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If you’ve ever wandered around Kensington at rush hour, you’ll know two things. First, parking is an Olympic sport. Second, old London pipework has a personality of its own — especially in flats and townhouses that have seen more tenants than a Monopoly board. So when we got a call from a customer in Kensington saying their sink was completely backed up (and that another plumber had already tried and failed), we knew this one might be interesting.
We’ve been unblocking drains since 2009, and honestly, we’ve seen it all. But every now and then a job comes along that reminds you why having the right tools — and the experience to use them — makes all the difference.
We always start simple. We ran the taps, watched how slowly the water drained, and listened. If you’ve worked with drainage long enough, you’ll know you can hear a blockage before you see it.
From the symptoms, it was pretty clear the blockage wasn’t near the top of the pipe. It was deeper in the system, probably a build-up of fat, grease, food waste, and whatever else sinks collect over the years.
Time to get to work.
Our first approach was to use the Vax hoover. It’s a powerful bit of kit that can sometimes suck a blockage out cleanly without needing to put anything down the pipe. We sealed the pipe opening, switched it on, and… nothing.
Not even a gurgle.
That pretty much confirmed what we suspected — this was no surface-level blockage. It needed a proper mechanical approach.
Next up was our rotary pipe cleaner. If you’ve never seen one, imagine a long, flexible, metal rod that spins fast enough to cut through almost anything inside a pipe. It’s basically the drainage equivalent of sending in a superhero.
We fed the rod into the pipe slowly at first, letting it twist and push its way through. You could feel the resistance straight away — like hitting a dense, greasy wall inside the pipe. Bit by bit, the rod cut through the blockage. We extended the cable further and further until suddenly… no resistance.
That moment is always satisfying.
We pulled the rotary tool back and immediately tested the sink again. Water was already draining better, but we weren’t done yet.
One thing we take seriously at BDS Drainage is transparency. Customers like seeing what’s actually been done, especially when they’ve been let down before.
So we showed the client everything:
They watched the full process and were honestly relieved.
Their feedback?
“Very pleased — especially since the plumbers before you failed miserably.”
We’ll take that as a win.
This wasn’t just about unblocking a sink. It was about restoring the customer’s trust after another company left them disappointed. Blockages in kitchen sinks can lead to leaks, odours, and even pipe damage if left unresolved — so getting it sorted properly matters.
Plus, this job highlighted how having the right equipment — like a rotary machine and professional-grade chemicals — makes all the difference.
Since 2009, we’ve helped homeowners across London with all types of drainage problems — from blocked sinks to deep drain investigations. Being highly rated on Google and Trustpilot comes from doing exactly what we did here: showing up, doing the job properly, and leaving everything working as it should.
