What's the minimum contract length for a drainage maintenance plan?

We don't lock you into long contracts. Most plans run on a 12-month basis with a 30-day notice clause after the first six months. Some larger sites prefer a rolling quarterly arrangement. We'll agree the terms in writing before anything starts.

Can you take over maintenance from another drainage contractor?

Yes. We'll carry out an initial CCTV survey of the site so we know the condition of the drainage before we take it on. That survey is priced separately, quoted for the size of the site before we take anything on. It also gives you a baseline condition report from day one.

Do you provide written reports after every visit?

Every planned visit includes a written job report. CCTV surveys produce a full written condition report and, where drainage issues are identified, a video recording. These are emailed within 48 hours of the visit and are suitable for insurance, audit or landlord records.

What happens if there's a blockage between scheduled visits?

Plans that include priority call-out cover mean we treat your site as an existing contract rather than a new job. Response times are typically two to four hours during the day and four to six hours overnight. Emergency call-outs outside a plan are available and charged at standard rates, quoted when you ring.

We're a food business. How often do you recommend jetting a commercial kitchen drain?

For a busy kitchen in Solihull, producing more than around 50 covers a day, we'd normally recommend jetting every eight to ten weeks. Grease builds up faster than most people expect, and once it hardens it takes significantly more pressure to shift. A quarterly schedule is the minimum we'd suggest for any food preparation environment.

Drain Maintenance Plans | Jetting & Surveys

A blocked drain at the wrong moment costs more than a call-out. It costs trading hours, staff time, potentially a hygiene closure. Most commercial blockages don't come from nowhere. They build up over weeks or months, and a scheduled maintenance plan is what catches them before they become a crisis.

Drainsco runs drainage maintenance plans for commercial sites across Solihull, from food businesses in Shirley and Dickens Heath to industrial units in Chelmsley Wood and Marston Green. We set the schedule, we turn up, we report back. You get documentation and one less thing to manage.

What a Maintenance Plan Actually Covers

Plans vary depending on your site and how hard your drains work. A café kitchen in Solihull town centre needs more frequent jetting than a small office in Dorridge. We assess the site first, then agree a schedule that fits your risk level, not a generic package.

Typical plan elements:

High-pressure water jetting to clear grease, silt and soft blockages before they harden
Scheduled CCTV surveys to catch cracking, root intrusion or deformation early
Gully and manhole clearance across car parks, service yards and access roads
Written condition reports after every visit, suitable for insurance, audits or landlord requirements
Priority call-out cover if something does go wrong between planned visits

Every visit is carried out using Water Jetting Association methods. Engineers are uniformed, DBS-checked and fully insured.

How Often Do You Actually Need It

That depends on what goes through your pipes and how old the drainage is. Here's a rough guide:

Site type	Recommended jetting frequency	CCTV survey frequency
Restaurant or takeaway	Every 8 to 12 weeks	Annually
Pub or hotel	Every 12 weeks	Annually
Retail unit or office	Every 6 months	Every 2 years
Industrial or manufacturing	Every 8 to 16 weeks	Annually
School or care home	Every 6 months	Annually

Sites in older parts of Solihull, Olton, Bentley Heath, Knowle and Hampton-in-Arden for example, often sit on Victorian clay drainage. That means more root intrusion, more cracking risk, and a stronger case for more frequent CCTV checks.

What It Costs

There's no single price because no two sites are the same. A small retail unit in Hockley Heath with two gullies and a single stack needs far less than a care home in Balsall Common with multiple buildings and a grease trap. Plans range from a basic annual jetting and CCTV package, through quarterly jetting with an annual survey and gully clears, up to full-cover plans with priority call-out included.

Every plan is priced for the site in question and agreed in writing before anything starts. No surprises mid-contract.

Why Reactive Drainage Always Costs More

If you're currently dealing with drain problems as they happen, the maths doesn't work in your favour. An emergency call-out costs more than a scheduled visit. A blocked kitchen drain on a Friday evening costs more than the same job on a Tuesday morning. And if a collapse goes undetected, you're looking at excavation or relining rather than a simple jetting run.

One CCTV survey catching a partial root intrusion early can save a business in Monkspath or Elmdon from a major excavation six months later. That's not a sales line. That's what we see regularly.

Planned maintenance also gives you something reactive call-outs don't: a paper trail. Condition reports and visit logs matter when a landlord queries drainage responsibility, when an insurer asks for maintenance records, or when a food hygiene inspector wants evidence of preventative measures.

Solihull Areas We Cover on Regular Contracts

We currently run maintenance contracts across Solihull's commercial areas including Shirley, Chelmsley Wood, Kingshurst, Castle Bromwich, Smith's Wood, Marston Green and Dickens Heath. We also cover rural and village business premises in Knowle, Dorridge, Meriden, Berkswell, Coleshill, Catherine-de-Barnes and Balsall Common. All postcodes from B37 through to B94.

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Engineers are on call 24/7 across all Solihull postcodes. Every maintenance contract includes a clear written price before we start, no call-out fee for planned visits, and a 20-year guarantee on any remedial work we carry out. Call us on 0121 816 1938 to talk through what your site needs.

Drain Maintenance Plans