firstly, why does this 60m run of pipe back up? Is it silted up, or is it because the outfall is restricted or submerged during wet episodes? The pipe itself has a capacity of over 450 litres, which isn't a massive amount, but, depending on the size of the area being drained, I would expect it to offer some level of storage without surcharging.

Anyway, the option to connect to the main sewer under the road. For this, you must get permission from your Local Authority, who act as agents for the Water Company, and they will impose certain conditions, assuming they sanction the connection. These may include use of their own work force or an approved contractor, construction of a drag-out MH prior to the connection, construction of a Sewers for Adoption 4thEd. MH on the connection itself...it can all get to be quite complicated and well beyond the remit of a DIY'er. A typical connection beneath a public highway would cost something in the region of £5,000-£10,000, and considerably more if it's a busy road, or there are other factors to consider.

Your notion of pump storing the water is technically possible in most cases, but you first need to know the sort of volumes involved, and you still need some provision for overflow discharge. What we're you planning to use for storage? A pond or a tank of some form? If you consider the volumes involved in storing surface water, especially if you have a largish area, then any tank has to be HUGE.

From what you've told us so far, I reckon your best course of action is to find out why the existing pipe and outfall are not performing as they should. It might be that a good clean out with a high-pressure jet, or a bit of ditch-clearing is all that's needed.

If you're on heavy clay that's very slow to drain, you might want to reduce the separation between the cross-links to, say, one every 5 metres, or, even consider the use of a drainage composite layer beneath the sub-base.

Rod upstream and downstream to ensure the pipeline itself is not blocked or silted-up. Flush a bucket of water down the P-trap and see if it emerges at the 'break' as a trickle or as a full flow. If the P-trap is silted-up, you might be able to unclog it with the pressure washer now that you have an open point nearer to the unit itself. However, if the P-trap remained steadfastly blocked, then your only option is to break it out and replace with new.

Turning to the rest of the pipeline, you need to make sure it's running clear. The pressure washer will help for the first couple of metres, but what's really needed is a jetting unit, which you'd need to hire in.

The final link in this particular drainage chain is the soakaway itself. Old soakaways have a limited lifespan and they eventually silt up to such an extent that they cease to function. That may be the problem with yours. Only by sending water down the pipeline into the soakaway can you determine whether it's functioning, and, if it is, just how well it's functioning, in terms of litres per hour.
It may be that a new, modern soakaway is required, which means finding a suitable site on your land, digging the pit and installing the soakaway before diverting the existing pipework, but let's take one step at a time, and determine just what is the problem with the existing set-up.

When it comes to re-joining the system where you broke in, then most BMs carry a selection of adaptor couplings that will enable you to piece-in a new section as required. If, for example, you were connecting from the old 4" salt-glazed to a new length of 110mm uPVC, the BM will have a coupling to suit.

That's why I ask for clarification - I suspect that, if this steel is NOT part of the path reinforcement, it may just be a bit of 'scrap' steel chucked in the backfill once the raft was constructed.

Anyway, a raft is basically a big concrete slab that spreads the load of a structure over a larger area. They are common in areas with bad ground or where mining is known, hence we get a lot of them here, in what was the Lancashire coalfield. Cutting into the raft is not an easy task, and is something that should be avoided at all costs - this also makes me think that what you've found is not part of the raft.

A raft apron is an access structure, put in place to aid working, but not an essential part of the structure. they are wasteful and rarely used, although some architects use them as 'add-ons for larger rafts when they want to provide for later lightweight buildings, such as a conservatory.

Can you get another photo?

It's a bit hard to tell but I reckon that just might be rebar from the raft. Best to play it safe and concrete it all in. You can create a joint on the building line, if necessary, and then everything around the gully up to the joint should be concreted - solid concrete, and a reasonable mix such as a C20 equivalent.

On the other side of the joint, where it's just path, you can backfill with decent hardcore or sub-base material, and then lay 100mm thickness of concrete over a small piece of damp proof membrane.

It's really important to ensure you get that steel totally encased once again, otherwise air and water will start to corrode it and then it will start spalling the concrete...I'm not saying the house is in any danger, but it's best to get that steel covered and protected.

If you need any further explanation, or a drawing or concrete 'recipe', just ask.  

You need a building surveyor to look at it, and then a number of simple tests can be arranged that will identify the source problem. Once that's done, a remedial plan can be prepared and costed. It might be a broken drainage pipe, or a leaking water supply pipe, and nothing to do with the driveway at all, so ther's no point throwing money at that in the hope that it will rectify the sub-floor flooding.

Maybe a local builder or drainage contractor will be able to take a 'no obligation' look for you and suggest what might be the problem, but, from experience, I'd say sourcing tests (tests to identify just where the water originates ) are what's required first and foremost.

