Blocked Downpipe and Hopper Unblocked on a Burgess Hill Home

Overflowing downpipe in Burgess Hill

We were called out to a home in Burgess Hill where the customer had noticed a downpipe overflowing. Water was spilling out rather than running away properly, which usually points to a blockage somewhere in the system. On this occasion the problem was in more than one place, so it needed a proper look rather than a quick poke from the top.

Blocked hopper and swan neck bends

When we got up to the gutter, we found the hopper was blocked at the top. The swan neck bends halfway down the downpipe were also blocked. With both of those sections holding water and debris, the system had no chance of flowing as it should. Clearing just one part would have left the rest of the run still restricted.

Taking the system apart to clear it

Rather than trying to force the blockage through, we took the whole system apart. That let us clear the hopper and the bends properly and check the sections in between while they were off the wall. Once everything was clear, we reassembled the pipework and made sure each joint was sitting correctly again.

Water flowing as it should

With the system back together, we ran water through to test it. The flow was running as it should, with no overflow at the hopper and nothing backing up in the bends. It was a straightforward gutter clearance job in Burgess Hill, but it shows why it pays to check the full run rather than just the gutter itself. Blockages in the hopper and downpipe bends are easy to miss from ground level, and they are a common reason for water spilling out over a doorway or wall. If you notice a downpipe overflowing at your property, it is worth getting the whole system checked rather than waiting for the water to find its way somewhere worse.