Yes folks, October is upon us once again.
The nights are drawing in, pumpkins are appearing on doorsteps and perfectly sensible adults are paying good money to walk around fields in the dark while somebody dressed as a zombie jumps out at them.
So, naturally, we thought we’d turn our attention to the mysterious world beneath our feet.
Because drains, wells and waterways have attracted myths, superstitions and strange stories for centuries.
Some are ancient folklore. Some are modern urban legends. And some sound completely ridiculous until you discover there’s actually a tiny bit of truth behind them.
So grab a torch, avoid saying anything three times into the bathroom mirror, and join us as we venture into the strange world of drainage folklore.
Why Do We Throw Coins Into Wishing Wells?
We’ll start with a familiar one.
Find a wishing well, throw in a coin, make a wish.
The tradition of making offerings to wells and springs is much older than the loose change rattling around the bottom of your local garden centre wishing well.
Water sources have long been regarded as special places. Across different cultures, springs, rivers and wells have been associated with healing, purification and the supernatural. Coins and other objects were sometimes offered in the hope of receiving good fortune, protection or healing in return.
Today, the tradition survives in fountains and wishing wells around the world.
Our professional drainage advice?
Coins into wishing wells: charming tradition.
Coins down the toilet: expensive plumbing experiment.
Is It Bad Luck to Pollute a Well?
For communities that relied on a well for drinking water, keeping it clean was rather important.
Before water treatment plants, mains water and the luxury of turning on the kitchen tap, contaminating your local water source could have extremely serious consequences.
Unsurprisingly, wells became surrounded by traditions and warnings about how they should be treated. Some were associated with saints, spirits or supernatural protection, and disrespecting or contaminating the water could supposedly bring misfortune.
Which is actually quite an effective medieval public-information campaign.
“Please don’t throw rubbish into the village water supply.”
Not working?
“A terrifying supernatural being will curse your entire family.”
Much better!
Sometimes folklore had a surprisingly practical purpose.
Do Toilets Really Flush the Other Way in Australia?
You may have heard this one.
Apparently toilets in the Northern Hemisphere flush one way, while toilets in Australia flush in the opposite direction because of the Earth’s rotation.
It sounds wonderfully scientific.
There’s just one small problem.
It isn’t really true.
The Coriolis effect is caused by the Earth’s rotation, which makes large-scale movements of air and water appear to curve as they travel across the planet helping to influence things like weather systems and ocean currents.
But your toilet is far too small for the Coriolis effect to determine which way the water swirls. That is mainly affected by the design of the toilet bowl and how the water enters it.
So if you ever visit Australia, there is no need to spend the first ten minutes of your holiday staring expectantly into a toilet.
Although we suspect somebody will now do exactly that. (we did…)
Can Rats Really Come Up Through the Toilet?
Now we enter slightly more uncomfortable territory.
Rats living in sewers?
Absolutely.
Rats climbing through drainage systems?
Also possible.
Rats appearing unexpectedly in a toilet?
Brace yourselves.. Rare, but not impossible!
Rats are excellent swimmers and surprisingly capable climbers. Damaged drainage systems can give them opportunities to reach places where homeowners would very much prefer them not to be.
If you’re experiencing repeated problems with rats around your property, particularly alongside strange smells or drainage issues, damaged pipework may be worth investigating.
A CCTV drain survey can help identify cracked pipes, displaced joints or other defects that could provide unwanted access.
So unfortunately, this particular urban legend is a
DEEPLY UNPLEASANT POSSIBILITY
Sleep well.
Are There Alligators Living in the Sewers?
This is one of the greatest sewer legends of them all.
You must have heard this one! The story usually goes that somebody bought a baby alligator as a pet, realised that keeping an alligator in the bath wasn’t quite as much fun as anticipated and flushed it down the toilet.
The alligator then survived beneath the city, grew enormous, and established a secret underground reptile civilisation.
The legend became particularly associated with New York City.
Are giant colonies of sewer alligators patrolling beneath Manhattan?
No.
But the story has survived for generations because sewers are perfect territory for urban legends.
They’re dark.
They’re hidden.
Most of us have absolutely no intention of climbing inside one to check.
Which leaves plenty of room for the imagination.
Fortunately, when Happy Drains sends a CCTV camera down your drainage system, the usual discoveries are slightly less dramatic.
Roots.
Cracks.
Fat deposits.
Collapsed pipework.
Occasionally something that makes everyone watching the monitor say:
“How on earth did THAT get down there?”
Alligators remain relatively low on the list.
Do Spiders Really Crawl Up Through Plug Holes?
We’ve tackled this one before, but no collection of drainage myths would be complete without it.
You’re brushing your teeth.
You glance down.
And there, sitting in the bath, is a spider roughly the size of a Labrador.
Obviously it came up the plug hole.
Except it probably didn’t.
Your sinks, baths and showers normally contain traps that hold water and create a barrier between your home and the drainage system.
Most spiders found in baths have simply wandered into the room and then discovered that smooth bath surfaces are considerably easier to climb down than climb back up.
So the enormous spider sitting beside the plug hole probably hasn’t emerged from the sewers. Catch it carefully, pop it outside and allow it to continue its important work of terrifying somebody else.
What’s That Noise Coming From the Pipes?
It’s late.
The house is quiet.
Then…
Gurgle.
You stop.
Knock.
Definitely something.
GLOOP-GLOOP-GLOOP.
At this point, you have two choices.
- A) Assume your house is haunted.
- B) Check the drains.
We recommend B.
Gurgling sinks, bubbling toilets and strange noises from pipework can be signs that air isn’t moving freely through the drainage system.
A partial blockage can restrict the flow of water and air, creating those distinctive noises. Knocking pipework can have other causes, including movement in pipes or changes in water pressure. So before calling a paranormal investigator, try calling someone with drain rods. Ghosts are notoriously difficult to remove with high-pressure water jetting.
Blockages, on the other hand…
Perhaps Our Ancestors Had a Point
It’s easy to laugh at old superstitions.
But many traditions surrounding wells, water and waste probably developed because people understood something very important long before they understood bacteria, modern sanitation or underground drainage engineering.
Look after your water.
Don’t contaminate it.
Pay attention when something changes.
And perhaps that’s one piece of ancient wisdom worth keeping.
If your drains suddenly start smelling strange, gurgling, backing up or behaving differently, don’t ignore them and hope the drainage spirits sort it out overnight.
There is usually a considerably less supernatural explanation.
Blocked drains, tree-root intrusion, damaged pipes, displaced joints and collapsed drainage can all be investigated using modern equipment such as CCTV drain surveys.
Which means we can now see exactly what’s lurking beneath your property.
Usually without encountering a ghost.
Or an alligator.
Something Strange Beneath Your House?
If something is bubbling, banging, smelling or making mysterious noises beneath your floorboards this October, don’t panic.
You probably don’t need an exorcist.
You need Happy Drains.
From blocked drains and CCTV surveys to drain repairs and investigations, we’ll find out what’s really going on underground.
Best
David & Will
