If someone were to ask you the wettest month of the year, you’d probably say December, January, or perhaps February, right? Completely understandable; it’s cold, it’s pretty much dark all the time, and the rain never seems to stop!
However, you might be surprised to know that your answer can sometimes be wide of the mark. In 2020 the wettest month of the year was October, and in London, that month just happened to be the wettest month for 158 years!
But why all the talk about rain? Well, to be honest, we don’t mind a bit of rain; it’s only a real problem when it has nowhere to go and at this time of year that becomes more and more common.
Autumn is a notorious time for blocked drains, guttering, and other places we need water to travel freely. Let’s look at what might be causing you problems before the heavens start to open…
Falling leaves
What makes you think of Autumn? Cool crisp mornings, glorious auburn colours and of course, fallen leaves on the ground. It’s no surprise that those leaves can very quickly cause problems when washed up in your drains, and they’re the number one go-to when it comes to common causes of drain blockage.
Be proactive; sweep them from paths before they become a problem in your drain!
Larger branches and tree debris
If there’s one thing worse for your drain than a tree that’s losing its leaves, it’s a tree that hasn’t and is facing the onslaught of a gale force wind! Evergreen trees can very often fall foul of high winds, with larger pieces of debris being dislodge and torn from its branches. These are of course ripe for washing up into your drain, so if high winds are due to come your way, make sure you’re proactive in tidying up once they’ve passed, or even better still, take preventative measures when you know your tree needs it bit of a trim!
We can’t just blame the weather!
I know, we’ve made most of this article about trees, high winds, and unwelcome rain, but some of it is our own fault too! From flushable wipes to feminine hygiene, hair from our head to food for our feline friends, households simply put too many things down the drain that just don’t belong there!
In 2015 New York spent more than $18 million over five years trying to deal with the volume of wipes clogging its wastewater system. That’s $17,000 dollars every day! Closer to home, Southern Water’s team have seen 24 sewer blockages caused by fat deposits and 94 blockages due to a build-up of wipes and other unflushables.
Fortunately for your drains, these blockages are largely avoidable by taking a few simple steps to be proactive, and a few minutes every day to ensure only those things that will make it through the drain will go down there!