Insurance cover for outside drains?

[Startingagainandagain]

I bought a 1930s mid terrace house a few months ago which turned out to have quite a few issues due to its age and the surveyor not being too thorough when conducting the full home survey I had commissioned...

I am anticipating that there will be issues with the drainage system at some point (I have already had to manually clear some obstructions in the one outside the kitchen, a mix of fat, debris and some idiot plasterer pouring down what looked like paint or plaster in the sink...) which might include costly work.

I have home insurance of course (but they might just that this is just wear and tear and refuse to pay) I am wondering if anyone could advise if it is possible to take additional cover for things like outside drains, maybe with the water company (Southern Water)?

Maybe @pigletjohn could advise?

Basically I have had to spend so much already on electrics, new boiler and fixing the inside of the house that I shudder at the thought of having to also replace my outside drains and start digging all over the place...

I would be interested to hear about people's experience as well in similar circumstances.

Also would the water company be the first port of call to work out is there is further damage in the drains or do I have to go straight to a private drain company?

I wished I had bought a new build...

I don't think you can get special insurance for drains and I also don't think that drians would be covered by any sort of standard house buying survey.

If you want to know what the potential risk level is then I would get a drain survey done. They put cameras down all your drains and will be able to spot and pinpoint any cracked or broken bits. They cost a couple of hundred quid.
If it were me though, I would read up about drains a bit, check all the sink wastes are clear by unscrewing and emptying them and if there are no further issues I would happily ignore until something comes up. I.e. a clogged up drain or signs of leaking outside

I have a 30s house and discovered a similar issue to yours not long after I moved in. I got a private drain company to survey, clear and flush out the drain. It cost less than £300 and has been fine every since.

@Geneticsbunny

Thank you. I am just a bit worried because the soil close the kitchen near the drain cover is quite damp so I am now paranoid that there is an underground leak somewhere so I might go for a survey to investigate.

The surveyor said there was no signs of damp in that house but I have lost confidence on his survey at this point...

@SophiaElise

Thank you. Sounds like a survey would be wise.

I am a bit confused at to whether I need to involve the water company as this is a row of terrace houses and I assume we all share the main drains. There is a manhole cover in my garden and I would want someone to check as well what's going on under that...

Have you tried asking your water company? They may offer insurance.
Or approach you building insurance, as they may have a specialist product or be able to direct you better.
I think those would be the places I would start enquires.

@Alphabet1spaghetti2

Will do!

How old is the house?

Is there a gulley outside the kitchen that the sink drains into?

Is there a cast-iron soilpipe on the outside wall?

Are there any manholes?

Is it terraced?

Is there a back alley?

Oh, 1930's terrace, I see.

So your ownership will be limited to the bits just outside your house.

Any insurance company will take care to charge you more than they expect to pay out.

I expect the clay gullies and bends outside your house have been cracked and leaking for the last 81 years (this is quite normal) and will need to be dug up and renewed. This is a minor building job, ideal for the summer. A drain survey will confirm. Photograph them if you can, including the cracked and sunken concrete or ground around them, and the damp wall, and the wild tomato plants.

Hi @PigletJohn

The house is mid-terraced and was built in 1937.

I can only see a modern pipes on the walls, no iron.

There is a manhole on the patio.

Yes there a gulley with a grill plastic cover where the sink and I assume the washing machine water go into. I opened that to remove the blockage I could feel with my hand yesterday and removed a lot of white stuff...

Will post photographs when I am back there tomorrow! thank you so much @PigletJohn for responding!!

If you are lucky someone might have dug up the gulley already

Or they might just have changed the top bit

Photos will help

Also round the soil pipe.

Yes you can get cover for incoming water and drains, think the most common one is Homeserve but there are lots of options.

Like any insurance, if you already have a problem then it probably won't be covered but once the initial timescale has passed (usually 2-weeks) you should be able to claim.

Shared drains are covered by the water company and they will also carry out one repair/replacement per lifetime of the property FOC for the incoming water supply.

Hi,

We moved into our 1930's house last spring and had some issues with cracked drain pipes which appeared after a few frosty days earlier this year.
Our first point of call was the water company who identified the issue but were unable to fix. We were able to claim through our house insurance which only took a few weeks to sort.

Thanks everyone for the additional advice.

