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Outside drains

Why does my drain overflow when it rains?

Drains overflow in heavy rain when the surface water system is blocked with leaves and silt, when the pipe is undersized or partially collapsed, or where surface water is wrongly connected into the foul drain so both systems surge together.

Start with the gullies and channel drains — a five-minute clean out in autumn prevents most rain-related flooding. Downpipe shoes and back-inlet gullies silt up quickly under trees.

If the gullies are clear and it still floods, the pipe capacity is the issue. A partially collapsed or root-restricted run behaves fine in dry weather and fails the moment rainfall load is added.

Misconnections — a downpipe plumbed into the foul drain, or a bathroom waste plumbed into the surface water drain — are common in extended properties and worth checking with a survey.

Still not sure? Just ask us.

We're a small, family-run team based in East Grinstead, on call 24/7 across East Grinstead and a 20-mile radius. No obligation — tell us what you're seeing and we'll tell you straight what it is.

0330 1331 347

Related service: Flooded Drains & Manholes

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