What causes an outdoor drains to block? Find out more about the causes of drain blockages to find out how to prevent your drain getting clogged.

Common Issues with an Outside Drain Blocked

It's critical to maintain your outside drains clean; leaves, branches, soil, mud, moss, litter, and other outside waste are common causes of clogs. The substances you pour or flush down your pipes on the inside, on the other hand, can be just as dangerous.

Outside drains can become clogged with leaves and debris from outside the house, or indoor drains can become clogged with coffee grounds or sanitary things; this isn't always your fault. When it comes to blocked drains, the foul smell is a giveaway, and overflowing drains are also a giveaway.

Flooded drains are a clear indicator of a drainage disaster. Clogged drains and broken pipes frequently cause drain flooding. Pouring coffee grounds, oil, or other substances down the drain will not result in a happy inner or exterior drain. In a similar vein, leaving hair and soap to build up in the shower or flushing sanitary goods and wet wipes down the toilet almost always ends in disaster.

How Do I Stop Drains Blocking?

Why do Drains Block?

Drain clogs are known for being caused by a variety of factors. The reasons for a drain becoming blocked are numerous, ranging from accidentally dropped foreign objects and sanitary items to massive accumulations of hair, kitchen grease, and other filth. 

Only by understanding what causes a blockage in the first place can you clear the items blocking the drains and prevent future blockages.

Plants

The most common cause of drain blockages outside your home is natural debris. The most common causes of drain blockage are trees, leaves, and shrubs, especially in the autumn and spring. That is why it is critical to keep your garden in good condition regularly.

Hair

Everyone reading this has probably experienced a drain obstruction caused by excessive hair buildup. Fortunately, most hair clogs can be easily freed by just removing the hair. However, if you don't get rid of the hair right away, it might lead to a slew of problems down the road. Hair is one of the most prevalent reasons for drain blockages in the shower, sink, and bathroom.

Grease and Fat

Fat and oil accumulate in your kitchen sink in the same way that hair accumulates in your bathroom sink. As a result, these rank first when it comes to the most common causes of drain blockages in the home. 

Making matters worse, cleaning grease and fat from drains and pipelines is a difficult task. As the grease and fat accumulate, the block becomes so severe that no liquid can move through. As a result, it's difficult to get kitchen grease out of your drain pipes.

Toiletries

The practice of flushing toiletries down the drain is an epidemic with far-reaching consequences for the larger network of sewers and pipes; this is because when these items enter the drainage system, they soak up water and expand, and this eventually causes a clog in the drain.

Rains and Storms

A couple of heavy downpours are enough to overflow your drains. Most household drains are not designed to handle multiple heavy showers, so your drain may fill up quickly. Everything is fine until the water runs out; if it does not, it indicates that there is a blockage somewhere in the drain.

Water Flow

Slowed water flow is a sure sign that something is wrong with your plumbing system, even if it is not one of the symptoms of clogged drains. 

Low water pressure is the root cause of erratic water flow; if it happens frequently, it indicates sediment buildup. Sediments are minerals found in water that settle on the inside walls of pipes; these sediments eventually reduce the flow of water or completely clog the pipes.

Broken Pipes

A broken pipe is one of the less common causes of blocked outside drains. The drain pipes outside your home can break for a variety of reasons, including normal wear and tear and even daring tree roots.

However, a pipe with even minor fractures is more prone to clogging than a pipe with an intact structure - broken pipes are also among the most difficult to detect because they must be visually examined.

External Objects

If your drain becomes clogged unexpectedly, it could be due to an external object. These objects include soap, children's toys, food, sanitary products, and other foreign objects. Foreign objects small enough to be dropped down the drain eventually cause a blockage, and that's why these materials mustn't be flushed or washed down the drain, even if accidentally.

Why is my Outside Drain Blocked?

Outside Drain Blocked with Mud

The most common cause of a clogged outside drain is soil, leaves, branches, moss, and other outdoor debris. 

They build up over time, and rainwater turns them into mud. Give it enough time, and there will be a blockage before you know it; the good news is that mud is a simple blockage. You can even do it manually.

Outside Drain Blocked with Silt

Silt is mineral sediment that, given enough time, can clog a drain. Pipes will inevitably accumulate scale over time, which is typically caused by mineral deposits such as silt, calcium, and magnesium; when it combines with outdoor debris and reacts to changes in temperature, it forms a clog.

Outside Drain Blocked with Toilet Paper

Toilet paper could be the source of a clogged drain outside. However, experience has shown that it is not only toilet paper that causes these clogs. It can also include wet wipes, grease, oil, and other foreign objects. A clog from the kitchen or bathroom can become dislocated and impact the outside drain. Another cause of a clogged outside drain is ice buildup after a heavy snowstorm or a sudden drop in temperature. Even tree roots can distort underground piping and clog drains.

Preventing Overflowing Drains:

Kitchen

The most important thing you can do to avoid your drains being clogged in the first place is to keep track of the garbage that goes down your drain pipes regularly. This involves scraping dishes properly to avoid food sliding down drains and using enough soaps and detergents to break down grease and oil used in cooking.

Bathroom

Dropping foreign objects down bathroom drains, such as hair grips, will quickly collect other debris, such as hair, and cause a blockage. 

Nappies, tampons, face wipes, and cotton wool should not be flushed down toilets because they can become clogged in narrow pipes and cause a water overflow. Excessive toilet paper use can also contribute to drain blockages, so only use what you need each time.

Outdoor Drainage

You should always try to keep your lawn's drains free of leaves, foliage, and other garden waste that could be washed into the drain and cause an obstruction. 

Sweeping your garden and composting leaves are two ways to keep these drains from overflowing. If your drains become clogged, a drainage expert will employ certain techniques, such as the use of specialist CCTV cameras to inspect awkward and difficult-to-reach drains to determine what has obstructed the flow of water.

How to Unblock an Outside Drain

If you can reach the obstruction with your hands, remove as much of it as you can; even though it's unpleasant, it's important that using a drain rod to clear the remaining obstacles will be easier. 

Always use a drain rod that is extremely flexible so that it can bend and conform to the shapes of the pipes. The rod must be inserted into the obstruction by rotating it counterclockwise. If the obstruction is large or very difficult to remove, it can take some time. When it becomes effortless to plunge and twist, the obstruction is clearing.

How to Prevent a Future Clogging

Cleaning the area around your outside drain daily will help prevent blockage; this is especially important in the fall when leaves, shrubbery, and tree branches litter the ground. 

Change the drain cover to a finer grade so that outdoor debris will have a tougher time entering the drain - just be careful that the grate is not too fine so as not to impede water movement. In addition, do not flush any wet wipes, food or any other foreign objects down the toilet or sink.