Displaying ignorance again: replacing bit of outside downpipe

NorthernKitty

Hi all. 
After living in my (rather ramshackle) Edwardian terrace since September, my attention is now turning to the outside. A plumber visited yesterday, and in passing he said that I could do with putting a longer bit of pipe on front and back downpipes, since the water from the shoe end thing will overshoot and bounces off the edging, not down into the actual drain hole itself. 
The drainpipe is plastic (although the front one looks a bit like metal as the surface is flaking someone for some reason has painted bits of  it with some sort of black gloss in places in the past, like they did with the airbrick!) 

Is this something I as having no knowledge of drainpipes can replace easily or would I be better getting the handyman visiting soon to do? 

I didn't want to make an idiot of myself in front of the neighbours, but I have no idea if the plastic drainpipe just pulls off, is screwed into something, how many thicknesses of drainpipe are actually sold, is the shoe a separate bit I can reuse, etc? 

(I hasten to add the drain in the first pic no longer contains decades of crisp packets and sweet wrappers, and the random string I think was part of a washing line!). 
Thanks! 
Thanks! 

stuart45

Have you checked whether it does actually overshoot in heavy rain?
If you want to remove the pipe, unscrew the clips. The shoe might be glued onto the pipe.
The pipe looks like a standard 68mm.

NorthernKitty

Thanks, I've not been out in heavy rain near the house to see if it does, but I can imagine it due to the height and angle of the shoe things. 
When I'm able I'll go out and have a look at the clips, and see if they're painted over too and if I can get to a screw etc. Then I just assume the pipe twists or pushes in to whatever's above it (like a marble run?!) and then is held in place by the clips? In my 48 years I have never had to think about drainpipes! It's another world! Sorry!

Albermarle

greetvape said:

Displaying ignorance, trying to dispose of waste vape products without understanding proper disposal methods or environmental impact.

I think you are in the wrong forum/ thread. This one is about drainpipes !

Albermarle

NorthernKitty said:

Thanks, I've not been out in heavy rain near the house to see if it does, but I can imagine it due to the height and angle of the shoe things. 
When I'm able I'll go out and have a look at the clips, and see if they're painted over too and if I can get to a screw etc. Then I just assume the pipe twists or pushes in to whatever's above it (like a marble run?!) and then is held in place by the clips? In my 48 years I have never had to think about drainpipes! It's another world! Sorry!

Could it be possible ( easier?) to build up the 'walls' around the drain, so the water could not splash out.

In any case before you do anything, you need to find out what actually happens during heavy rain.

NorthernKitty

Hmm, another thought. Have got to work out about what's happening with front and back yards anyway (water drainage issues elsewhere, as poor house has had decades of neglect plus wannabe DIY experts doing odd things with bricks and paving slabs etc, plus wanting it wheelchair accessible) so would need to work out what can stick out more and what can't! (wheelchair ramp may be near /partially over drain at front at some point).

Most heavy rain days in the last few months I've been at work or it's been in the night so not been co-incidentally outside when it happens, but if it rains heavily today or on my next day off I will get togged up and watch what happens! 
Thanks for all suggestions! 

FreeBear

For a quick fix, I'd be tempted to get a couple of these - https://www.screwfix.com/p/floplast-112-5-round-offset-bend-black-68mm/12213

Shove one on the spout at the bottom and make sure it points downwards. A blob of mastic/silicone sealant/no-nails will hold it in place if friction doesn't. See how it performs over the next few months, and maybe look at a permanent solution when you get round to it.

Section62

NorthernKitty said:

After living in my (rather ramshackle) Edwardian terrace since September, my attention is now turning to the outside. A plumber visited yesterday, and in passing he said that I could do with putting a longer bit of pipe on front and back downpipes, since the water from the shoe end thing will overshoot and bounces off the edging, not down into the actual drain hole itself. 

Putting an extension pipe on would be a solution to an undershoot rather than an overshoot, so not clear what the plumber was thinking (other than this job being expanded into a complete replacement of all the gutters and downpipes?)

Where does the smaller grey pipe in the gulley (in the first picture) come from?  If from a kitchen or bathroom you may inadvertently be discharging 'grey' water into surface water drainage which isn't a good idea.

Is the grey block wall on the left of the first photo part of the house, or just a garden wall?  It looks a fairly new addition and it isn't clear on the photo whether there is appropriate damp separation between the wall and the gulley.  This may be a case where the better solution is to get rid of the existing gulley completely and have the pipes properly connected to underground drainage.

FreeBear

Section62 said:

Is the grey block wall on the left of the first photo part of the house, or just a garden wall?  It looks a fairly new addition and it isn't clear on the photo whether there is appropriate damp separation between the wall and the gulley.  This may be a case where the better solution is to get rid of the existing gulley completely and have the pipes properly connected to underground drainage.

If you go down the route of digging up & replacing the gully, I can highly recommend one of these on each downpipe - https://www.floplast.co.uk/product/leafdebris-interceptor-gully

Whilst they need a bit more work to fit and cost more than the usual termination (socket & bung on the end of the underground drainage), it makes life much easier. All the crud coming off the roof gets caught in a basket, and it is dead easy to clear any blockages.

NorthernKitty

The grey pipe is for the kitchen sink water. Should it be somewhere else, (told you I was Drain Ignorant) and if so, who do I call, what do they do, and how much will it cost?!

The breeze block wall is indeed the garden wall between my house and the neighbour's. 
Thanks all for the answers. Will print this info off and research it! 

FreeBear

NorthernKitty said:

The grey pipe is for the kitchen sink water. Should it be somewhere else, (told you I was Drain Ignorant) and if so, who do I call, what do they do, and how much will it cost?!

If that drain discharges in to your foul water sewer, draining the sink in to it is not a problem. It is only an issue if that drain goes off to a soakaway or discharges in to a storm drain.