How do I know if the downpipe is blocked rather than the gutter?

The classic sign is a gutter that overtops at the outlet corner in heavy rain while the downpipe stays dry, or a pipe that gurgles and only trickles. Damp on the wall beside the pipe points the same way.

How quickly can you clear a blocked downpipe?

Most work is scheduled for the next day. If water is backing up into the property, mention it and it will be treated as urgent.

Will you check the drain at the bottom too?

The gully and the discharge point are checked as part of the flow test, so you know the water is actually leaving rather than backing up at the base.

Do you clear hopper heads on older properties?

Yes. Hoppers are open debris traps by design and are one of the most common blockage points on older terraced and stone-built houses.

What if the downpipe is cracked once it is cleared?

You will be shown the damage in photographs and quoted for repair or replacement of that section. Nothing is fitted or charged without your agreement.

Can a blocked downpipe cause damp inside?

Yes. A backed-up pipe soaks the same vertical strip of wall repeatedly and discharges water into the ground next to the foundations, which is a common cause of persistent internal damp.

Can you stop it happening again?

Clearing the gutter at the same visit helps most. Under trees, leaf mesh and outlet guards plus an annual or twice-yearly visit keep the route clear.

Are you insured for work at height?

Yes: £5 million public liability cover, plus a satisfaction guarantee on the work carried out.

Card, cash or bank transfer (BACS), settled once the work is finished and you have seen the photos.

Do you cover my area?

Bury, Bolton, Whitefield, Ramsbottom, Worsley, Harwood, Bromley Cross, Prestwich and Tottington, plus nearby postcodes across Greater Manchester. Send your postcode and you will get a straight answer.

Services / Downpipe unblocking & flushing

Downpipe UnblockingAnd Flushing in Bury

Blocked downpipes cleared and flushed through to the gully, because a spotless gutter still overflows if the pipe below it is packed solid.

Get a Free Quote 07837 187937

Most cleans next day · Before-and-after photos · £5m public liability

15 years

in the roofing trade

£5m

public liability cover

Next day

for most gutter cleans

From £59

gutter cleaning

Downpipe unblocking & flushing explained

Downpipe unblocking is the clearing of the vertical pipe that carries water from the gutter outlet down to the gully or drain, followed by a flush through with water to confirm the whole route is open. It covers the outlet, the pipe itself, any swan neck or offset at the top, hoppers, and the discharge at the bottom.

Blockages collect where the pipe changes direction. The swan neck at the eaves and the shoe at the base are the two most common points, along with any hopper head on older properties. Compacted leaves, moss washed off the roof, roofing grit, tennis balls and nests all end up there, and once the pipe is full the gutter above it has nowhere to drain.

This is regularly booked alongside a gutter clean, because clearing one without the other only half solves the problem. Flow is checked from the outlet all the way to the drain, and you get photographs of the before and after.

Who it is for

Gutters that overflow at one specific corner in every downpour
Downpipes that gurgle, trickle or stay dry while the gutter overtops
Water bubbling out of a joint partway down the pipe
Properties with hopper heads, swan necks or long offsets
Damp appearing at the base of a wall next to a downpipe
Anyone who has just had gutters cleared and is still seeing an overflow

What's included

Blockages cleared from the downpipe, not just the gutter
System flushed through and checked for flow
Often booked alongside a gutter clean

What happens if it is left

A blocked downpipe concentrates the entire roof's rainwater into one place. Instead of being carried away, it backs up, overtops the gutter at the outlet and runs down the same vertical line of brickwork every time it rains, which is why damp next to a downpipe is usually darker and more persistent than damp elsewhere.

The pipe itself suffers as well. Water sitting in a blocked section freezes, and the expansion splits the pipe at the seam or pops the joints apart. That turns a clearing job into a replacement, and the split then leaks continuously even after the blockage is gone.

At the bottom, a blocked or backed-up gully sends water into the ground right against the foundations rather than into the drain. Persistent saturation at that level is the classic cause of rising damp complaints and of green algae growth on the lowest metre of wall.