Hi @PigletJohn I took a few pics today. .

From what I can feel the kitchen drain pipe inside is plastic like the cover, not clay, but it could be clay further down.

The pictures are mainly of the kitchen outside drain (the close up of the inside came out a bit blurry and there is a spider web ...) and I also took a pic of the wall behind it. The white stuff is what I fished out yesterday...

I also took a pic of the soil pipe and the manhole cover I have on the patio.

There is nothing on the pavement outside the house beyond the water main cover. I am in a row of 4 terraced houses.

I have taken an additional drain and plumbing insurance cover in the meantime.

The brick next to the gulley, and the brick next to the soil pipe, both appear to be thick with moss, and presumably long-term wet.

This suggests leaks or breaks.

The new paving is covering it up. This is not unusual.

Can you see the DPC anywhere?

The white crust is probably soap powder residue from the washing machine, suggesting a blockage and overflow.

@PigletJohn

Yes I was afraid of that when I saw the moss...

I am not sure what DPC is?

Where would you start to address these issues in this situation?

DPC = Damp Proof Course

Typically a black line of slate (sometimes bituminous felt, now PVC strip) is a thicker mortar bed, about 9" above where ground level used to be when the house was built. If it has been buried you might find it by scraping away the gravel

I doubt you will have any insurance to cover it.

Do not allow anyone who sells silicone injections into your home.

Ask around for a trusted local builder from people whose opinion you value.

Online reports on websites, where the traders pay to be listed, are advertisements, not independent recommendations.

Thank you but I am a bit confused about where to start with this...

Do I need to first check the drains/gutters with a drain company to clear any blockage?

And there might be an additional issue with the damp proof course?

The surveyor had found no issues with damp or the kitchen drain when the survey was done a few months ago...this house has been a constant nightmare since I bought it though.

Sorry I forgot to tag you into the above @PigletJohn ...I am really appreciating your comment as I am on my own and a bit overwhelmed by this new house...

You could start with a drain survey. I think it will find leaks and/or blockages. The drain surveyor may be able to see if the new gulley has been put on top of an old drain, and the ground level raised. I think it has been. They should be able to see to what depth the drains have been renewed, and if old damage has just been mortared over and covered up (this is very common).

You can look at the wall with a torch to try to find the DPC in a mortar joint. I think it might be where the mossy brick touches the render above, but it might be about 4 inches below the current ground level, and you might be able to see it if you scrape away the gravel with a garden trowel. You might possibly find the original paving down there. You will also find out how wet the ground is, and if the hole fills up with water from the drain. Ask the surveyor to report at which point your own private drain joins up with the shared common sewer (at which point it becomes the responsibility of the water company). IME if they have to repair or replace the company drains, the sewermen are quite helpful, especially if you ply them with tea and doughnuts. They tend to be cheerful souls who like nothing better than sitting on the edge of a pit with sewage running over their boots, with a mug of tea in their hand, regaling you with entertaining tales of gushing drains and huge blockages.

You can have a look all round the house for the DPC, it might be visible at the front, or beside a doorway, or under a doorstep. It might be under the green btick. It will be at the same height all round your house, and the rest of the terrace, unless you live on a hill. You may need to dig out the ground beside the house to restore the correct level.

Do not get silicone injections.

A gnarled local builder should find it quickly, and should also be able to say what has happened to the drains.

Digging up and renewing gullies and drains is a common job for small builders. It is a bit easier if you have paving slabs that can be lifted rather than concrete that has to be broken. The spiders webs suggest to me that there are gaps between the bricks. Thus is common where the house was built with lime mortar which washes away with long term leaks. If you have the drains dug out, ask the builder to jetwash the mud out of the joints and repack with a stiff sand and cement mortar. Underground brickwork does not breathe so I see no point in using lime below the DPC.

@PigletJohn Thank you so much for taking the time to write all this down, I really appreciate it! I was so lost!

I will start with a survey then (someone has given me a recommendation for a company they used already) and start asking around for a reputable builder.

Well to update everyone I have now booked the drain survey and a map of the drains for the end of this week.

I expect that it will show a lot of stuff need to be fixed so basically anything I was going to spend on decoration will now be spent on drains and gutters.

But it makes sense to prioritise the structure and making the house water-tight before worrying about make it pretty inside...