Most homeowners have no idea what the round and square covers in their garden are for — until something blocks. Knowing the difference helps you spot a problem early and tell the plumber exactly what's wrong over the phone.
Gully traps
The shallow grated dish outside the kitchen and bathroom. It takes greywater from the basin, bath and washing machine and traps smells with a water seal. Blocked symptom: grey water overflows when the washing machine drains.
Inspection eye (IE)
A round or square cast-iron lid set into the paving, usually near corners. It's the access point to the foul drainage line and is what we lift to rod or jet the main sewer. Blocked symptom: sewage visible when you lift the lid.
Rodding eye (RE)
A small capped 110 mm pipe sticking up out of a flowerbed or at the base of a wall. It's purely a maintenance access point. Blocked symptom: none directly — but a competent drain crew will use the closest RE rather than dismantle a toilet to rod the line.
Stormwater catch pit
The bigger square pit at the bottom of a driveway or at the base of downpipes, with a removable basket. Blocked symptom: driveway pooling in rain. Fix: empty the basket, jet the outlet pipe. Takes 20 minutes if you do it twice a year.
Why DIY usually backfires
- Garden hoses can't generate enough pressure to clear anything but sand.
- Pushing a wire down a blocked line usually compacts the blockage further.
- Pouring caustic into a gully kills the water seal and lets sewer gas into the house.
- Lifting a heavy cast-iron IE the wrong way chips the rebate and the cover never seats properly again.
A sensible outdoor drainage maintenance schedule
- Quarterly: lift gully grates, remove leaves and hair, hose through.
- Annually: open each IE, visually inspect, jet if any standing water.
- Every 2 years: CCTV the main line from IE to municipal connection.
- After every big storm: empty stormwater catch-pit baskets.
Want us to do it for you? Phone 082 886 9119 for an annual drainage service contract — fixed price, covers gullies, IEs, stormwater pits and a 30m CCTV survey.