The Brew Cabin

Posted: **Wed Aug 01, 2007 10:48 am**

Hello,

Just found this site and what a brilliant place it is.

I have a couple of questions that I'm hoping will be able to be answered here.

I live in a Victorian property which currently has the grass round it at the same level as the DPC which is causing dampness on the inside of the walls.
What I have started to do is dig a sort of French drain around the property (A trench at the moment) but have come across a couple of problems and wanted advice on the best way to go next.
First here is a picturre of what I've started doing

I was going to make it a sort of dry area but the two problems I've come across are:
1: I have found that the main sewer drain pipe runs along the side of the house right under where I was planning this so I don't want to put down concrete or anything in case there is ever a problem with the pipe as I would then have to dig it all up again and possibly risk damage to the pipe which is clay. Here is the picture to try and help my description

.

Secondly I have what I can only describe as Gulley drains ?? and they are at the same height as the DPC so I can't really drain the "trench" into them as the water level would be higher than the bottom of it.(see pictures) Inside the gulley is a clay u-bend which you can just see in one of the pictures.

Can I lower these or is there a more simple solution as the ground round the house is nearly always wet and terrible for drainage. It's like walking on a big sponge most of the year round and like I say it's making the inside damp.
Thanks for your comments.
Cheers
Chris.

Posted: **Wed Aug 01, 2007 12:42 pm**

is the black pipe on the second and first picks a down spout from the gutters of a soil stack from the loo

you really need to get the ground down 150mm below the dpc

andy

Posted: **Wed Aug 01, 2007 1:01 pm**

Thanks for the reply Andy. I reckoned I had to get the ground down by 6" but I don't want to have to remove it from the whole lawn as it must be about 1/4 Acre which is why I was going for the drain/trench idea. Do you reckon this is a non starter?
The black pipes are cast iron rainwater gutters which feed into the main soil pipe that comes from from the toilet and runs round to the gulley drain. unless you mean the little one which is the gas main that I uncovered about 8" deep in the soil unprotected and rusted to buggery !!!

Cheers
Chris.

Posted: **Wed Aug 01, 2007 1:30 pm**

no
you can lay a land drain that will flow in to the bottom the cast iron pipe where it joins the clay but i cant tell about the levels

you might be best to get in in contractor to have a look and then doing the work your self (its not easy to advise without being there)

lll will be along soon with a better idea

andy

Posted: **Wed Aug 01, 2007 6:10 pm**

well firstly french drains do NOT work
you need a land drain around the house as specified on the main site
and as andy says drains may be able to be lowered or moved but you need some professional advice on site
theres always a way around it but you definitely need 150 below DPC
have you made sure none of your gutters leak when it rains?
this is a big cause of damp
cheers LLL

Posted: **Thu Aug 02, 2007 2:01 am**

sorry to hear about yr gas pipe... dig yr own trench and the gas board will replace it cheaply.their advisory service will direct you as to depth and sleeving etc..only trouble is trhe wait before their subcontractor can get to you.. usually three wereks.

Posted: **Thu Aug 02, 2007 10:51 am**

Thanks for all the replies so far guys.

LLL, I'm positive none of the guttering is leaking. The fact that the lawn level was right on the same level as the DPC (above it slightly in a few places) , the grass is all mossy and like a great big sponge nearly all year round because the drainage/soakaway through the soil is so bad was what prompted me to start by digging a trench round the house as I reckoned none of these things would be helping the damp situation.

Matt, Re the gas pipe, I'm not overly concerned as they are quite thick walled. The thing is that the lazy B****** that fitted it originally has wrapped the bit above the ground with the waterproofing tape but left the bit under the soil exposed

As for getting a contractor in, The last suggestion I got was to get a chemically injected DPC done which I know (because of where I work ) will not work on an already damp stone structure like a victorian house and will probably cause more problems than it will cure.

I would just knock a hole into the clay and drain it through that but it's also the main soil for the house and I wouldn't want any stink or worse coming out through the end of the newly inserted trench drain pipe.

Cheers
Chris.

Posted: **Thu Aug 02, 2007 12:46 pm**

I read the 'get a contractor in' suggestion as a 'drainage contractor' rather than a DampProof one ... but I've been mistaken before

Posted: **Thu Aug 02, 2007 2:30 pm**

but not this time ian
you NEED to get some in to look at the area we can only go so far sitting in front of a computer

andy

Posted: **Mon Aug 06, 2007 5:27 pm**

Ah, right, a drainage expert. O.K. thanks for the replies I'll see if I can find a decent one somewhere around here.

Thanks again
Chris.

Posted: **Thu Aug 09, 2007 4:15 pm**

What do I look under in the Yellow pages for a drainage contractor as the only things I can seem to find are the high pressure drain clearing companies????

Thanks
Chris.

Posted: **Thu Aug 09, 2007 5:09 pm**

could try ground works

but get 3 in and you will able to weed out the bull sh!t

andy

Posted: **Tue Aug 14, 2007 11:00 am**

O.K. I'll try that. Thanks for the advice Andy
Cheers
Chris.

Posted: **Mon Sep 24, 2007 10:32 am**

Chris,

Did you find a good drainage contractor? I am 20 miles West of Edinburgh and in need of good professional help to assess and advise on the best solution to my (possibly ) failed septic tank soakaway problem.

I have yet to find anybody..........and here was me thinking plumbers were hard to find

Regards

Stevie

Posted: **Wed Oct 24, 2007 11:45 am**

Hi Stevie,

I've not found anyone yet but am at the moment trying to get in touch with a local groundworks company to see what they say. If I get any result, I'll let you know. Did you try looking under ground works in Yell.com for anyone local? 20 miles west can't be far from where I am as I'm just past Livingston.

Cheers
Chris.

The Brew Cabin

Bad drainage causing damp - What to do ???