Two other options spring to mind - contact your local council, who can send out an engineer to asses whether there's any health/environmental risk from the sub-floor flooding, or try your Building Society, who will have a register of approved structural engineers and will put you in touch with them.

Your attempts to identify the source of the problem are along the right track, but try using a lime-green drain tracing dye, rather than the red, as it's much easier to spot that colour.

IF, and only if, it does turn out to be a problem with the driveway, then it's pretty easy to find a solution, but identifying the source of the problem must be the priority at this stage.

And so to John - if you've had a bitmac overlay and it's higher than the dpc on your property, you are asking for trouble, and, should you come to sell the property, a good surveyor will spot this immediately and you could be faced with the prospect of either dropping your asking price or forking out for remedial work.

Even if the new surfacing does fall away from the walls, there is still a damp bridge above the dpc and that is, structurally, a serious issue. Actually, I'm surprised that any surfacing company (that should be any reputable surfacing company ) agreed to lay bitmac in such a way. We would never have done it, not even with a written disclaimer from yourself, and I can't think of any local surfacing co's that would have agreed.

If your surfacing is above dpc, then you are inviting all sorts of problems with rising damp, possibly compromising the brickwork itself. It doesn't matter that the fall is away from the wall, the dpc itself is bridged and there is an easy-way-in for damp.

There is no 'Radweld' for pipes - you either line them, which is just not practical on the vast majority of small residential jobs, or you replace the lot.

In fact, it's often easier, quicker and cheaper to replace the lot rather than waste time, materials and effort trying to patch knackered gaskin joints.

Anyway, the gist of it is to raise the level of the existing IC cover, by building up with 225mm brickwork, giving, say, 1200mm of extra height to the chamber. Top this with a sealed cover, to protect the property from smells and gases, and have a float switch fitted at, say, +750mm, so that if/when the effluent starts to back up, then it will trip the float switch some time before it reaches a critical level, and you can take some action, hopefully, to minimise the risks.

An emergency overflow would be great, if you had somewhere to overflow to, but, other than the floor of the cellar, there doesn't seem to be anywhere else.

It's worth getting a drainage contractor to price a re-construction of the existing narrow drain - it might not be as scarey as you think, and at least you'd know what sort of money was involved rather than guessing.

Personally, I'd always recommend a permanent solution rather than a stop-gap, but, if that's not possible, then the 'early warning system' described above might be your best option.

The second option is to replace the IC with a new camber, possibly a Polypropylene model.

Most BCOs are reasonable bods, and will try to find the easiest, least costly solution, but without seeing the set-up for myself, I can't say which would be best. If you are having additional drainage installed, the new IC might be a better option, as it would allow you to have all your new connections without having to break into existing pipelines, or create junctions, rodding eyes, etc.

Have you discussed this with the BCO?

There are 'adjustable' couplings, that use something akin to giant Jubilee Clips to form a tight seal at both ends of the coupling, but these are even pricier and are normally used on larger jobs. For a simple gully connection, one of the adaptor couplings will be fine.

taking your Q's one at a time....

negotiable storm sewers - depends on your local authority. Have you spoken to them face-to-face?

There is a definite move away from allowing storm/surface water to be discharged into sewers, especially into combined or foul sewers nowadays. All part of what is known as SUDS - Sustainable Urban Drainage Sytems - which is intended to reduce loads in the sewers and the ETWs, as well as the rivers that eventually carry everything. That's why soakaways are becoming almost mandatory, in suitable areas.
But there's no harm in asking!

2 - You can dig your trial pit with owt you fancy. My personal favourite is a 360degree tracked excavator, or, failing that, a JCB Sitemaster, but you can use an auger if you wish. They're great fun, until they snap your wrists!

Finally, how can a soakaway be higher than your floor level? The depth of the soakaway is determined by the formula shown on the Soakaways page, and so you need to calculate roof and paved area, add around 20-40% for safety, determine depth of water table (if applicable ) and then determnine how deep and how wide your soakaway needs to be.

Have you seen the D-rain Tanks? They're a cracking idea for you self-builders!

I'll add a pic of them to the Soakaways page.

Post back to this thread if you've any further questions.

SHW (Spec for Highway Works - the groundworkers' bible) states "Natural gravel, natural sand, crushed gravel, crushed rock other than argillaceous rock, cushed concrete, chalk, well-burnt colliery spoil or any combination thereof"...and then there's a load of technical stuff about grading and plasticity indices etc, but your 20mm gravel will be fine.

