What You Need To Know About Roadway Drain Gullies
Drain gullies are a vital part of any drainage system, but there are specific details about these gully drains that are unknown to a lot of people, and knowing these details can help save you time and hassle, should you need to access them.
To help you get a better idea of the mechanics of drain gullies, we’ve written this article for you.
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What do drain gullies do?
First of all, it’s important to know what drain gullies are. They are defined as basins in the ground that receive wastewater from your kitchen, bathroom and laundry before it is emptied into sewage pipes.
The wastewater collects in the concrete pot below the grate, which is then sent through a network of pipes before joining with the sewer.
What should I do if a drain gully is blocked?
Like most pipework, drain gullies can become blocked due to bad weather, poor usage or damage. When you suffer a blocked gully, the flow of water to the sewers is stopped, which can cause a backup of wastewater, which in turn can cause leaks, odours and damage to your property.
If you discover a blockage in your drain gully, you can contact your local drainage expert for assistance. As drain gullies are commonly blocked by leaves, debris and even freezing water, this will often require jetting or sucking away with a specialist hose, as unfortunately they won’t unblock themselves.
Who is responsible for the upkeep of drain gullies?
Your local authority is only responsible for the drain gullies on highways. Private land, or the land for which you are responsible, usually extends to the boundary of your garden or driveway. If you are based on a country road, any leaks on the road itself and road drains are the responsibility of the local authority.
The same goes for residential areas like housing estates – if it’s on a through road or it’s beyond your driveway/garden, then you should contact the council for assistance.
Contact your council for problems with:
- Concrete road gullies, channels and drains
- Roadside drainage ditches and any flooding on or because of water from highways.
For gullies on private roads and driveways, the responsibility does not lie with the local authority – you’ll need to contact a professional drainage company to remedy any trouble.
Another potential problem with drain gully leaks, one that is only really pertinent to winter, is the possibility of any surface water freezing on the roads.
This can obviously present a significant risk to drivers, so it’s important that swift action is taken upon discovery of such a problem – in this case, you would need to contact your drainage company if the leak is on your private property, or the council if it’s on public land.
How are they cleaned?
To clean drainage gullies, the grate needs to be removed and the contents of the drain are usually sucked out with a special hose and tanker service, allowing the waste to be safely and hygienically transported from the affected area.
Drain jetting might be required to remove some of the more stubborn materials, such as large accumulations of grease – this can be an issue in areas like petrol stations or garages, where vehicles and oil is present.
When you consider the amount of usage that road gullies on highways will get, blockages can be relatively common, which is why it’s important that you report any blockages to the local authority as soon as possible.
For gully blockages on private property, you will need to seek the assistance of a professional drainage company. Tackling these sorts of problems are relatively simple jobs, so you shouldn’t encounter too much disruption to the function of your gully drains.
Using only the most effective practices and equipment, combined with the skill and experience of our team, Express Drainage Solutions carry out gully unblocking for residential and commercial properties of all sizes. For more information on blocked gullies, please get in touch with us today and we’ll be more than happy to help.
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