Drains/Pipes under back garden?

Uk1982

Hi everyone,

I live in a newbuild home and I used one of these screw-in metal spikes to screw into the grass in the back garden to hold the whirligig up.

I screwed it in (after a few failed attempts in various parts of the garden) around a year ago and the whirligig has been solidly in place ever since.

However, every time I look at it I worry that I could have punctured some kind of underground pipe without knowing? The gas and electricity meters are at the front of the house so I'm guessing it would just be drain/waste pipes at the back? The spike is 58cm long and I reckon about 53cm of it is in the ground with 5cm or so sticking out the top.

We've had no issues with drainage, no foul smells, no water pooling etc. so I'm assuming everything is ok but I can't help but worry (I'm a panicker ). Is there a standard minimum depth for back garden pipes at all?

Uk1982

I'm in Scotland, if that makes any difference. 

FreeBear

If you had gone though an electricity cable, there would have been a big bang & flash. With a gas pipe, and even bigger bang along with a crater. Both old clay and modern plastic drainage pipes would have deflected the spike as you screwed it in.

Most pipes & cables would have been 500mm or more below the surface, so the chances of hitting one would have been minimal.

Uk1982

Thank you, I really appreciate you taking the time to answer my question, I feel better knowing it's unlikely. Thanks again.

Doozergirl

You have an inspection chamber there though. If you lift it, you can see which way pipes are running to and from that.  

For any other holes you plan to create 🙂

Uk1982

Thanks.  I think I'll leave any future holes to the professionals 

twopenny

I have a place built 20yrs ago so not old. Both the incoming gas pipe and the electric cable are set in a large amount of concrete and stone. I found out when I tried to dig a flower bed there.

Ditto the drainage pipes are well down which I inspected for the same reason. Haven't investigated the small run from a tiny ensuite. That's next!

Davesnave

 You can open your inspection chamber, as above, and see exactly how deep the drains are and which way they go. A straight line from where your soil pipe is to the inspection chamber will give a clue as to how close the spike is to it, making the reasonable assumption that the drain travels in a straight line.

But I wouldn't worry. If no problem symptoms exist, there is no problem.

Ian1961

Again as others have pointed out, there's a minimum depth for cables, pipes etc to be laid. Only way i can think of anyone bypassing this method would be a cable/drainage pipe fitted after the build finished to enhance the garden ie lighting / power point away from the house. As someone mentioned if you have gone through anything live, you might not have been abe to use your keyboard to post the question!