Common mistakes

Assuming the gutter is the problem because that is where the water appears
Poking a blockage further down the pipe until it jams at the shoe
Jet-washing from the top and packing debris tighter into the bend
Clearing the pipe but never checking the gully it discharges into
Ignoring a hopper head, which is a debris trap by design
Leaving a split pipe unrepaired once the blockage is cleared

How the WorkIs Carried Out

Step 1

Free quote, no call-out charge

Send photos of the guttering with your address or postcode, or ask for a site visit. You get a fixed price before anything is booked, and there is no charge for the quote either way.

Step 2

Locate the blockage

The outlet, swan neck, pipe body, hopper and shoe are checked so the actual blocked section is identified before anything is dismantled or forced.

Step 3

Clear it out

The blockage is removed rather than pushed along, working from the accessible point and dismantling a joint or clip where that is the cleanest way in.

Step 4

Flush and verify flow

The whole route is flushed with water from the gutter outlet through to the gully, and watched to confirm it runs freely with no leaks at the joints.

Step 5

Photos, tidy up, guarantee

Before-and-after photographs are sent to you as proof of the work, the ground is swept up, and the job is backed by a satisfaction guarantee. Card, cash or bank transfer.

What you get out of it

Solves the actual cause

The overflow stops because the water can leave, not because the visible debris was scooped out.

Flushed and proven

Flow is tested through to the drain, so you are not waiting for the next downpour to find out.

Booked with a clean

Often carried out at the same visit as a gutter clean, which means one set-up and one price.

Protects the wall base

Stopping the backup keeps water off the vertical brickwork and out of the ground beside the foundations.

Usually next day

Most gutter and downpipe work is scheduled for the next day.

Photo record

Before-and-after photographs of the cleared pipe and the flow test.

Downpipe unblocking & flushing in detail

Where blockages actually form

The gutter outlet is first: a small opening at the lowest point of the run, which is exactly where debris arrives. Next is the swan neck or offset used to bring the pipe back to the wall under a projecting eaves, where the change of angle slows water and catches leaves.

Hopper heads on older terraced and stone-built properties are open at the top and collect debris directly. At the bottom, the shoe and the gully grating trap silt and grit. Any of these can hold the whole system up on their own.

What ends up in there

Leaf litter and needles dominate in autumn, and they compact into a plug once wet. Moss washed off the roof behaves the same way but is heavier and holds more water. Roofing grit from weathered felt or mineral surfaces settles into a dense sludge that will not simply flush out.

Nesting material is common in spring, and birds will use an open hopper or a wide outlet given the chance. Occasionally it is something solid, a ball, a piece of tile, a broken bracket, which is why the blockage is located rather than blindly rodded.

uPVC, cast iron and internal pipes

uPVC downpipes come apart at the joints fairly easily, which often makes clearing straightforward once the blocked section is identified. Cast iron is heavier, frequently rusted at the fixings and needs supporting while a joint is broken, so it takes more care.

Some properties have boxed-in or internally routed sections. Those are treated cautiously, working from the accessible ends and flushing rather than forcing, because a split inside a boxed section leaks where nobody can see it.

Preventing repeats

Clearing the gutter at the same time is the single biggest factor, since the pipe is downstream of it. Where the property sits under trees, leaf-mesh guards on the gutter and a balloon guard at the outlet cut how much reaches the pipe in the first place.

An annual visit, or twice a year under heavy tree cover, keeps the whole route clear. Where an outlet or hopper is undersized for the roof it serves, that is pointed out along with what could be done about it.

Downpipe unblocking & flushing across Bury, Bolton and Greater Manchester

Based in Bury, Greater Manchester and covering the surrounding towns. If your postcode is not listed, it is often still covered, see the areas covered page, or the homepage for an overview of the whole service.

Downpipe unblocking & flushing:Your Questions Answered

Downpipe clearing is priced on the property and the access, and is frequently booked alongside a gutter clean, which starts from £59. Quotes are free with no call-out charge.