How to tell whether you need a plumber or a drainage specialist

Do you call a vacuum cleaner a hoover? And how about when you search for something online. Do you google it rather than use another branded search engine?

Sometimes we ‘default’ to a known name for something without thinking and sometimes we assume that we need one service when in actual fact, we need another one entirely.

And in the world of plumbing and drainage, it can be just that. When your toilet blocks, there is a general assumption that you should call a plumber. But in actual fact, a blocked toilet is a form of blocked drain and therefore you would normally call a drainage contractor.

There are of course overlaps between the two service areas. Because a plumber will normally fit a toilet, they can also fix the blockage (most of the time).

A loose radiator may be something that you would call a heating engineer for but a plumber or a drainage contractor can also do that.

If you want to look further afield, drainage firms will fix external gutters and downpipes which you would normally associate with a roofer.

While it is not a set rule, there is an easy way to know whether you need a plumber or a drainage company as you can see below. The light blue represents the plumbing services. The dark blue represents the drainage services.
If it is water piping that flows into a home, it is generally plumbing services. If it is waste water that flows from the home then it is usually drainage.

Examples

A plumber is who you need if you are having a new toilet fitted. They will sort out the plumbing pipe work that flows water into the toilet and they will fit the drain pipe (or connect it to the existing drain pipe) so that toilet waste water can flush away.

However should that external toilet drain pipe block because of wet wipes and other sanitary products being flushed down it, a drainage contractor equipped with the right drainage equipment is who you would need to call in order to get it fixed. A plumber may be able to use a plunger for a ‘local’ blockage but anything further than a metre or so causing the blockage will not work with this method.

How JSL can help

Whether you are needing a blocked toilet unblocked or a leaking tap fixed, we have some good news. JSL Drainage is a part of the larger ‘JSL Plumbing & Heating’ company. We are a local plumber, heating contractor and drainage specialist. So whether you are needing a plumber or a drainage company, with JSL, you get it all.

Why is that important?

You would be amazed by how often we are called by new customers who have previously called another plumber in Glasgow, waited a week for them to turn up, only to then be told that the problem requires a drainage contractor because it is something that they can’t help with. At JSL, because we offer both plumbing and drainage services, you don’t need to worry about that issue. With one phone call, we can book you in to a time slot using our advanced booking system that works with your schedule. Safe in the knowledge that with a near 100% perfect score for time keeping, we will turn up when we say we will.

And whether you need a blockage fixed, a leak repaired or a bit of both, our experienced team can get the job done. Just like we do day in, day out for other customers across Glasgow throughout the year.