Just how geo-membranes work is a PhD dissertation in itself, but, the gist of it is that, because the sediments/silts/clays are not carried into the voids between the 'selected free draining material', there is less migration of non-soluble particulates and just the groundwater passes through the membrane, under hydrostatic pressure. We may find, in 20-odd years time, that the outside of the membrane does indeed become clogged, but the indications so far are that a geo-membrane extends the working life of a land drain indefinitely.

1.  From what I have read, I will not be able to discharge any surface water into the sewers unless they are combined drains.  How do I find out if they are combined drains or just for sewerage?
Mmmm. By discharging SW into a FW sewer, you are rturning it into a Combined sewer. Your LA, as agent for the water authority, may not be best pleased with this, as it increases the load on the Effluent Treatment Works, but then again, they might accept it if there is no viable alternative. You will need to speak to the Tech Services Dept at your LA to ascertain their stance and to find out whether the existing swewer is Foul, Surface or Combined.

2.  Would I be able to connect into the road surface water drainage to get rid of some of my surface water if the drains are just for sewerage?
You need a permit to connect to a public sewer and your need a permit to excavate in a public highway which involves several million quids worth of insurance cover, a competence certificate, inspection fees to tyhe LA, and lots of other bureaucracy designed to ensure private householders are deterred and the job is left to the so-called professionals. Again, while this is a possible solution, you [b]must[/b] get approval from your LA first.

3  Pump and land drain option
I'm unsure how this would work. Using a float switch to activate a pump is straightforward enough, but to where would it pump? The excess water has to have somewhere to go - can you explain your layout a little more?

This is a proven scenario and is used on many sites up and down the country but, there can be all sorts of problems when the system is adapted for use with a residential soakaway, and I'll just guide you through the two most commonly reported 'issues'....

1 - The pump fails. Often, the water in the sump is rich in sediment and/or clay particles and, unless a suitable pump is used, the wear and tear is such that many pumps, often those commandeered from a garden pond or waterfall, just cannot cope and burn out or silt up and burst the valves. The Dirty Water pump you mention is one of the better models, but even so,  you need to check the filtration on a regular basis.

2- Where's all this bloody water coming from?
As soon as you create an effective 'outfall' for groundwater, you initiate a re-structuring of the natural groundwater channels in the surrounding area and you can find yourself draining every other bugger's garden. Think of groundwater as a gradient - we call it hydrostatic pressure. As soon as you start pumping, you are lowering the pressure at your 'sump pump' and thereby increasing the gradient within the local area. Now, all that other groundwater that once found or forced its way via the neighbouring land to a ditch or other outfall now makes a beeline for your snazzy new invention, and the next thing you know is that the damned pump is running 24-7 and you're paying for the lecky!

This is why I urge caution when considering the installation of this type of solution. Yes: it can and does work, but, in the wrong conditions, with the wrong kit, in the wrong location, it can create more problems than it solves.

If you do go for this solution, I'd strongly recommend a generous Wet Well, something like a 1050mm diameter circular MH chamber or a 1000x750 rectangular section, and, most importantly, a silt trap/catch pit to keep the Well as clean as possible.

Ensure any land drainage sytem feeding the Well is membrane-wrapped to reduce silt/sediment, and keep the rising main well buried for frost protection. We keep water supply pipes 900mm deep, but you could get away with an absolute minimum of 300mm for a small residential Wet Well and Rising main scheme - 450mm would be better still.

Also consider the outfall point. It's better to outfall within an existing IC or MH (for frost protection) than to bring the water up to surface level and dump it into a yard gully or rainwater pick-up.

If you do go ahead with this, I'd like to hear how you get on, and what your time and material costings run out at, as it's not something I would normally suggest as a DIY job.

Good luck!

What you need to catch all the surface water is an interceptor drain. The depth of the pipe is immaterial - it's the fact that the granular backfill comes to the surface that makes them so effective. If this is within a paved or hard-surfaced area, then a linear drain would perform the same function, but, as with all drainage issues, bear in mind that you must have a place where  you can outfall the collected water. Do you have existing drains?

It's difficult for me to say what would be your best option, as I'm not familiar with the property and drainage is one of those jobs that can only be properly weighed-up when you can see the ground, and even then, there's a risky element of guesswork involved, as you never know what's buried down there. However, the purpose of an interceptor drain is to intercept surface water and groundwater in the top 300-450mm or so. If the collector pipe at the base of an interceptor drain is lower than the foundations of the house, then it must be a boon, as groundwater will be collected and diverted before it can threaten the house itself. To be honest, as long as the base of the interceptor is at least 600mm below dpc, and a couple of metres away from the house, it can only have a positive influence.

