Blocked pipe to soakaway

Innys

Hi all

I wonder if anyone can help me with a problem.

I have block paving at the front of my house. The paving slopes quite steeply towards the front of my house and the surface water runs into an aco drain in front of my house

The aco then drains down and back under the block paving to a soakaway.

With the recent heavy rain, I have found the water isn't flowing down into the soakaway but backing up and overflowing out of the aco.

I lifted the aco today and tried clearing the blockage down the drain at the end of it with a plumber's snake. The aco itself was clear. Approx 1m of the snake went in but then hit what felt like a semi solid obstruction. I think it's probably a load of leaves, but can't be sure.

So, I need something like this, but longer:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/24-Flexible-Claw-Pick-Up-Tool-Grabber-/130795637228

The only ones I can see online seem to be 600m long which is way too short.

Or, I guess, I could pour some kind of fluid down there to dissolve the blockage. I've used this before on blocked sinks and it does the job, but I have my doubts it will work on leaves:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Shot-Liquid-Drain-Cleaner-Litre/dp/B002OB4CTS

Or, is there another solution I haven't thought of - apart from taking up the block paving, obviously.................?

fwor

Do you know anyone with a jetwasher and long lance? I suspect that a water jet will probably blast through the upper layers and lift them out. The soakaway ~should~ be made of a coarse aggregate which would not be harmed by the jet when you finally break through.

heretohelp

how about a set of drain rods should be able to pick up a cheap set for under £20 and they normally come with a cork screw like end for biting into soft material and pulling out

Innys

fwor wrote: »

Do you know anyone with a jetwasher and long lance? I suspect that a water jet will probably blast through the upper layers and lift them out. The soakaway ~should~ be made of a coarse aggregate which would not be harmed by the jet when you finally break through.

I have a jet washer myself - using it didn't occur to me! I also have drain rods.

The trouble is, when the drain goes down from the aco into the ground , it immediately turns through around 60 degrees. The drain pipe is around 20cm in diameter, so, using the drain rods is a non-starter. The jet washer may still work though......

keystone

Innys wrote: »

..............600m long which is way too short.

Are you sure????

The snake may just have hit a slightly misaligned join in the channel to the soakaway. That doesn't necessarily mean an obstruction to water flow.

I suspect that its quite likely is that the ground is completely sodden and the soakaway just can't cope. Are you on a clay subsoil?

If it had been doing it since the autumn I could understand the leaves scenario but the inference from your post is that its only just started doing it. I could be wrong of course.

Cheers

Innys

keystone wrote: »

Are you sure????

The snake may just have hit a slightly misaligned join in the channel to the soakaway. That doesn't necessarily mean an obstruction to water flow.

I suspect that its quite likely is that the ground is completely sodden and the soakaway just can't cope. Are you on a clay subsoil?

If it had been doing it since the autumn I could understand the leaves scenario but the inference from your post is that its only just started doing it. I could be wrong of course.

Cheers

I'm not sure the sodden ground is the answer. There is definitely some kind of obstruction down there.

I also tried sticking my Kryptonite bike lock cable down there (it's a bit more rigid than the snake) and it too came across some kind of obstruction - again, around a 1m down the drain.

Mr_Ted

Ground water tables are so high with the rain we've had its not surprising water isnt draining even with a soakaway?

It also depends how good the soakaway is, and how its constructed?

Drainage pipework is very prone to blockage in such circumstances, but I would try drain rods with the spiral 1st, water jetting pushes stuff further in it doesnt remove the crap thats accumulated, removal is best!

macka0

might be an idea to fit a trap to the bottom of the aco drain if possible to stop all the leaves and such going down it

keystone

Drain rods will go round a 60 degree bend - you just have to work them a bit. I still think the snake has found a misalignment in the pipework/channelling.

Cheers

Edit: and I'm not sure you can' so easily discount the distinct possibility that the soakaway is overwhelmed by the amount of water its been given recently and can't dispose of what it has let alone take any more.

anotherbaldrick

Also, in addition to the wet weather, over a period of years a lot of detritous gets washed down into the soakaway and gradually blocks the pores and fills the soakaway. Depending on the variables some soakaways may need to be dug out and refurbished after 20 years. I have seen industrial developments with soakaways where after 40 years they have been totally filled with silt. when renewing a soakaway it is better to install a plastic "crate " unit than fill with hardcore as traditional, this gives 80% more storage.
http://www.ribaproductselector.com/products/modular-plastics-soakaway-units/R17_315.aspx

Space_Captain

I have a soakaway that fills quickly and floods the patio on a regular basis. DynoRod had a look and said there was no blockage. He suggested I channel the water from the gutter into a water butt instead of allowing it to fill the soakaway.