Now autumn is drawing in and the nights are getting darker and colder, it’s only a matter of time until leaves are getting crisp and falling from the trees.
Outdoor drains are prone to becoming clogged by fallen leaves, often causing drain blockages and unsightly messes!
Leaves that have fallen into drains can block drain grids, which in turn stops any water from going down the drain. Potentially, this can cause flooding, especially if the weather takes a turn for the worst. Often, leaves can fall within the drains, causing blockages inside. This can require a professional to fix and can become a costly repair!
Drain Guards
You can avoid leaves clogging up your drain by taking steps to prevent them getting there in the first place. Good quality drain guards are a great way of stopping leaves from getting into your drains, whilst still letting water flow freely. Drain guards are a neat and tidy way of stopping a blockage from occurring in your drain in the most efficient way. If you don’t already have one, we’d advise purchasing before autumn gets into the swing of things!
Take Notice
The easiest way to prevent leaves from clogging your drains is to keep an eye on them. Take 5 minutes out of your weekly routine to check on your drains and clean away any leaves that have fallen. Put on some gloves and get stuck in to removing any soggy leaves making their way down the drain, or any dry leaves that have made their way in. If there are a lot of trees near your drains you may need to repeat this process more often, but usually an hour a week will be enough to take preventative measures.
Pipes & Gutters
Your gutters and drainpipes will also need some attention, as this is another way leaves will be able to get into the drainage system and potentially cause blockages. Leaves can also build up within gutters and drainpipes, which can then lead to overflowing. Unfortunately, clearing pipes or gutters is harder to clear then a simple drain. If you suspect a blockage may be occurring, call in some professional help before the situation escalates.
Outdoor Vacuums
If your drains are surrounded by trees and are therefore more prone to getting blocked as the autumn season rolls around, you could look into getting an outdoors vacuum, which are used to pick up debris and leaves. These vacuums are able to suck up masses of leaves from our drains that we would perhaps not be able to. Although not cheap, these items can come in handy, and can often be hired out instead.
At We Love Drains, we’re happy to help out with your blocked drains. We have the required experience that is needed to make your drain problems disappear. If you’d like to find out more, get in touch with a member of the team today via our contact page.
