Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Property/DIY

Join our Property forum for renovation, DIY, and house selling advice.

Original poster

Trying to solve a drainage problem by myself

37 replies

Sewbean · 18/09/2019 18:35

We need to get to our drains to fix a blockage but they were all covered up by someone before our time so we have only a rough idea of where they are.
There are 2 access points, I have managed to locate the one furthest from the house which was buried under a rockery and 18" of soil. I haven't even attempted to find the one closer to the house because from the plans it looks like it might well be under a shed. Surely you wouldn't put a shed on top of a drain access point? I'm hoping the one we have uncovered will be enough to solve the problem.

So I've dug down and found the concrete slab thing which I assume is covering the manhole. I haven't managed to uncover it all yet, as soon as I got to it the hole started filling up with water. I haven't been digging particularly hard so I don't think I cracked anything, it seems to be sort of seeping out round the edge of the concrete.

But I'm not sure what to do now. I guess I have to keep digging till I uncover all of the slab, get something under the edge and lift it up? Even though the hole is filling up.

But will a massive fountain of sewage erupt in my face once I lift the cover? I have no idea.

We're really short on cash right now so that's why I'm trying to do as much of the work myself as possible. I have a drain guy who will come with his jet hose and camera if we need him but he said it would be cheapest if we could get the access right open for him. I have already tapped him for a fair bit of free advice and I don't want to annoy him by asking him any more questions about the digging of the hole.

Any drainage experts out there? Do I just keep digging with a peg over my nose?

And how do I actually lift the concrete slab anyway? So far it seems to be about 12" across and I still haven't reached the edge. I assume it's a square.

The drain guy said "No-one cares about drains, they just want their patio to look nice. The drains go wrong and suddenly everyone cares about them then." How true.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
6
yellowallpaper · 18/09/2019 18:55

Is there anything in the deeds? Would the water company know where they are? Metal detector?

yellowallpaper · 18/09/2019 18:55

Ours are under the decking Blush

Grumpyunleashed · 18/09/2019 19:09

Look at the web site for your water company (eg Thames) for drain maintenance responsibilities.
Basically if the hatches and point of blockage in the pipes is beyond the point where your house drains (sewage or gutters) join the pipes from another house the waste system becomes communal. This according to fairly recent legislation (last few years) makes it the problem of the water company to sort out as they are responsible for maintaining communal waste systems.
Therefore it might be worth trying your luck with your water company.
Good luck.

ragged · 18/09/2019 20:34

It's a revolting job but it won't explode at you when you find the cover. Just smell & repel. We had to clear ours once . Good luck.

Original poster
Sewbean · 18/09/2019 20:51

I've found a concrete slab, will that be the cover? I'm sort of assuming so. But I'm digging and digging and can't find the edge. I'll just have to hold my nose and get on with it in the morning.
Once this is sorted we are getting proper easy to access drain covers built, this is a horrible job.

OP posts:
Knittedfairies · 18/09/2019 20:57

I would have thought the cover should be a metal manhole cover, usually rectangular. It would be a bit odd to cover the inspection hole with concrete.

Stayawayfromitsmouth · 18/09/2019 20:58

Can you post a photo? Or a diagram? Is it a raised concrete plinth with a manhole cover in it?
I doubt it will spray at you. Maybe ooze is a disgusting manner.

Stayawayfromitsmouth · 18/09/2019 20:59

Is there an inspection chamber at the front of the house you can access more easily?

SofiaAmes · 18/09/2019 20:59

Post photos and diagrams and we can give excellent non-expert advice!!!

LadyOfTheCanyon · 18/09/2019 21:02

The one time I had to deal with something like this ( because my prick of a neighbour had poured concrete down their outside loo...) I had to call a man with a power jet hose thing. He pulled up the cover and surveyed the contents ( which were practically pushing the manhole cover up)
"Eee, Lass. It looks just like Dundee cake!" were his admiring words.

PickAChew · 18/09/2019 21:02

You would think it wouldn't be covered but we had to get a guy out from the water company to help us find our stopcock that had been buried under concrete.

SofiaAmes · 18/09/2019 21:06

We had a blockage that turned out to be caused by the mesh in the front of house clean out that kept rats from coming out of the storm drains into the sewer was blocked with building debris by Idiot Builder who had poured stuff down the drains. However, instead of just clearing the mesh, idiot builder removed it completely so our house then became overrun with rats coming out of the sewer. Idiot builder who did the blocking and removing is my now exh.

