I have a manhole in my kitchen...what to do?

[MetricMs]

Hi, I really hope someone has some practical advice for me - I have a 1920’s mid terrace house (London) that has a shared pipe running behind a row of 4 houses and then running down to the road and joining up with the main pipes there.

The previous owners built over it and left a manhole for access in the kitchen floor. The floor tiles disguise it well and I didn’t notice it until after the purchase - I was desperate to buy so I probably would have gone ahead with it anyway but I’ve had some panicked moments worried I may come down one morning to find a kitchen full of sewage!

I’m hoping to completely re do the kitchen and I originally thought I should extend the pipes out in to the garden, so if there any blockages they can be dealt with outside my kitchen. The extension was done before the council changed the rules about kitchen manholes and as the council approved the plans the manhole is accepted within building regs.

I have not had any issues with it so far (touchwood) and as our houses were built with the bathroom at the front I’m not even sure if there are sewage pipes at the back - they may be purely for kitchen wastewater?

I’ve recently read that it might actually be smarter to keep the manhole cover, and make sure whichever flooring I use is built to allow access. That if it is done properly there should be a manhole at the pipe (under the floor) and then a cavity and my manhole in the kitchen, so there’s no way a blockage would leak through the first manhole and then up to the kitchen manhole? Apparently the extra bends created by extending pipes out to the garden actually creates more issues with blockages and some councils are now advising to build over the pipes (I’ve emailed my council but haven’t heard back yet).

Does anyone have any experience or advice for me?

Thanks...

Keep the manhole cover as it is there for a reason

@ILoveShula

Keep the manhole cover as it is there for a reason

For fuck’s sake, what is even the point of this post? Of course it’s there for a fucking reason, that’s not what the OP is asking.

OP, have you sought any advice from professionals? I’m struggling to think of a scenario where it’s desirable to have a manhole in a kitchen instead of any alternative and in my previous career as an estate agent I never came across one.

Sorry, I meant to say ‘if there is any alternative’.

We've just discovered similar in our utility room. It was totally covered by the permanent tiles laid by a previous owner. No access point. So we covered it back up with screed and tiles. I don't want to have manhole access in the middle of my new tiles. Also, it was on a weird angle.

No idea how they got permission to extend and build over it 25 years ago!!

Thank you @SixQuidGames :)

I’ve had conflicting advice. I had a builder in today and he echoed what most of the previous builders said - that is it’s best to extend the pipes and have outdoor access. But a drain specialist (our local ‘drain whisperer’) was here a couple of weeks ago for something else - I asked him and he said the builders will say anything for the extra work but in his experience the extended pipe work causes more problems than leaving the manhole. That sent me on through another google black hole.

The builder today did mention that it would probably be an issue if I ever come to sell, something I’d completely lost sight of. I’ve become so used to it now but I know it’s a very big negative.

I’m still waiting on a reply from the council, I suspect I’ll get that by the end of 2022!

They’ve built on the cheap. If there’s a flood or blockage I take it the sewage would flood your kitchen? I would hate this. It should be outside.
Even without the new kitchen I’d move it to outside.

I've got one in my conservatory, which is open to my kitchen.
It's got a recessed manhole cover which did have tiles inlaid and now has LVT.
Never had to lift it, been in for 18 years.

You can see it under the table during the refit, rest of the tiles taken up but we hadn't de-tiled the recess at that point.

Picture after the LVt went in, zoomed I'm and you can see the outline.

“They’ve built on the cheap”

Oh yes @Longdistance they certainly did. Dodgy windows, dodgy carpentry, the plumbing and wiring. The house has been full of surprises, it was all done badly.

Every. Single. Thing.

Personally I’d move that outside and wouldn’t have it in my house. I’d also not wish to buy some where with a man hole cover in thr house,

My friend had a manhole in her kitchen and it flooded sewage into her home 😬😬 get it moved!

I had this. I contacted the sewage company (in my case Thames Water) and paid for the drains to be extended and the manhole to be moved to my patio. If I remember correctly it was under 1000 pounds but I also paid the builders to put everything back internally.

You should ask your water company and/or check your deeds. We had similar but it was/is a public sewer and they had rights over it so we had to redo it under their supervision.

@Chasingsquirrels

I've got one in my conservatory, which is open to my kitchen. It's got a recessed manhole cover which did have tiles inlaid and now has LVT. Never had to lift it, been in for 18 years.

You can see it under the table during the refit, rest of the tiles taken up but we hadn't de-tiled the recess at that point.

Picture after the LVt went in, zoomed I'm and you can see the outline.

Maybe a big rug under the table would help?

I don't think it needs a rug, we don't notice it. Maybe that's the "living with" effect. Plus I'm not a big fan of rugs, and the floor is easier to keep clean with dogs than a rug would be.

I’d get it moved too. I’d worry a neighbour was flushing nappies down their loo and then you’ve got a problem. I’m just in the belief it belongs in the garden.
My parents built an extension 30 odd years ago anc moved the manhole and they’re as tight as a gnats arse.
We built an extension too and moved them.
Get some quotes and maybe put the kitchen refit on hold x

I have a beautifully crafted manhole in my utility. Originally it was outside but we extended the utility. Ours is tiled and use a specialised cover that was tiled to match. The end parts (where you pull it up if needed) are grouted to match and it's pretty invisible.

You could do this. Or it can be moved by tracing it back to the next man hole and getting a new one installed just outside the property. The only issue is old pipe work can get brittle so there is a rush of pipe fracture when joining in a new inspection pit.

This is why we decided to have a less invisible tiled cover inside. This is it, it's hardly visible and to be honest I forget it's there.

'Risk' not rush!

I didn’t think about trying the sewage company @Dogsandbabies, @WorkingItOutAsIGo.
I’m also Thames Water, I’ll try them in the morning.

That’s what worries me @beautifullymad - trying to move it and either damaging what must be quite old pipes or the builder stuffing it up and turning my garden in to the local cesspit! Although better the garden than the kitchen I guess.

Good luck!

If the drains run along the back of a row of houses and out into the street, trying to create a dog leg out into your garden and then back to join the drain will be way more hassle than it's worth, if you are allowed to do it.

Why not just floor over it with note of its position and accept the potential cost of removing the floor should it need to be accessed?

We have an internal manhole cover in our downstairs lobby. I didn’t know it was there until after I bought the house. It was hidden under flotex carpet tiles.

It hasn’t been an issue in over twenty years. Mind you, it only covers our drains.

Agree that adding any sharp bends will restrict the flow and make blockages more likely.

It’s pretty common in London. We’ve got one. When we redid the floor we just made sure it was the correct cover (tripled sealed or something, to prevent gas escape) and marked the position of it. If we ever need access, we’ll have to lift that section of floor. 🤞 it never comes to that. We’re lucky in that we’re almost at the start of the particular run of houses; I’d be less confident if we were at the end.

I wouldn’t worry about it - why spend money fixing a problem you don’t have yet, and may never have?

That is indeed a beautifully crafted manhole @beautifullymad.