Drain Problem

markinyo

Hi,

I don't know if anyone will be able to help with this, but I seem to have a bit of a problem with my drains, so to speak

Yesterday morning I found that water from my sinks, bath and toilet were not draining properly. I tried unblocking the toilet but with no success. I called out a drainage firm and they told me that it was likely that the drains was blocked outside the house. Unfortunately, I don't appear to have any inspection covers on my property.

I've got a conservatory that was there when I bought the house, and I and the drain company have a strong suspicion that it's been built over an inspection cover because it's sited outside the kitchen and I have an internal soil pipe that runs down the corner of the kichen and then must go outside under the conservatory.

The conservatory was built about 15 years ago and I've no way of finding out what they did - the drainage firm were unable to help as they couldn't access any inspection covers.... so I'm stuck with blocked drains!!!!

Can anybody tell me what I can do? Do I need to get a builder in to excavate the conservatory???!! :eek:

I can't be living with this for much longer, it's horrible - am at the end of my tether...

Thanks

ormus

dig a trench in the garden across the line of the likely drain pipe path to main sewer.
once you find the pipe, you can install a proper pvc manhole chamber.
ie

markinyo

Thanks - stupid question but I guess a general builder would do that?

ormus

yes, but dig the hole yourself and save a fortune. let the builder install the manhole, if required.

FLINT

Hi there, I had a similar sort of problem two weeks back although at first my problem was water under my floor boards which also led then to slow draining sinks etc. Do you live in a semi detatched property? The reason I ask is that the drain for your property will most likely be shared with at least one other if not 3 other properties and will be in one of the other houses driveways this was the problem for me and was sorted using a set of drain rods, the drain was blocked by face and baby wipes from the next door neighbour.

00ec25

what is the floor covering in the conservatory? I would be amazed if, even 15 years ago, someone put up one without building regs requiring then to put in a double trap manhole cover. Of course someone may then have tiled over it, assuming you have floor tiles

markinyo

No I don't live in a semi - I don't think my drain is shared with others up to the sewer. When I got the HIP for the house it showed the original plans where my drain runs to the back of my garden and then joins the main sewer which appears to run through several people's back gardens that abut mine. I don't seem to have any inspection covers on the premises at all which seems odd for a house built in the 1980s... so I'm guessing that the conservatory was built over the one close to the soil pipe

markinyo

The floor covering is laminate - I will try uncovering it to see if there is anything there.

stuzhunter

this is what you could do:

Step 1: Try to unblock it yourself with a rod/syphon
Step 2: If not,phone your local council. Blocked drain is an environmental concern. Some good local authorities will come to unblock the drain free of charge. Mine came to do this free of charge.
Step 3: If not, phone your sewer company (eg Severn Trent) to investigate whether this could under their responsibility and they will fix this (you never know)
Step 4: If not, see whether you can exavate/locate/break floors to unblock the drain yourself
Step 5: If not, phone a company like Dynorods to flush your drain (expensive)

wallbash

Pop next door , astatine where their inspection chambers are .
In fact ask neighbours both side.
Only start digging if you are positive of location

ormus

markinyo wrote: »

No I don't live in a semi - I don't think my drain is shared with others up to the sewer. When I got the HIP for the house it showed the original plans where my drain runs to the back of my garden and then joins the main sewer which appears to run through several people's back gardens that abut mine. I don't seem to have any inspection covers on the premises at all which seems odd for a house built in the 1980s... so I'm guessing that the conservatory was built over the one close to the soil pipe

it is very odd for a 1980s house. as you say it maybe under the extension, or it maybe in the garden under the grass/dirt etc.
certainly check out the neighbours as most drains were laid the same way on any given street/road.
drains "tend" to run in straight lines and do 90 degree turns. so tracking the run from your soil pipe to the main sewer will give you a clue.