Page 1 of 1
Posted: Thu Aug 17, 2006 9:08 am
by crazyk69
Hi Tony
Excellent site by the way, wish i'd come across this before.
Right to the nitty gritty, i have bought a property (built approx 1970) and i have been in it for about a year. Six months ago i found that my drain was blocked for the downstairs cloakroom. The drain comes from the cloakroom, into an inspection chamber and then along to the main sewer in the neighbours garden. Also joining on is the cloakroom from my other next door neighbour (who doesn't have an inspection chamber). We got the council out who got a contractor to put a camera down to see what the problem was. They pulled a plunger from the sewer but also said the fall was poor. I am in the Army and was away when the camera people came so i couldn't ask any questions.
What would be my best courase of action, do i need to have the whole drain dug up and relaid? I beleive me and my neighbour are responsible for the drain after doing some research. The pipe does cross a public path before joining the main sewer in my other neighbours garden. Obviously this could turn into an expensive job and my neighbours are elderly so we are trying to keep the cost to a minimum. I am quite willing to have a go myself with a guy i work with but we are not experts in drainage, can do most things with building but not had much experience with drainage. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Regards
Ian 
Posted: Sat Aug 19, 2006 3:26 am
by jad
Has removing the plunger solved the problem and also what do they class as poor fall on the pipe?
Posted: Sat Aug 19, 2006 7:58 am
by lutonlagerlout
i would get a set of rods and rod the drain as far as you can mate, then also use plenty of heavy duty cleaners down it and a high pressure hose,if it has got a poor fall it needs to be kept clean
i wonder how they can see the fall from a camera?????
smells like BS to me
as said before the sink plunger wouldnt have helped
set of rods should cost no more than £20
DONT LOSE THE RODS DOWN THE PIPE!!!!
hope this helps
cheers tony
:;):
Posted: Sat Aug 19, 2006 8:36 am
by seanandruby
if there were no prpblems before the plunger then theres no reason why you should have anymore. pipes are laid to a gradient then surrounded in material to protect and keep them rigid. over the years you get settlement and if the job wasnt done right then you would see, via camera, dips, breaks etc. just monitor it now and again to see if all ok. there are a lot of dodgy firms that make their money from "dig downs". they tell clients all sorts of horror stories. I am not saying this is the case with your lads tho.
good luck.
Posted: Sun Aug 20, 2006 8:48 am
by Dave_L
....and when you are rodding make sure you wear suitable gloves etc etc - there are some nasties down there.........
Posted: Sun Aug 20, 2006 9:32 am
by seanandruby
there are a lot of reasons that determine falls on pipes. could be obstructions that where already in the groud etc. one reason is the waste pan in your cloakroom. the 90% bend and pipe have to below enough (cant remember the minimum i will look it up when i get 5 mins) otherwise it will self syphon, so their wont be anything to stop the smell. if the manhole invert was high then the pipelayer wouldnt of had a lot of fall to play with. point is, if, this is the case then you would be on a mission to nowhere. maybe you could get a friend, or, borrow a dumpy level and check the invert levels.
Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2006 8:12 am
by crazyk69
Thanks Guys
i have been rodding the drain to keep it clean and clear. the problem is still there, the reason we've come to the conclusion there is poor fall is because when we flush the toiletthe water doesn't drain down the pipe that good.
i end up having to rod it every three or four months, although i don't mind this i would prefer not to do this. would it be feasible for me to lift the pipes and relay them or am i just best rodding them every few months.
regards
ian
Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2006 7:37 pm
by flowjoe
The fact that a plunger was found in the system in the first place suggests it has been a problem system for some time, sounds as though the pipe work has dipped or bellied causing solids and water to hold in the line.
You could excavate and re-lay the pipe work, restoring the pipe work to its original fall (if there was any in the first place). Modern plastic pipe work is ultra smooth and it comes in long lengths meaning less joints than the original pipe, so lines that are have little if any fall at all, tend to push through due to less snagging points.
If you have the original video/DVD recording of the camera survey PM me and i will have a look for you, might be able to give better advice after watching your mucky film ???
Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2006 7:57 pm
by lutonlagerlout
god forgive but maybe you have the dreaded pitch pipes??
i have come across these a couple of times in 60's properties and basically they just collapse into an egg shape
if its them they will have to be dug out mate
regards tony 
Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2006 4:48 pm
by crazyk69
Thanks again guys
will ask the company if they have the recording. just another quick question, would it just be me and my neighbour responsible for the drain or could we get some official help due to the fact it crosses a public footpath to gat to the main sewer.
TIA
Ian
Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2006 6:23 pm
by flowjoe
The cost of the repair is the responsibility of whoever uses the system at the point of the defect, if your neighbours connection is downstream of the defect then it is your responsibility solely. The houseowner/s are responsible for the drain up to the connection onto the sewer, even if the defect is beneath the footpath or road it is still not a local authority drain.
If the defect is due to what could be classed as accidental damage such as tree roots of damage due to vehicular movement then you could make a claim on your bricks and mortar insurance, they will not however pay out for poor workmanship back in the 70s.
Posted: Wed Aug 30, 2006 2:31 pm
by crazyk69
thanks everyone
still trying to get hold of the cctv footage to determine where the problem lies. i beleive i will be digging up the pipe and relaying it. but for the time being drain rods will have to suffice. 
Posted: Tue Sep 05, 2006 10:38 am
by crazyk69
Hi again
My wife has spoken to the guy who did the survey, still hunting for the footage, think the council have it. the guy says we have no flow and there isn't a lot we can do about it. surely that can't be the case. otherwise i will be spending the next few years rodding the drain. has anyone any ideas.
thanks
ian
Posted: Tue Sep 05, 2006 8:47 pm
by Dave_L
Sounds ominous, I have to say........