Soakaways blocked and unblockable

jules9

Both front and rear garden soakaways blocked up at new house. When it rains the rainwater from the guttering and driveway is going all over the place right next to the brickwork on the house.

Had a couple of guttering people around who have suggested linking guttering to main drain. Estimated cost around £450. (eg tilt guttering and divert exisiting pipes into drain rather than soakway.)

Builder came around and said that was not allowed and that he would need to build new soakaway in garden. This means taking up a newly laid patio and a large hole in the garden for installation of soakaway. Cost £3000.

What is the best thing to do. I need to get the water going somewhere, we have already had a high powered hose and jet down both exisiting soakaways to no avail.

Is it not allowed to divert the rainwater into main drain? Would the local water company have to consent?

Please can someone help me here as i need to get it sorted asap. Thanks

darich

The builder is right I think.
You wouldn't be allowed to simply connect into the existing drainage system without the consent of the local water company.

I'd be interested to know how the soakaway is blocked. They're normally, or at least should be, surround in a permeable membrane that allows water through but stops the fines getting in. If the fines get in amnogst the stones that's usually when it gets choked.

I wouldn't know if £3000 is expensive for your particular soakaway but they're not technical or difficult. You could also reuse the stone that is in the soakaway. All you'd need to do is empty the hole, replace the membrane, then replace the stones.

Another important issue is the surrounding ground. If there is a high clay content then water will either not permeate into the ground or it will but VERY slowly.
If the ground is quite gravelly or rocky then it's perfect.

Would it be possible to dig a channel to a lower part of the garden to avoid lfting the patio?
Is the ground suitable (ie gravelly)
Is there a permeable membrane round the rocks?

A few questions but nothing that's not impossible to fix.

Doodlemiss

I've been pestering my landlord for a while to renew the facia boards and guttering as it was rotten and causing damp in the house. Today he has been and renewed both:j, however in doing so he has got rid of the downspout (meaning that 1 downspout on our neighbours house is now taking the water for 5 properties) and filled the soakaway with concrete:mad:!!!!!(he felt the soakaway was probably causing damp too). Along with my concerns about the potential for flooding of the property without the soakaway to take the water from the yard, I am concerned that this may mean my water bills could go up.

Is any of this legal and what could the upshot be?

Cardew

As suggested in post#2 it is difficult to see why a new soakaway would be required.

It must have worked initially, so surely all that is wrong(if it is not coping) is the 'entrance' to the soakaway is clogged.

slummymummyof3

Surely if it is a new house then the builder is responsible for sorting it out? How new is new?

laurel7172

Doodlemiss wrote: »

I've been pestering my landlord for a while to renew the facia boards and guttering as it was rotten and causing damp in the house. Today he has been and renewed both:j, however in doing so he has got rid of the downspout (meaning that 1 downspout on our neighbours house is now taking the water for 5 properties) and filled the soakaway with concrete:mad:!!!!!(he felt the soakaway was probably causing damp too). Along with my concerns about the potential for flooding of the property without the soakaway to take the water from the yard, I am concerned that this may mean my water bills could go up.

Is any of this legal and what could the upshot be?

Why would your water bills go up? Have you been using a water barrel for the garden? Otherwise, the water leaving the property isn't metered.

When I lived in a terrace and we had a problem with the guttering and downpipes, the covenants made it, quite clearly, a communal matter and we split the bill four ways. Connecting up your guttering to somebody else's downpipe is not on, but that's more a matter between your neighbours and the landlord.

Fire_Fox

Water leaving a property does not need to be metered, if the property has soakaways you do not pay for surface water drainage and if you have drainpipes you do.

Mankysteve

The soak away is only removing rain water?

Get a large a water butt or two or three collect the water buy a suitable pump try and get a high lift try and get a 12v one easier to wire up as no proper electrician required.

Get it wired up with a float switch the toilet cistern and a long tube up into the cistern use the overflow side don't forget a non return value on the clean water input to the cistern and a water valve to switch the mains supply back on when you run out of water bobs your uncle rain water flushes the loo then off into the mains sewer.

Or as the other poster said i would digging out the existing soak away replacing the lining and wash the stones out as well.