Catalyst

Catalyst delivers specialist drainage, water supply, subsidence investigation, home emergency and en

Catalyst provides a value added service in the management of insurance claims in order to facilitate speedy and satisfactory outcomes for all stakeholders.

07/10/2026

We love to share knowledge and expertise. It’s in our name.

By working closely with our customers and industry colleagues, we aim to create better outcomes for all.

Which is why we’re very pleased to be supporting Intact Insurance – Intact Assurance, attending their commercial property claims supplier fairs in Halifax yesterday and Manchester today.

Our managing director, Brad Jackson, and operations director, Paul Duddle, have attended both events.

It’s a great chance to meet and share experiences with their claims handlers, loss adjusters, claims account managers and technical teams. We've been:

🔎 Demonstrating the services we provide
👍 Showcasing the positive difference we make
🙂 And explaining how we contribute to making claim journeys as simple and stress-free as possible for everyone

We're also learning first hand from Intact Insurance teams, taking their advice back to further improve how we deliver our services.

So, thank you to everyone we’ve met!

06/10/2026

Do you know your septic tank from your cesspit?

Insurance claims professionals need to know so much about the assets they provide cover for that it can be hard to keep up.

Which is why we’re creating easy-to-understand technical guides for the services we provide.

One is for off-mains drainage systems, with Part 1 of the guide now published.

👍 It gives our insurance and loss adjuster colleagues accurate and up-to-date information about off-mains drainage systems.

How they go wrong, and how they can be put right again.

❔ So, if you need to know how big a septic tank needs to be.

🤯 Or what the tell-tale signs are of a sewage treatment plant fault.

You'll find the answers in our off-mains drainage service guide.

https://catalystservicesuk.com/resources/service-guides/off-mains-drainage-guide/

01/10/2026

At Catalyst, we’re always interested in latest service and equipment developments.

Which is why our MD, Brad Jackson , and technical director, Paul Duddle, were attending No Dig Live in Warwickshire this week.

If you’re interested in trenchless works solutions (as we are) it’s a good place to be.

We want the services we provide for our insurance claims customers and their policyholders to be as effective (technical and cost) and sustainable as they can be.

That’s about understanding delivery options here and now and being across trends as they emerge.

More portable and easy-to-use CCTV systems
Advances in drain lining technologies
And, of course, the advance of AI into underground service maintenance and repair solutions…

They all featured and were of interest.

29/09/2026

Climate change is exposing us all to droughts, storms and – new expressions.

🌊 Here’s one – a Kelvin wave. It’s a huge, slow-moving wave of warm water in the Pacific Ocean.

And because the El Nino climate phenomenon is so strong this year, a huge Kelvin wave is predicted to wash up against California, causing major flooding.

Don’t worry, it won’t reach the UK. But it’s another sign we’re likely to be hit in the next two months by storms generated by El Nino.

And that could mean (another new expression alert) we COULD be hit by a weather whiplash.

Read our article to see what this means for and .

P.S. – Kelvin waves aren’t actually new. British scientist Lord Kelvin, he of the coldest possible temperature, first described them in 1879.

https://catalystservicesuk.com/from-subsidence-to-flash-flooding-why-insurers-are-preparing-for-weather-whiplash/

25/09/2026

We officially tripped over the step from summer into autumn this week.

Hands-up anyone looking forward to cooler weather, basking in rain, and kicking some leaves about? 🍂🍂

The trouble is, it may not turn out quite so pleasant.

Forecasters are predicting wild weather in the run-up to Christmas. 🌨️

NW Europe could be battered by storms and beset by floods.

Now’s the time to keep an eye on drainage and water supply systems.

💦 Pooling of water around gullies could mean blocked pipes
🏚️ Reduced water pressure is a tell-tale sign of a leak, perhaps caused by ground movement
☹️ Flash flooding across hardened ground could threaten your property.

The summer drought could still catch you cold.

Here at Catalyst, we’re bracing ourselves for busy times ahead. We’re ready to respond rapidly to help policyholders across the UK.

