When you've got a blocked drain, if you're like most people you will call a plumber right?
After all, that's what plumbers do right - they clear blocked drains. Yes they do, BUT that's not all they do. And that can mean you might not get as good a result as if you call a drain clearing expert.
Basically, if you do anything over and over again, every day, you get very, very good at it.
So a general plumber will do all sorts of different thing in any average week. Sure they'll clear a blocked toilet, but they'll also install a new hot water service, fix a leaking tap, install a new showerhead, install and connect a dishwasher, fix a broken downpipe, install a new bathroom vanity unit, etc etc
Thus they have a very wide range of experience at doing lots of 'different' plumbing jobs. But they might only clear one blocked toilet, sink or drain in a week or not clear one for weeks at a time.
Sure they understand all the basic principles of drain clearing because they learnt that at plumbing school. And they might have become quite good at drain clearing over the years. But they may not, because not all plumbers are the same.
A drain clearing expert (who is also a trained and licensed plumber) is different because they have decided to specialise in ONLY clearing blocked or damaged drains. So all they do day after day after day is clear and reline drains. This means they get very, very, very good at it.
The difference between a plumber and drain clearing expert is a bit like the difference between a doctor who is a general practitioner and a surgeon who specialises in only one thing.
If you needed major heart surgery, you wouldn't go to a GP to get it done. You would go to a specialist heart surgeon.
A drain clearing expert is like a surgeon for your drains!
In-drain camera inspections - the first difference
The first difference between a plumber and drain clearing expert has to do with whether or not they use an in-drain (or CCTV) camera.
Some plumbers use them. Some plumbers don't. But a drain clearing expert like The Drain Man uses them EVERY TIME.
Unfortunately some plumbers will arrive at a blocked drain job, take one look at it and say "Oh yeah, I know what's going on down there!"
Now if they are highly experienced they might be able to make an accurate guess, but plumbers don't have X-ray vision. They can't actually see down deep inside your drains. Unless they use a camera.
This will show them and you, exactly what is going on down inside the drain.
Is the blockage actually being caused by what the owner says? Or is there something else going on that is causing the problem?
Does the drain have tree roots in it? Has it broken or partially collapsed? Did something else go down there that's the real cause of the problem?
You will never know if you don't use a camera to reveal the truth and not just make a guess. And a drain clearing expert like The Drain Man will always use a camera.
Sharing the footage - the next difference
Now those plumbers who do use an in-drain camera are to be congratulated. It's the right thing to do and better than just trying to guess. (Because the cause of the problem might not be what you think!)
But not every plumber who uses an in-drain camera will do the next step that's almost as important as taking the footage - and that is showing it to you, the customer!
Because it's no good just for your plumber to see for himself what is going on down inside your drain, it's even more important that you see it too.
If your plumber is not showing you the footage of what's going on inside your drain, you have to ask yourself, what are they trying to hide? Is there something down there they don't want you to see?
Often this will be the reason why they don't want to share the footage with you. But at The Drain Man we are not only happy to share your in-drain footage with you, we are also happy to explain to you exactly what is going on inside your drain so you understand your problems clearly.
We like being open, honest and transparent with you, so when we propose a solution to your drain problem, you will understand why.
The repeating blockage trick - another difference
Sometimes the reason why a plumber might not want to show you their in-drain camera footage is because they don't want you to see how bad the blockage is.
This is because they want to set you up for some repeat blockage work.
You see there are two ways to clear a blocked drain - completely or only partially.
Let's say the plumber sees there is a massive lump of tree roots blocking your drain. To clear it would take several hours and lots of hard work.
The plumber doesn't really want to spend hours doing that work. But what they can do is 'punch a little hole' in the blockage.
Just enough to get the water flowing through the drain again.
You, the customer, sees the water in your drain or toilet is now flowing so you think it's been cleared. You're happy and you pay the plumber.
But because you haven't been shown the footage you don't really know it's clear now and you don't now how bad it was before.
What this can lead to is a recurring drain blockage. And the plumber knows this.
Why only charge you for one drain clearing job when he can do a partial job each time and get a fee every time he comes back out again to clear the blockage.
You end up calling him every few months saying "my drain's blocked up again" and he says "oh well I better come out and clear it again!"
It can end up costing you 3 or 4 times the amount you would have paid to just get the drain cleared properly in the first place.
That's the other difference between The Drain Man and a regular plumber. We not only show you the in-drain camera footage before clearing so you can see how bad the blockage is, but we also show you the footage AFTER we clear the drain so you can see for yourself that we've done a proper job and fully cleared your drain.
So if you have a choice between a plumber and a drain clearing expert, it's always wise to choose the expert.
Because we are licensed plumbers too just like all other plumbers, but we are highly experienced at what we do - which is only clearing and relining drains.
Don’t risk it. If your toilet, sink, shower, bath or stormwater drains is blocked call The Drainman on 1800 843 372 or contact us via our enquiry form to get an expert in clearing drains who will do a better job, often faster than a regular plumber. And we never walk away from a difficult job or leave you with a partially unblocked drain.
We do a thorough professional job and back our work with a satisfaction guarantee. We won't let you down or mislead you.
You get an honest, open and transparent service from the best in the business. No one knows blocked drains better than The Drain Man!
If you have any questions about pipeline inspections, drain clearing or pipe relining at your premises, contact our friendly team. We’ll be happy to help in any way we can.
Drains relined by TDM carry a Lifetime Warranty.
