Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2016 12:17 am
Ok first post so bear with me!
The property:
Built in 1910 ish
Has partial cellar under half the building
Building was once part of a farm
Cellar suspected to have been kitchen/washroom originally
Ive lived here two years with the cellar being dry until two weeks ago
House backs onto a field (Council land)
The problem:
23rd december my cellar is 6in deep in rainwater
Its now 32in deep in water!
I have rented a pump but the water is coming from the field so I am effectively draining the land!
Ok so when this building was a farm, apparently there would have been a drain in the cellar with a channel underneath, taking water out towards the field. There is a manhole in my patio just before the field which is a 7ft deep brick "well" which is a trap for this drain. There is then a 4in clay type pipe leading off into the field which I SUSPECT is just an open ended pipe which drains into the land or originally a soakaway.
Ground water from my patio usually enters this trap and then flows out to the field direction (i.e.. the normal flow is towards the field). What is now happening is that water is flowing BACK down this pipe from the field to my property, entering the manhole trap and then backing up down the channel under my cellar where it then comes up through the floor.
The councils engineer seems to think think this is purely down to the water table rising with the ammount of rain we've had.
Here is a diagram of the layout:
Finding a solution and getting it sorted is now down to me as the council and my insurance have washed their hands of it. I have permission to dig in the field from the council if required. They or united utilities have no data on this pipe/drain at all and have agreed that it looks to only "serve" (even though it doesn't) my property.
My my aim now is to block this pipe off but in the correct fashion:
Option 1: Dig down and block the pipe in my garden. Using concrete or the likes? My reason for disliking this method is that if it ever let go or failed then I'm back to where i am now.
Option 2: Go 4/5 metres into the field and then dig down to the pipe. Cut the pipe and remove a section enabling me to shove a much concrete as I can into the piece of pipe leading to my property whilst also getting into the manhole in my garden and blocking that end too, effectively leaving a piece of pipe sealed at both ends in the ground.
Option 3: Something else?
Please bear in mind this pipe will be 6/7ft down so its going to require some excavation either way.
Thanks
The property:
Built in 1910 ish
Has partial cellar under half the building
Building was once part of a farm
Cellar suspected to have been kitchen/washroom originally
Ive lived here two years with the cellar being dry until two weeks ago
House backs onto a field (Council land)
The problem:
23rd december my cellar is 6in deep in rainwater
Its now 32in deep in water!
I have rented a pump but the water is coming from the field so I am effectively draining the land!
Ok so when this building was a farm, apparently there would have been a drain in the cellar with a channel underneath, taking water out towards the field. There is a manhole in my patio just before the field which is a 7ft deep brick "well" which is a trap for this drain. There is then a 4in clay type pipe leading off into the field which I SUSPECT is just an open ended pipe which drains into the land or originally a soakaway.
Ground water from my patio usually enters this trap and then flows out to the field direction (i.e.. the normal flow is towards the field). What is now happening is that water is flowing BACK down this pipe from the field to my property, entering the manhole trap and then backing up down the channel under my cellar where it then comes up through the floor.
The councils engineer seems to think think this is purely down to the water table rising with the ammount of rain we've had.
Here is a diagram of the layout:
Finding a solution and getting it sorted is now down to me as the council and my insurance have washed their hands of it. I have permission to dig in the field from the council if required. They or united utilities have no data on this pipe/drain at all and have agreed that it looks to only "serve" (even though it doesn't) my property.
My my aim now is to block this pipe off but in the correct fashion:
Option 1: Dig down and block the pipe in my garden. Using concrete or the likes? My reason for disliking this method is that if it ever let go or failed then I'm back to where i am now.
Option 2: Go 4/5 metres into the field and then dig down to the pipe. Cut the pipe and remove a section enabling me to shove a much concrete as I can into the piece of pipe leading to my property whilst also getting into the manhole in my garden and blocking that end too, effectively leaving a piece of pipe sealed at both ends in the ground.
Option 3: Something else?
Please bear in mind this pipe will be 6/7ft down so its going to require some excavation either way.
Thanks
