Drains can become clogged, backed up or blocked for a number of reasons. Underground pipes and drains outside your home are very often impacted by tree roots that crack or collapse the pipework, creating leaks and preventing the smooth flow of water and waste. Underground pipework can also be damaged and create blockages when the earth around it erodes so that the pipe sags, which in turn creates a pool through which water has difficulty in passing.

Internal pipes and drains, in the kitchen, bathroom and laundry for instance, tend to become blocked as result of the material that they carry. That can be for example grease, fat and oil in the case of kitchen drains. Hair, soap scum and toothpaste from the shower or bathroom sink, material and soap sediment from clothes in the laundry, or wet wipes and sanitary napkins in the toilet.