Drain Blockage: What Should I do?

Bradderz2309

Hi all,

First time poster here, hopefully someone can help!

My partner and I moved into a rented property (house) at the beginning of May, and we've been doing everything we can to make sure it's maintained properly. Since this is our first house and it's older than the last place we lived (newer build flats), we make sure to not stress the plumbing too much: fat goes in the bin, rinse things before going in the dishwasher etc.

So now to the problem. We have an outside sink gully that takes all the dishwasher, washing machine, shower and sink water into the outside drains. Of course the gully gets a little gross at times with debris and sometimes a bit of hair and the like, but it's cleaned regularly.
The last 2 weeks or so though when there's been a large volume of water draining (e.g. the shower and washing machine are going in tandem), the gully starts to back up slightly above the grate, and the manhole cover that's right outside out door seems to leak water into our driveway area. It's not enough to flood anything by any means, but it's no small amount and it's not exactly pleasant (although I don't THINK it seems so bad that it could be sewage too).

Unfortunately I wasn't allowed to post links to the pictures I've taken, as I'm a new user, but the rectangular drain/manhole cover has 'AIR TIGHT INSPECTION COVER' written on it, with two hooped handles that can be used to pull it up.

I'm not sure what's underneath the manhole (will toilet sewage drainage be under there?), so I'm unsure of the best way to progress with this. Some recommended acid down the gully in case it's fat and hair etc., but if the blockage is under the manhole itself surely this isn't 'hardcore' enough? I was contemplating getting some rods, but I don't want to damage anything down there. It's also worth noting that none of our sinks/appliances are block at the house end, including the toilet, which works just fine still.

Any help/advice would be appreciated!

FreeBear

Bradderz2309 wrote: »

Some recommended acid down the gully in case it's fat and hair etc., but if the blockage is under the manhole itself surely this isn't 'hardcore' enough? I was contemplating getting some rods, but I don't want to damage anything down there.

Any chemicals poured down the drain will just get diluted and become ineffective, so a waste of time and money. It is probably a blockage some way downstream of the manhole, so rods would be the best bet. The pipes are pretty robust, and short of lobbing a hand grenade down there, you are unlikely to do any damage.

bengalknights

Do you have a home care policy? If so ask for dyno road to come out and rectify it.

Aylesbury_Duck

Buy a set of drain rods, lift the cover and have a go at rodding it.

frozen_wastes

I think the manhole cover is where the toilet and sink drains all meet up into a common manifold. With that in mind your blockage is downstream from that cover, and there will be sewage in there.

Not a pleasant job. Best advice is to get a professional in to clear the blockage. I used such a proffesional about 8 years ago for a storm drain blockage, and they charged a flat rate of £100 regardless of the job. So reckon on maybe £150 in todays money.

You could advise your landlord of the problem, but I fully expect your landlord to counterclaim that the blockage is caused by whatever you put down the drain and is therefore your responsibility. Nonetheless I would advise the landlord anyway. If the blockage is caused by something else (e.g. penetration of drain by a tree root), then that definitely becomes their responsibility, but such an event is unlikely.

shaun_from_Africa

I would also recommend contacting your landlord before proceeding any further.
Chances are that there is nothing serious causing the problem but if you get someone in without your landlord's knowledge and it turns out to be an expensive problem that they should be liable for, they could turn around and say that they are not paying the company you called as they can get someone else to do it cheaper.

You might also pull up the manhole cover and find something damaged and your landlord could claim that you caused this damage.
As it's their property it makes sense to advise them of the problem and get their input before doing anything else.

Ectophile

If the manhole cover is over a drain shared with your neighbours, then it is probably the responsibility of the local water company to keep clear.


If it's a private drain that only serves your home, then it would be the landlord's problem.

TELLIT01

Contact the landlord. This type of problem is something they should be sorting out.

getmore4less

If shared might be responsibility of sewage company(via landlord)

societys_child

Agree with the previous posts, it sounds like the drain in the inspection chamber or beyond.
When flushing the wc, you may notice the water in the bowl rises higher than expected, before draining (maybe slower than usual)?

southcoastrgi

Contact the estate/letting agents or if it's a private rent your landlord, if it's coming up through the manhole it's not a blocked gully, the only thing you are likely to be charged for is if they find wet wipes down there