Drain cleaning
Surveys and diagnostics
Blocked drain right now?
Engineer on call 24/7. Typical Dublin arrival approx 90 minutes.
We introduce non-toxic smoke into your drainage system to locate hidden leaks, faulty connections, illegal connections and the source of unexplained drain smells, all without any digging.
Our Prices
A smoke test works by introducing non-toxic smoke into your drainage system through a drain access point or manhole. The smoke fills the pipe network under gentle pressure and escapes wherever there's a crack, a gap, a faulty connection or an open vent. Because the smoke is visible above ground, we can see exactly where the fault is without any guesswork or excavation. It's particularly effective for locating the source of persistent drain smells, finding illegal connections to storm drains, checking new drainage before sign-off and identifying faults that a CCTV camera can't reach.
Our team arrives with purpose-built smoke generation equipment and seals off the drain access points temporarily before introducing the smoke. We then walk the area above the drain network and watch for smoke emerging. Any escape point is photographed and recorded. The whole process typically takes less than two hours, and we produce a clear report of what was found and where, with repair recommendations where faults are identified.
Available 24/7, 365 Days a Year
Dylex operates around the clock every day of the year, including weekends and bank holidays, so you're never left waiting when a drainage emergency strikes.
Priority Emergency Call-Out
When you call with a blocked drain or plumbing emergency, your job goes to the front of the queue and the nearest van is sent, across Dublin, Kildare, Meath and Wicklow.
ISO 9001 & ISO 14001 Certified
Dylex holds internationally recognised certifications for quality management and environmental management, giving customers confidence in the standard of every job.
Transparent Fixed Pricing
Every job comes with an upfront quote before work begins, no hidden charges, no surprises, just honest pricing you can trust.
Most Blockages Cleared on the First Visit
Fully equipped vans carry high-pressure jetting gear and CCTV cameras to every job, meaning Dylex engineers can diagnose and fix most drain problems in a single visit.
The smoke we use is non-toxic, leaves no residue and is completely safe for people and pets inside and outside the property during the test. Smoke testing is widely accepted as evidence of drain faults for insurance claims, planning applications and pre-purchase surveys. We carry out smoke tests across Dublin, Kildare, Meath and Wicklow and combine the service with CCTV inspection where a more detailed view of a specific fault is needed after the smoke test has pinpointed its location.
A lot of customers aren't sure whether a smoke test or a CCTV survey is the right starting point. If you have unexplained smells and aren't sure where they're coming from, smoke testing is often the faster route to an answer because it tests the whole system at once rather than inspecting pipe by pipe. If you've got a specific suspected problem location, a CCTV survey may be more appropriate. Call us and we'll point you in the right direction based on what you describe.
Smoke testing is the fastest way to check an entire drainage system for faults in a single visit. It's especially good at revealing problems that are hard to see on camera, such as small cracks in vent pipes, gaps at pipe joints buried in walls, and cross-connections between foul and surface water drains.
Coverage
We cover Meath, Wicklow, Dublin and Kildare. Fast response times across every area listed here.
You may also need
01
We track down the source of persistent drain smells in homes and businesses using CCTV inspection, smoke testing and dye tracing, then fix the root cause rather than masking the problem.
02
We use waterproof cameras to inspect your drains from the inside, identifying blockages, cracks, root damage and collapsed pipes without any digging. You get a full written report and video footage.
03
We repair cracked, collapsed and misaligned drains across Dublin and surrounding counties, and offer planned maintenance programmes to keep problems from coming back.
Yes. The smoke used is non-toxic and leaves no residue. It's completely safe for people and animals inside or outside the property during the test. It dissipates quickly once the test is complete.
Most residential smoke tests are completed in one to two hours. Larger commercial or multi-drainage-system sites may take longer. We'll give you a time estimate when you book.
They do different things. A smoke test is excellent for finding where faults are and is particularly good for checking the whole system quickly. A CCTV survey shows you the inside of the pipe in detail, including the nature and extent of any damage. We often use both together, with the smoke test pointing us to the problem and the CCTV giving us a closer look at it.
In a properly sealed drainage system, smoke stays in the pipes. If smoke does appear inside the property during the test, that's actually useful diagnostic information, it tells us exactly where a fault is allowing drain gases back in. We manage the test carefully to minimise any inconvenience.
Yes. Illegal connections between foul water drains and surface water drains are one of the specific things smoke testing is very good at identifying. The smoke travels through the full connected system, so any unauthorised link between the two shows up quickly.
A bad drain smell that keeps coming back is rarely random. If traps are full, surfaces are clean and the odour still finds its way into bathrooms, kitchens, corridors or plant rooms, a smoke test investigation for drain leaks is often the fastest way to stop guessing and find the fault.
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Buying a house is likely to be one of the biggest investments you'll ever make. At Dylex Drains & Plumbing, we believe a CCTV drain survey is one of the smartest investments a homebuyer can make before purchasing a property.
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Most CCTV drain survey guides tell you what a camera sees. This one tells you when you actually need one, what a good report looks like, and why Dylex runs surveys 24/7, 365 days a year across Dublin, Kildare, Meath and Wicklow.
Read more →24h emergency · helpdesk@dylex.ie
