Finding service sewerage pipe to inspection chamber

Hominu

I've just 'bought' a property (not exchanged) and wondered where the drains were recently. The current owner "doesn't know" and apparently has never needed to know.

I'm guessing the service pipe is underneath the front drive. Problem is, its been tarmacked and I see no sign of the manhole cover. I can only assume that when they did the drive, whoever did just completely covered it and now nobody has a clue where it is.

Is there anyway of finding where it should be, from plans or such like? The property is in the ST3 area so I've asked severn trent and they say their plans only go as far as road level and don't show service pipes.

Second, is hiding the chamber even legal?

I don't fancy having to dig up the drive to find the chamber.

davidmcn

What makes you think there ever was a chamber?

AdrianC

Hominu wrote: »

Is there anyway of finding where it should be, from plans or such like?

Not a hope!

booksurr

if the properties either side are of similar vintage then why not ask to see the way theirs is laid out, then you would at least have a clue where to start looking.

Plans won't help because no one will have them any more

G_M

You'll be talking to the neighbours anyway before exchanging, so why not add that to the conversation?

After I bought my current home, the kitchen drain started leaking up into the conservatory. I called the local equivellant of dynorod to trace the drain - the nice man offered 2 options:

* a camera on a rod to trace the drain at £100 per hour, or

* pipe divining using a metal coat-hanger, at no cost as he enjoyed it!

Naturally I chose the coat hanger. Not only did he find exatly where the drain ran, he also located an inspection chamber hidden under the carpet in the annexe.

I still have the coat hanger.

SailorSam

When we were looking to find where the drains went, the lady next door, who had lived there since the houses were built, pointed us to the middle of the lawn, where it had been grassed over.

Engineer87

Have you got any idea where about it might go? i.e where the main sewer runs. As someone has already said, if a number of houses were built to the same kind of spec, then that might help you. What about hiring an someone with a metal detector for a few hours (assuming you've got metal covers)

csgohan4

G_M wrote: »

You'll be talking to the neighbours anyway before exchanging, so why not add that to the conversation?

After I bought my current home, the kitchen drain started leaking up into the conservatory. I called the local equivellant of dynorod to trace the drain - the nice man offered 2 options:

* a camera on a rod to trace the drain at £100 per hour, or

* pipe divining using a metal coat-hanger, at no cost as he enjoyed it!

Naturally I chose the coat hanger. Not only did he find exatly where the drain ran, he also located an inspection chamber hidden under the carpet in the annexe.

I still have the coat hanger.

Do you use it to hang your shirts?

Davesnave

G_M wrote: »

After I bought my current home, the kitchen drain started leaking up into the conservatory. I called the local equivellant of dynorod to trace the drain - the nice man offered 2 options:

* a camera on a rod to trace the drain at £100 per hour, or

* pipe divining using a metal coat-hanger, at no cost as he enjoyed it!

Naturally I chose the coat hanger. Not only did he find exatly where the drain ran, he also located an inspection chamber hidden under the carpet in the annexe.

I still have the coat hanger.

I use two purpose-made bent rods, but it's much the same as the coat hanger or hazel twig.

This enabled me to trace the water main that supplies the village, and added reassurance that no one had built a barn over it, as shown on the inaccurate drainage survey.

However, I later forgot and we almost put a gate post through it with a tractor-mounted post rammer!

oystercatcher

Not every house has inspection chambers. In our road they are there on every 4th drive, we are 'lucky' enough to have 3 manholes on our drive, many of the houses have none at all and I assume if there is a blockage they will be sorting via our manholes, there hasn't been a problem in 17 years though.

marksoton

There are ways.

Normally using drain rods, a sonde and a cable avoidance tool.