Downpipe unblocking
If a downpipe stays dry in heavy rain, or the gutter overflows right next to it, the pipe or the outlet above it is blocked. We find where, clear it and test it with water before we leave.
- Gutter vacuum from the ground
- Camera check inside the gutter
- Free, no-obligation quote
Get a free gutter quote
Tell us about your home. We’ll call or text back with a price.
How do I know if my downpipe is blocked?
A blocked downpipe shows up as a gutter overflowing at or near the outlet, a downpipe that stays dry or only dribbles in heavy rain, water spilling out of a joint halfway down the pipe, or a gurgling sound. Sometimes a plant growing out of the top is the giveaway.
- Overflow right beside the outlet, not along the whole gutter
- Water pouring out of a pipe joint or the hopper head
- A wet patch or green streak running down the wall beside the pipe
- A dry gully at the bottom in a storm
Not every overflow means a blocked downpipe. A full gutter overflows too, and so does one that’s dropped and runs the wrong way. The camera and a water test tell us which it is.
How we unblock a downpipe
Most downpipe blockages start at the top. Leaves and moss wash along the gutter, collect at the outlet and wedge in the first bend, which is usually a swan neck where the pipe tucks back under the roof edge to the wall. We start there:
- Clear the outlet. The vacuum lifts the plug of leaves and silt sitting in the outlet and the top of the pipe.
- Run water. We pour or hose water into the gutter at the outlet and watch the bottom of the pipe.
- Clear the bends. If it’s still slow, we rod the pipe or use water pressure to shift the blockage in the bends.
- From the bottom. Where the pipe has an access point or a shoe at the bottom, we can work from there too.
- Test again. We don’t leave until water runs freely from gutter to gully.
Where the pipe runs into an underground drain, we can check that water reaches the gully or the drain. If the blockage is in the underground drain itself, that’s a drainage company’s job, and we’ll say so.
Why downpipes block
A downpipe is narrow, usually 68mm round on a modern plastic system, and it bends at the top. A handful of wet leaves, a tennis ball, a clump of moss off the roof or a bird’s nest built on the hopper is enough to stop it. Gutters that haven’t been cleaned feed it a steady supply of silt that sets like mud in the bends.
Is it urgent?
Not an emergency, but don’t leave it a whole winter. A blocked downpipe sends all the water from that side of the roof over the gutter onto one patch of wall. That’s the classic cause of damp patches by a window or in a corner of a bedroom. How to unblock a downpipe covers what you can safely try yourself.
What it costs
Clearing the outlets and testing the downpipes is part of every gutter clean. Gutter clearance runs from £70 to £120 for most homes, depending on the size of the house. A downpipe that’s badly blocked further down, or several on one house, may need extra time. We’ll tell you the price before doing the extra work.
Gutter guards and downpipes
Wire balloons in the top of a downpipe stop large leaves but catch moss and silt, and they block themselves. If you have them, we take them out, clean them and put them back. Are gutter guards worth it?
Downpipe unblocking: questions answered
Can I unblock a downpipe myself?
Often, from the bottom: remove any leaves from the shoe or gully and run a hose up the pipe. If the blockage is at the top, in the outlet or swan neck, it needs reaching from above, which is safer done from the ground with poles than up a ladder.
Don’t poke rods hard into plastic pipe joints or pour chemicals down: they can push joints apart or harm the drain. How to unblock a downpipe.
Why does my downpipe keep blocking?
Because the gutter keeps feeding it. Leaves, moss and silt collect at the outlet and wedge in the first bend. Regular gutter cleaning is the fix, along with clearing any tree branches over the roof.
A wire balloon in the outlet can help with leaves, but it also catches moss and needs clearing itself.
Four steps, one visit
Free quote
Postcode and a photo, or a call. We price the job and tell you straight if the gutters don’t need doing yet.
Look first
The camera on the pole shows what’s actually in the gutter before anything is moved.
Vacuum out
Leaves, moss, silt and the odd tennis ball go up the pole into the drum, not over your path.
Test and show
Water down each outlet, downpipes checked, and camera photos of the clear gutter for you.
Questions people ask
Can you unblock a downpipe without cleaning the gutters?
Yes, but a blocked downpipe usually means the gutter is feeding it leaves and silt, so it’s best done together. Otherwise it often blocks again.
Do you clear underground drains?
No. We clear downpipes and test that water reaches the gully or drain. If the underground drain itself is blocked, you need a drainage company.
My downpipe is leaking at a joint. Can you fix it?
We can often clear the blockage that makes water back up and spill from a joint. A cracked pipe or a failed joint needs replacing, which is a job for a gutter fitter.
Related
Gutter cleaning
Every gutter run cleared from the ground with the vacuum, checked on camera, outlets tested with water.
Read more →
Gutter vacuum
How the vacuum and carbon poles clear gutters from the ground, with a camera to see inside.
Read more →Fascia and soffit cleaning
Green and grey streaks washed off fascias, soffits and the outside of the gutters.
Read more →Gutters overflowing? Let’s get them flowing.
Send your postcode and a photo if you have one. Free quote, straight answers, no pressure to book.