Downpipe and broken clay pipe

alibob22

Hi. I recently had a CCTV survey of some drains and had root Ingress in the clay pipe from a crack around the pipe. Possibly been there for some time. They have suggested relining the pipe which is fine but The pipe goes into a shared drain which is under a conifer tree which does not belong to myself and is also close to my house and the owner will not have it cut back or down. There is a potential opportunity to move the downpipe to the other side of the house onto another part of the guttering and roof. Would I be best to move the downpipe and fill the old clay pipe with concrete to avoid further damage from the tree? And also will this avoid potential damage to my house as there is no longer water going into that pipe. Any help would be appreciated 

FreeBear

Another option is to reroute the underground pipe from the existing downpipe in to a soakway. If you can do this for all your downpipes, you get to save on your water bill.

Should you decide to put in new pipes, I can recommend fitting a debris gully to each downpipe. Traps a lot of the crud before it clogs up a soakaway or drain pipe.

alibob22

Thanks FreeBear. I am trying to keep initial costs down in the first instance but the drainage company did suggest a similar thing in bypassing the shared drain and into the main drain which is on the same piece of garden just a few yards further down towards the street for rainwater.  I think my initial concern is the damage the crack may have done over the years and trying to avoid further damage by eradicating that series of drains. 

casper_gutman

I'm not sure why you're so concerned about the possibility of further damage to the pipe if you're no longer using the pipe. Why would cracking in a pipe you no longer used be a problem? Or is it that you think having a cracked pipe underground outside your house would somehow result in damage to the house? 😕

Section62

alibob22 said:

Thanks FreeBear. I am trying to keep initial costs down in the first instance but the drainage company did suggest a similar thing in bypassing the shared drain and into the main drain which is on the same piece of garden just a few yards further down towards the street for rainwater.  I think my initial concern is the damage the crack may have done over the years and trying to avoid further damage by eradicating that series of drains. 

If this pipe ends up in a public sewer and is older than 2011 then that part which is shared and/or is in the neighbour's garden may well be a public sewer as well.

Which means you would only be responsible for the pipe in your own garden.  From the boundary onwards it would be the local water company's responsibility and if they are aware the sewer is defective then they should be doing something about repairing it, or at least minimising further deterioration by doing something about the tree.

Have you had quotes for relaying the pipe using uPVC rather than relining?  Unless the pipe goes under a building it may not be the cheapest option to reline... although some companies will tell you it is in order to get you to part with cash.

For the alternative option (of re-arranging your drainage) you would need to have the right permission(s) to discharge in that direction, and ensure the additional water won't cause problems for you and/or the neighbours on that side.