SofiaAmes · 18/09/2019 21:09

By the way, are you in a detached house? If not, and it's a shared sewer, local authority might do cleaning out for free.

Original poster
Sewbean · 18/09/2019 21:17

1930s detached house.
The drainage guy said it would be two concrete slabs that would cover the inspection hole. I've been digging all around the area where the plans suggest the drain might be and have indeed hit a flat concrete slab. So I'm hoping that's the right thing. But I haven't quite got to the edge of it so I guess it might turn out to be completely the wrong thing.
Sadly the hole currently looks like a rather smelly wildlife pond.
I'm hoping the second photo, found online, is what will be underneath the concrete lid.

I hate being a grown up.

Trying to solve a drainage problem by myself
Trying to solve a drainage problem by myself
Trying to solve a drainage problem by myself
OP posts:
Original poster
Sewbean · 18/09/2019 21:19

Oh and the 3rd photo is a completely random photo of my aunt's patio, I was attempting to take a photo of an unusual looking bird but it flew away. I didn't mean to add that one

OP posts:
SofiaAmes · 18/09/2019 22:36

Confused ... where are you digging? Is the inspection hole not underneath one of the slabs in the patio in the photo?

DoctorAllcome · 18/09/2019 22:43

Logically, if that drain access is the one furthest from the house and filled with waste water, then the blockage MUST be further down the line, most probably off your property.
I’d stop digging and call the water company because if the blockage is not on your property, it’s their problem to fix.

SofiaAmes · 18/09/2019 22:44

Sorry, just realized that's your aunt's patio

SofiaAmes · 18/09/2019 22:45

Where is that hole you are digging in relationship to the house?

Original poster
Sewbean · 19/09/2019 06:49

It's the one in the bottom left corner. So it would make sense that the blockage is further out?

I've heard of people being landed with massive call out charges when the blockage turns out not to be the water company's problem which is making me a bit nervous about contacting them. We can't afford to pay anything and not have the problem fixed. There is about 1.5m between the hole and our boundary wall.

Trying to solve a drainage problem by myself
OP posts:
Original poster
Sewbean · 19/09/2019 06:59

I am naively hoping that once I get the lid off and poke about it with my dad's ancient draining rods the problem will be miraculously fixed.

OP posts:
Wallywobbles · 19/09/2019 09:06

Drainage mostly isn't very complicated to be fair. All the UK drains I've looked in do indeed look like the photo on the right.

What's currently happening with the waste water etc in your house. Is it draining away at all?

Id say that if you get the slab off what you are looking at now then it won't be much worse than what you are looking at now. And I think that's what I'd do if I was worried about call out costs.

Sewage turns out to be less revolting than one imagines bizarrely. Sadly I've had way too much practice as I've lived with various septic tanks for 25 years.

If it's full then it is probable that the problem is the other side of your boundary.

Have you tried calling the water company? Could you send them photos?

Original poster
Sewbean · 19/09/2019 09:48

I've now uncovered the whole slab, it's about 3' x 2'. I thought I was never going to find the edge. Now the whole thing is open and I scooped out most of the water and poured it down the drain in the street I am less anxious. It looks manageable now.

Next problem is how to get the lid off. I put the spade down the side and tried to lever it a bit but no joy. The ground is so soft and waterlogged there's nothing firm to lever against. And dh will not be happy if I break his good (only) spade.

I'm off to have a cup of tea now and I will worry about lid removal later.

The water is draining in the house, it's just slow. I thought I should deal with it while it was still a small problem rather than our usual method of ignore it and hope it goes away till it's a massive urgent problem.

Thanks for all your interest in my drainage issues. My friends and family really don't care.

Trying to solve a drainage problem by myself
OP posts:
Catsingangs · 19/09/2019 11:57

Do you have a neighbour on the left hand side looking at that house plan ? House number 2 in your road and you are number 4 ?
Pointing out the obvious, but that slab is going to be heavy ! Dig down a bit more to the edge of the slab and use a spare bit of wood or a brick to lever the spade against it to stop it sinking into the ground. I would hope/expect to find a standard metal manhole cover under it. Once you're in the manhole, if you can get the drain rods to reach your property boundary then it'll be down to your sewerage provider to clear the blockage.

wowfudge · 19/09/2019 12:05

Get a pry bar from Screwfix or Toolstation to help lever the slab off.