurch and Heath CF14
- Cyncoed and Penylan CF23
- Rumney and St Mellons CF3
What we unblock
Indoor fittings cleared with plungers and augers, with traps taken apart where needed.
Leaves, silt and fat lifted out of yard gullies and the pipe beyond them.
Chambers emptied and the blocked run rodded or jetted through to the next chamber.
Grease-blocked waste pipes from sinks and dishwashers cleared in cafés, pubs, shops and canteens.
How a blocked drain is cleared
- Find the blockage
The covers are lifted, and the blockage lies between the last full chamber and the first empty one.
- Clear it
Rods or a jet go in from the full chamber and break up the blockage until the water drops.
- Check the flow
Water is run through the fittings to confirm the drain is flowing before the covers are replaced.
What the price depends on in Cardiff
- Whether the blockage is in one fitting or the underground drain
- How easy the manholes are to reach and lift
- Whether rods clear it or jetting is needed
- What the blockage is made of, such as wipes, fat or roots
- Whether the drain is reached from a rear lane or through the house
- A manhole inside the house, under a floor hatch or in a kitchen extension
Drain unblocking in Cardiff: questions
Our terrace shares a drain at the back. Who clears it?
Welsh Water, if the blockage is in the shared length. The manholes along the row show where it sits.
Can a blocked drain at a student house be cleared during term?
Yes. Let the tenants know, and list which fittings are slow and whether the kitchen sink has blocked before.
The manhole is in my neighbour’s garden. Can it still be reached?
It can, with the neighbour’s agreement. Mention whether you have spoken to them and how their garden is reached.
Drain backing up in Cardiff?
Send the postcode, which rooms are affected and whether the nearest manhole is in your garden, a neighbour's or the lane.
This service is carried out by Fixwise Property Services, a Dragon Multi-Trade brand.