‘Thoughtful’ drainage team’s rapid pipe repair
With Robert Spurling suffering from emphysema, the UKDN Waterflow (LG) team was particularly keen to get the blocked downstairs toilet working again quickly.
Robert and his wife, Deborah, from Cromer, in Norfolk, called on help from insurers The Lloyds Banking Group after the toilet couldn’t be flushed. Water was backing up, making the toilet unusable.
The Spurlings selected Lloyds Banking Group approved drainage services supplier UKDN Waterflow (LG) to assess the cause of the problem and carry out repairs.
Deborah Spurling, a residential care worker, said: “The UKDN Waterflow (LG) people were brilliant. The people at the call centre were very polite and keen to help. They agreed a time to start work later in the morning so I had time to get Robert settled.
“When the drainage engineers arrived they couldn’t be more helpful. Everything was fully explained as they went along, so we knew exactly what was happening. They were very thoughtful.”
A CCTV drainage survey carried out by UKDN Waterflow (LG) revealed that the waste pipe running from the toilet was blocked in two places – under the Spurlings’ conservatory and just outside in the garden.
Speed combined with the usual high standard of health and safety was of the essence in carrying out the repair. The lung disease Robert, a retired police communications officer, suffered meant it was difficult to get upstairs, so he was having to use a commode.
To avoid having to disturb the conservatory, the pipe was repaired by installing two patch liners. These are glass-fibre sleeves, impregnated with resin, which are installed in the pipe. Once the resin has set, they create a tough, waterproof pipe within a pipe.
Using this ‘no-dig’ technique, there is no need to excavate the pipe. It is a faster and much less messy way to repair drains, with much less disruption for householders.
After two days, the patch liners were in place. The UKDN Waterflow (LG) team then temporarily reinstated the toilet, which had been removed to gain access to the pipe.
That way it was working again as quickly as possible. It could be permanently plumbed in by a plumber later, at date convenient to the Spurlings.
Deborah Spurling said “This was the first time we had every claimed on our insurance, so we had no way to judge how it would go. But we found we had no concerns at all. I would certainly use UKDN Waterflow (LG) again, and recommend them to friends.”
