Damaged Unknown Pipe

Abessant1

Hi everyone, first post here  

I have just put up the first side of our new fence and when I dug around 550 mm I must of hit a terracotta pipe. It broke very easily but upon investigation it what looked like full of dirt, I continued though and filled the hole with water but just drained away. Any ideas what this could be? It was quite small diameter (struggled to get my fingers in to see if there was any water - which there wasn’t). 

Since looking online I’m thinking soil drainage pipe as there was clay down there? 

Many thanks 

lesalanos

Terracotta pipes can be soil pipes. Can you trace the direction of the pipe to a manhole cover anywhere? 

There wouldn't be water in a soil waste pipe as far as I know as it will run clear

George_Michael

If it was a waste pipe connected to a sewer, I would have thought that once broken there would have been quite a pungent aroma as the breakage would have been after any water traps.

Jumblebumble

Abessant1 said:

Hi everyone, first post here  

I have just put up the first side of our new fence and when I dug around 550 mm I must of hit a terracotta pipe. It broke very easily but upon investigation it what looked like full of dirt, I continued though and filled the hole with water but just drained away. Any ideas what this could be? It was quite small diameter (struggled to get my fingers in to see if there was any water - which there wasn’t). 

Since looking online I’m thinking soil drainage pipe as there was clay down there? 

Many thanks 

It depends how old your property is 
Our 1930s house has  both surface water and foul water gullies outside the kitchen
A hose pointed to your guttering  and a bit of food dye  will soon tell you what is what