Simple checks on drainage and water supply assets can prevent disaster.

Take a look at the service guides on our resources hub for more tips.

https://catalystservicesuk.com/resources/

22/09/2026

Today, more than ever, we value having a trusted source for useful information.

It’s why we’ve upgraded the Catalyst Resources Hub to make it easier to access information about vital belowground services.

Go to the new-look section on our website to find:
🔎 Detailed Q&A service guides
👨‍💻 Handy and informative technical illustrations
💦 A glossary of terms for everything from water jetting to subsidence
🎥 Short technical videos for fault-finding in drainage systems

Our insurance claims clients say our resources hub is useful for fact-checking and training.

We’ll be adding more resources in the coming weeks. Take a look for yourself. If there are resources you’d like to see there, Let us know.

https://catalystservicesuk.com/resources/

17/09/2026

As we head towards the winter months, it’s definitely a good time to take stock of critical property risks.

That includes potential problems with water supply pipe systems and drainage networks.

A good way of doing this is to use the Catalyst Home Environment Health Checklist.

We designed to check how sustainable a property is. It’s just as good at helping property owners defining building risks:

💦 Is water being wasted?
☹️ Is there a risk of pipes springing a leak?
🚽 Is the drainage system working properly?
💰 Could I reduce my water bills?
🏚️ Is there a risk my property could be flooded?

Use the traffic light scoring system on the checklist to see if there’s anything to be concerned about.

https://catalystservicesuk.com/Catalyst-Home-Environment-Health-Checklist.pdf

14/09/2026

Do you know you septic tank from your drainage field? Off-mains drainage systems are relied on by tens of thousands of property owners across the UK.

Our new Off-Mains Drainage Guide has lots of useful information about how the systems work, how to maintain them and what to look for when they go wrong.

This is part 1 of a 2-part guide. In this section we answer questions like:
💦 What are the different types of off-main drainage systems?
👷 How big does my wastewater tank need to be?
🏚️ How often should a septic tank be emptied?

It’s perfect information for insurance claims professionals who need to advise their policyholders.

https://catalystservicesuk.com/resources/service-guides/off-mains-drainage-guide/

10/09/2026

Water leaks, blocked drains, overflowing septic tanks. We can sort them all!

Here at Catalyst, we’re experts at supporting insurance claims specialists. It’s an exacting challenge our teams relish.

We also put to use our experience supporting insurance companies and their claims customers to help property management specialists too.

It can involve:
💦 Responding quickly to water leaks
🛠️ Maintaining septic tanks
🔎 Investigating drain blockages
💩 Cleaning up after sewage spills

Whether you need help nationally or regionally. Catalyst is here to help. Call us: 0333 004 8008.

Read our guide to services for property managers to find out more.

https://catalystservicesuk.com/sector/property-managers/

08/09/2026

Some drainage fields have been having a hard time over the summer.

The extreme drying out of soils, especially in clay-rich areas, can have a negative impact on how drainage fields function:

☹️ It can cause ground movement that can damage drainage field pipes.

☀️ Severely baked soils can have show reduced infiltration rates.

🥀 Organic compounds from dying vegetation can make soils hydrophobic: they actively repel water.

🌳 Also, aggressive tree root ingress to drainage field pipes, to seek moisture, can block water release.

🌨️ As we’ve experienced more rainfall in recent days, some baked hard drainage fields will have struggled to absorb the water.

If you have an off-mains drainage system that has a drainage field, keep an eye out for tell-tail problem signs.

🚽 These include pooling of wastewater, slow draining of toilets and sinks, and bad smells.

If you have concerns, call Catalyst. We can help. Tel: 0333 004 8008.

In the meantime, take a look at our Drainage Field illustration to see how one SHOULD work.

https://catalystservicesuk.com/resources/service-illustrations/how-does-a-drainage-field-work/

Address

Gatehead Business Park
Oldham
OL35DE

Telephone

+448008708080

Website

https://www.catalystservicesuk.com/

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