So, would I use a full-length interceptor, or switch to standard drainage? Again, it depends on site conditions. No matter which option you choose, you have to dig a trench, lay a pipe and backfill it. With standard drainage, you can cover the pipe with a sprinkling of pipe-bedding material, and then backfill the rest of the trench with the excavated spoil, whereas with an interceptor drain, you have to back fill with granular material (pipe bedding) AND get rid of all the surplus excavated material, so, from a cost point of view, a standard drain is the better option.

What's this 'solum'? I'm not sure that what I call a solum is the same as what you call a solum. The standard definition of a solum (in the construction industry, anyway) is 'a piece of ground on which a building stands'. Geologists have a slightly different definition, but it still doesn't help me understand your last paragraph. Do you mean Floor Level?

The ground below the lowest floor of a building. If for any reason this is not covered with oversite concrete, it must be damp-proofed in accordance with the Building Regs., in Scotland with hot pitch or asphalt, or south of the border with thick plastic sheet covered with 50mm of fine concrete (BS 2832)

Terram 1BZ is one of those products that is priced according to quantity required. Try 'phoning Terram in Pontypool on Monday and getting a direct sale price. They may have a stockist/distributor up in your part of the world.

Good luck!

I know you've said that you've already spoken to all relevant authorities, but until the TSD say, in writing, that the pipeline isn't their responsibility and does not appear on their records, then you [b]must[/b] pursue them.

To trace just where the pipeline goes, you have to be prepared to stump up a small fortune. You could get lucky and find it on the local plans or with the aid of drain tracing dye, or you could run up a second mortgage using CCTV and/or radio-tracking systems, both of which will be available to you via local drainage contractor.

It may be worth speaking to the survey department of your bank/building society, as they sometimes authorise investigative work and charge it against your insurance policy, and it's worth a call to your local drainage company to see what sort of money they charge for their time. You may find that the local council DLO are cheaper, but that's not always the case.

I know this doesn't offer much hope, but drains are notoriously difficult, not least because they can't be seen. The age of your property also has implications, particularly if it's pre-1936. Speak again to the council, and, if they are adamant it's not their propblem, get it in writing and ask them for a recommendation as to where to go next. They'll know who are reliable and who are the clowns in your area.

Good luck!

However, be wary about pumping to a FW system. Make sure it's a main sewer and NOT a septic tank or cess pit.

As for choice of pump, you need to speak to your local BM and see what they have available to suit your specific requirements in terms of flow rate, voltage etc. Just ask them what they have available in sub-floor or submersible pumps.

I suspect that what you've actually built is a pair of  sumps, which is a gentler way of telling you that you've dug holes that fill up with water. You might be able to connect them to the existing SW system NOT the FW system) but I can't say how feasible that is without being familiar with your garden.

If it is possible, then consider using a silt trap before connecting up to the SW system.

Your plan to link to the existing SW system is technically feasible. I would build the link as an overflow from the soakaway system, then take it via a catchpit/silt trap to a convenient point on the SW system. This may need to be a new access point or IC, depending on the exact layout, but it will be possible, one way or t'other.

So, where are you stuck?

See this page

2)  Also, what's an IC?

IC means Inspection Chamber - See this page

Post back if you need any more help.

I really wouldn't fret about digging up the garden - this is the best time of year to do such work, as by the time time spring returns, the excxavation and construction work will be all but invisible. You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs.

I can't see why your neighbour should chuck in with you towards the costs, though. It's not as though they want or desperately need any of this work doing. It's for your benefit, and so, in my book, you should pay. If your neighbour benefits, then they may elect to make a contribution, but they'd be perfectly within their rights to tell you to go forth and multiply, if they were that way inclined.  

Your second question brings a similar response, I'm afraid. Unless I can see the job, I can't really say what would be my plan of attack. Can you provide me with an annotated sketch of your plan?

Sorry I'm not much use on these questions, but they are so individual and site-specific, it would be unprofessional, and possibly dangerous, for me to suggest solutions when I'm not familiar with the layout.

I think you're right - ask the BCO what they would accept and go with that. The trouble with many of these types of jobs is that you can't see what you're up against until your get the ground opened up, and you could get yourself all geared up for a lintel installation only to find some prescient builder has left a 150mm dia hole in the foundations just for this sort of eventuality. Well, maybe not, but you know what I mean!

So, on to the concrete - usually, we'd use a membrane between the existing brickwork and the new concrete, unless there was good reason not to, and nothing you've mentioned so far suggests such a good reason. The standard 'membrane' is a PIFA 1200 micron impermeable membrane, but we call it 'visqueen' for short. It's the blue-tinged plastic you've seen a million times on building sites and in Builder's Merchants.

You'll not need a full roll (100m²) so see if you can cadge some from a local builder in exchange for a small donation to their favourite pocket.