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Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2008 3:00 pm
by job_bodger
Hi, can anyone help me with identifying this rogue drain pipe ?
In the bottom picture i intend to lay a drain encased in concrete on the left of the raised flag stone retained area (which contains the foul drain). The drain pipe is going to be connected to two land drains in the garden at the back of the picture and drain the water off to the surface water drain that you can see at the bottom of the down pipe on the right.
In preparation for laying the pipe I cut off the left side edge of the flag stone facing us in the picture to make room for the drain. Underneath the sliver of flag stone I found a drain pipe going down and in towards the house full of moist soil ? I removed some of the soil and the pipe is shown in the top picture. Any idea what this might be ? It doesn't seem to be a loose piece of pipe and I presume it is still connected to the drain system. Anyone any idea what it would be ? Should I try to remove all the soil ?(although god knows how ?)
Sorry if its not that well explained !!
Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2008 6:27 pm
by matt h
cant see picture:(
Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2008 8:04 pm
by flowjoe
Given its position at the corner of the property i would say it was originally for a downspout, its not unusual to find abandoned lines due to the drawings been changed during construction or a stella too many being consumed by the groundworker.
Has the guttering been changed at any time ? can you see any raw plugs in the brickwork above where the spout used to be?
May be worth calling out a jetting unit to flush it through in order to confirm it is still live.
Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2008 8:38 pm
by Dave_L
flowjoe wrote:its not unusual to find abandoned lines due to the drawings been changed during construction or a stella too many being consumed by the groundworker.
Hey! My fave tipple is Stella but I don't drink on the job! 
Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2008 8:43 pm
by flowjoe
Dave, having seen the picture with you and the chainsaw, i sort of just assumed you were partial to a pint of wifebeater!
:laugh:
Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2008 2:14 am
by Mike_Missourah
WARNING! Woe be to those who obstruct passage to the TEMPLE OF CLOACINA. She sees all your errors and omissions and will take terrible revenge. (Plumbianis, Rome, undated)
---------
From the pictures and comments, you seem to have un-earthed a clean-out (rodding access?). Since it is packed with dirt, it obviously hasn’t seen much use recently. A specialty crew could clear it but I have had success with filled in shut-off valve risers using a shop-vacuum cleaner and a suitable length of PVC pipe. If the silt-dirt isn’t too moist, the vacuum and a sharp stick can do wonders. I have heard of similarly using a length of swimming pool hose with metal or cast stiffeners in the walls to prevent collapse.
Warning-1: Plastic shop-vacuums full of dirt are REAL heavy. Warning-2: If the vacuum receiver starts to fill with soft, smelly material; STOP, you’ve gone far enough.
I can’t really determine distances, type of pipe or pipe end (end or bell) from the photographs. The minimum would be some sort of plastic cleanout with a screw out port held in place with a polymer compression fitting such as those made in great perfusion by Fernco (http://www.fernco.com/proflex.asp) or someone similar who works your side of the pond. You could then use brickwork or cut stone to maintain an opening over which your new drain could pass. This would not serve for conventional rodding but probably suffice for a flexible snake or hose system. Since I have been chastised several times by Cloacina (May she flow ever unimpeded to Poseidon’s Domain.), I would probable use two minimal bend PVC fittings (e.g. two 45s or a 45 plus a 60 degree bends to clear the new drain and place the cleanout fitting over the brick step, or whatever is in the picture under the wall heater-cooler unit, “just in case�.
A splash for Cloacina (May ...etc), finish the pint and move ahead.
Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2008 9:29 am
by job_bodger
The plot thickens
I used my hand right up to past the elbow to dig the dirt out and it looks like this pipe is curving directly towards the surface water drain. I wonder whether its still connected or has been blanked off ? If its still connected I'll be able to use it to connect the land drain ! without having to brake in to the main pipe.
Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2008 8:24 pm
by lutonlagerlout
flojo is right,the position looks like a RWP that was never connected
LLL 
Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 1:36 pm
by job_bodger
I was just testing the land drain with a hose in preparation for connecting to the surface water drain. I let the water flow into the rogue drain. I was expecting it to fill up and overflow. It didnt however all the water drained away down the rogue drain. It maybe a stupid question but does that mean it is connected to the main drain or that the water is collecting somewhere at the bottom of my house foundation ?
Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 1:48 pm
by James.Q
sounds like its still connected. run water down from hose lift manhole and see if water is running through:)
Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 3:02 pm
by job_bodger
Yipee, I can see water coming through the big surface drain man hole on the road at the front of the house. It must be connected to the main surface drain. Saves me messing about having to break in to the other surface drain on the right. I presume its ok to use . The alley you see in the picture belongs to me but the brick wall on the left is the neighbours garage. I presume that means the drain belongs to me
Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 8:33 pm
by seanandruby
did you use a dye to confirm, its best to be 100%. whoever it belongs to it is handy , well done.
Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 9:56 pm
by job_bodger
thanks
I didn't use a dye and to be honest I didn't even see the water. The man hole in the road is of the type that is a square consisting of two metal triangles and is very heavy and difficult to pull up and I'm a little afraid if I use brute force that one of the triangular pieces will fall into the drain and perhaps damage it. What I did do though was get my girlfriend to periodically turn the hose on full blast on and off and listen at the man hole and the sound of water perfectly corresponded so I'm confident it is correct.
What I would like to know though is why the builders decided to build some concrete steps over it and fill it with soil. Seems like they must have had a whole barrel of Stella before they made that decision. Saying that its a lucky find for me
Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 10:10 pm
by flowjoe
Dont be lifting any covers in the highway/road, it can be dangerous and hazardous.
An easy test is to listen at the open ended drain and get your mate/mrs to tap or bang on the manhole cover, given the flow rate of the water you should get an nice clear echo coming back through the system if they are connected.
One off the great joys of the game is finding buried pipes/cables and bloody great lumps of concrete that shouldnt be there.
Why did they build steps over the drain ?.......... these hard landscapers are a strange brew :;):
Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 7:12 am
by seanandruby
....Could be the drainlayer put the bend on the gable end and because bends have concrete thrust blocks at the bottom he just used a new one on the front of the house and connected it in to the run and capped the other "rogue drain" off.