CASE STUDY
A leaking waste pipe on the fifth floor was coming through into a room below. PipeFlow Drainage was on site within 90 minutes, and rather than patching the failed section we replaced the entire run with a heavier duty system built to outlast the original.
CLIENT
The Lodge Care Home
RESPONSE
Engineers on site within 90 minutes
Overview
The Lodge Care Home contacted us urgently after discovering water leaking into a resident's room. The source was the suspended waste pipework serving the fifth-floor kitchen and utility area, where the original 40mm pipes had failed.
In an occupied care home, a leak like this is never just a plumbing problem. It affects the everyday life of the people living there, and it needs resolving quickly. We attended immediately, stopped the leak, and replaced the failing pipework with an upgraded system rather than repairing what was already at the end of its life.
The Challenge
The existing 40mm waste pipework was undersized for the demands of a busy commercial kitchen and had begun leaking through the solid floor structure into the room below. Every hour meant more water damage and more disruption to a room that needed to be back in use.
The estates team needed the leak stopped straight away, and they needed to know it would not happen again. Working around residents, staff and kitchen operations meant the job had to be done cleanly, quietly and without shutting down the home.
Our Response
Emergency Attendance and Assessment
Our engineers arrived within 90 minutes of the call. First priority was isolating the leak to stop further water ingress, then assessing the full run of suspended pipework to understand whether we were dealing with a single failure point or a system at the end of its service life.
It was the latter. Patching one section would have left the rest of the run just as likely to go.
Removal of the Failed Pipework
We carefully stripped out the existing defective 40mm waste pipework, working around the kitchen and utility fittings without damage to surrounding surfaces or disruption to the areas still in use.
Upgraded 50mm Installation
The replacement is a heavy duty 50mm polyethylene waste pipe system, a genuine step up in capacity from what was there before. We installed long radius 90 degree sweep bends and 45 degree bends in place of tight turns, which keeps waste moving and dramatically reduces the places a blockage can take hold.
The whole run was laser levelled to achieve exact gradients in line with current industry standards. Gradient is the detail that separates a waste system that keeps working from one that silts up within a year, and it is not something you can judge by eye.
Every joint and connection was then inspected and tested to confirm watertight, leak free performance before we moved on.
Descaling the Connecting Main Lines
With the new pipework in, we carried out descaling and high pressure jetting of the external connecting main lines. There was no sense in fitting a clean upgraded system that then discharges into restricted pipework downstream, so we cleared the full route out.
Site Clearance
All waste was removed and the site fully cleared. The kitchen and utility area were left clean and ready to use.
Working Safely in an Occupied Care Home
Every stage of this job was delivered in full compliance with health and safety regulations, with dynamic risk assessments implemented and updated as the work progressed.
Care homes carry requirements that most sites do not, and we worked to all of them:
Safeguarding protocols, with all engineers briefed on conduct around residents
Infection control procedures appropriate to a care setting
Site safety measures protecting residents and staff throughout
Continuous reassessment of risk as conditions on site changed
Our engineers hold the qualifications and checks needed to work in sensitive environments, the same standards we apply across our healthcare and hospital work.
The Results
Leak stopped and water ingress halted on the first visit
Failed 40mm pipework fully replaced with an upgraded 50mm system
Improved flow and reduced blockage risk through long radius bends and laser levelled gradients
All joints tested and confirmed watertight before handover
External connecting mains descaled and jetted clear
No disruption to residents, staff or care services
Site left clean, cleared and ready for use
Client Feedback
"We contacted PipeFlow as a matter of urgency when we discovered water leaking into a resident's room. Their response was outstanding. They arrived within the hour and immediately set about resolving the issue with minimal fuss and no disruption to our residents. The upgrade they have carried out is far superior to what was there before, and we now have complete confidence in the system. We would not hesitate to recommend them to other care providers."
Estates Team, The Lodge Care Home
Why Choose PipeFlow Drainage
24/7 emergency response across London, Kent and the South East
Fully qualified, insured and DBS checked engineers
Experience working in occupied care homes, hospitals and schools
Full drain repair and installation capability, not just clearance
Planned maintenance programmes to prevent emergencies in the first place
Transparent pricing and detailed reporting
Need an Emergency Drainage Team You Can Call?
If you manage a care home, hospital or commercial kitchen and you have a leak, a blockage or pipework you suspect is past its best, we can help.
PipeFlow Drainage Solutions Ltd · Available 24/7
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