Survey - No drainage access / or inspection chamber

WR83

Hi there,
We have recently had a survey back on a victorian semi-detached property we are purchasing which has highlighted the fact no drainage access or inspection chambers could be identified on the property.

I have asked the seller to clarify if they believe there is an access point anywhere on the property, and they have stated they do not believe there is. I realise this might make drain maintenance / ublocking more expensive. Are there any questions I should be asking in light of this, or anything I should be doing / worried about? Other than a CCTV survey - imagine that would have the same access issue! I presume I could at some point add access points somewhere convenient?\

There has been an extension, but this was signed off with planning and building regulations - so assume it can't be that they have built over them?

This has thrown me a little bit, not sure how common it is to not have access. Thoughts appreciated.

Thank you!

Jeepers_Creepers

Contact your Water Board - they should have maps of all the public and shared sewers, and of individual private ones too.

Extensions are often built over sewers - we've just done this - but the WB will have requirements that should be met first such as adequate inspection chambers, sewer pipe in good condition, etc. It's quite possible that an extension - complete with Building Control oversight - was built over this sewer without WB approval or knowledge, but I'm not at all suggesting that's what happened here.

Contact the WB before worrying too much. But a lack of inspection chamber is a concern and really should be factored in. Is it possible it's shared with the neighbouring property to the extent there's only one inspection chamber, and it's on their land?

WR83

Thanks for that - I have just looked at the drainage survey again and it appears from the plan that there is a main foul manhole directly in front of the property we are looking to buy. But not inside the boundary. There also seems to be a second manhole from the plan on a neighbours property - although this may not be shared access.

Could this simply a case of lost in translation between surveyor, me and seller, and that drainage / sewerage access is at the front of the property from the public sewer, but no secondary inspection chamber that you might expect with modern properties?

Appreciate the advice.

Jeepers_Creepers

As far as I know, provided you can shove a camera down to inspect the whole length, and provided you can shove a rod down there to unblock the whole length, you should be ok. 

I'd suggest that this is done if there's any chance the extension has been built over it. In the worst case scenario of a collapsed drain with no direct access from above to uncover it, it is possible to clear out and reline drains from the inspection chamber. Usually, at least.

Doesn't this plan show the route of the sewer pipes? I wonder if the neighb's pipe goes to your property, picks up 'yours' and then heads to the MH outside your property? Can you do a little detective work - eg is there also a MH outside the neighb's property, or just yours? Where is the neighb's MH, and what's in the same place on 'your' land? Is, er, the extension there?!

I understand that part of the searches carried out by your solicitor will include the sewers - make sure they are clear. In every sense...

WR83

Sound advice, thanks - it shows the main foul drainage - effectively running straight down the middle of the road at the front which the house is on. The neighbours who are detached, seem to have a random spur that runs off this to a second main manhole access point at the front of their house, but does not look like any mains linkage to the private drainage system on my property - but that's not shown at all - so there could be.  All this to the front, and extension at the rear - with school fields behind which have no drainage at all, so unless it was a private inspection chamber, think unlikely built over.

Will pop up over the weekend and take a look at what access points seem to be on the road.

Much appreciated - think it might not be as much of an issue as I was concerned about. But will investigate further.

davidmcn

I wouldn't be concerned about it if there's no sign of actual problems. I've owned property with no inspection chamber and lived to tell the tale - didn't even occur to me until now that it might be an issue! Certainly not a standard thing for buyers to get worried about.

AdrianC

Jeepers_Creepers said:

Contact your Water Board - they should have maps of all the public and shared sewers, and of individual private ones too.

These are often far from accurate, however.