Early September we received an emergency call to the Holiday Inn at the Telford International Centre. On arrival we were shown to the main restaurant's servery which was flooding. On investigating the problem we found an open gully behind a dish cupboard. We were able to move the unit out of the way which gave us far better access to the gully. The only water running into the servery gully was from a wash basin which had been placed out of order. Further down the line there was another drain from the kitchen floor that joined it. As its full of dirty water we were unable to camera down to get an idea of what was blocking the run.
The small Gully Where the flow of water was coming from.
Struggling with the basic equipment.
Our engineer went to work using the basic rod and plunger to start this had no effect at all. Then on to the electro-mec again with no effect, we moved on to something with a bit more power and high water pressure jetted the line this for us normally removes most Blockages but on this occasion we went around 7 meters and hit something immovable. Our engineers spent hours smashing away trying to free up what ever was in there. This was prompted by members of the staff saying things may have accidently fallen into the pipework whilst they have been cleaning up. Anything from salt and pepper pots to knifes, forks and spoons. Eventually we decided to stop Jetting as we were only adding more water to the problem and it was becoming more of a job to keep the area clean and safe. We had to think out of the box on how can we get to a blocked pipe around 2 metres down 7 metres over, under a pretty big hotel.
Unleash the PICOTE.
Metro Rod Mid Wales and Shropshire decided to buy a piece of equipment that they hoped would clear the Blockage. After speaking to other users of the Picote it was obvious this is the piece of equipment required to hit Blockages the jetter's struggle to remove. With a job already in the waiting we decided to purchase it and put it to use.
The Picote ready for action. 
Putting it to work.
Our engineers got to site ready to work but were made to wait while breakfast was being served. Eventually the restaurant cleared and we were able to set up. We Removed the cupboard and put the Picote into place so we are able to feed the pipework easily. When in place the CCTV camera can be positioned right by it so we can get full viewing of what's going on. We put the camera down first just to ensure the line was blocked and 4-5 metres down we started to hit water, We then put the Picote with a cutter head on and sent it down the line after 7 metres we hit a Blockage, Using the cutter we managed to cut through a small Blockage around a metre long but the water didn't recede so we pushed on and after another metre we hit another Blockage. This time the cutter seemed to have no effect on the Blockage. So we decided to introduce the flail chain attachment to try and break it down. This was a great decision as it churned its way through.
Here you can see the Picote at work 5 metres in followed by our Camera, it gives us a great shot of how well it cleans the pipe.
Flailing Through.
We could only go so far with the camera as we followed the flail down. The water overwhelmed the view and with the machine rotating it was frothing the water up. After nearly an hour of hitting the blockage we managed to break through and away the water slowly receded. We followed the line down with the Camera and you could see the amount of solidified fat the picote had removed as it worked its way through.
Fat debris after the flail has been through you can also see the beginning of another lump of fat in the background.
As we had finally got through the Blockage it meant we were able to now add water to clean the pipes again using the flail it left the pipework in fine condition, and we were able to run the camera right down the length of drain to the external fat trap. On pulling the Picote back from the pipe we found mangled in the Flails a spoon that it picked up.
Dinner time was looming and the buzz of the kitchen was picking up. The staff were being very polite whilst waiting for us to clean up and move. We added a cover to the gully with an access point to try and ensure nothing else could go in. The area was cleaned, disinfected and we removed ourselves from the ensuing carnage. We were impressed by the Picote especially how smooth it was, at full power it only let out a quiet hum which in a hotel was a real plus. Overall very impressed by the machine and we cannot wait to get it out there for more jobs. If you have slow running drains or a Blocked one call us on 01938554050, We will clear it!
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We are always happy to arrange a free site assessment and no obligation quotations for any work you might need. Alternatively, you can call our emergency hotline number on 0800 66 88 00
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