5 June 2026

Preventing blockages: the maintenance guide for your drains and sewer

Grease, wipes, hair, leaves and tree roots: the five usual causes — and what to do per room and per season to stay ahead of them.

In the kitchen it is all about grease. Warm grease congeals further along in the cold pipe and traps everything that follows — so pour frying fat and oil into a bottle for the bin, wipe pans with kitchen paper and rinse the sink with hot water now and then. Coffee grounds also belong in the bin: they settle in the pipe and bind excellently with grease.

In the bathroom and toilet, hair and wipes play the lead roles. A hair strainer of a few euros on the shower drain literally intercepts the problem, and wet wipes belong in the bin — including the ones labelled 'flushable', because they break down too slowly for a house sewer. In the toilet one simple rule applies: toilet paper only. If a drain runs noticeably slower, tackle it right away with a plunger or the trap; the earlier you act, the smaller the chance a technician's visit is needed.

Outside, autumn is the most dangerous season: leaves from the gutter slide into the downpipe, gullies silt up and tree roots find their way to the moisture in the sewer pipe through the smallest gap. Keep gullies and the base of the downpipe leaf-free and plan outdoor work before the storm season. If water pools in the same spot at every heavy shower, something is probably already stuck in the downpipe or outdoor drainage.

For older house sewers — clay or cast iron, many trees around the house, or a history of blockages — periodic preventive jetting (€ 95-175 per service) is the cheapest insurance: the entire pipe is cleaned before anything gets stuck. If a blockage keeps returning despite everything, that points to a structural cause such as root ingrowth or subsidence; a camera inspection (€ 85-175) reveals it. All rates are in the price index.