Constant blocked drains

LeeUK

LeeUK

LeeUK

Soldato
Joined
1 Mar 2008
Posts
6,337
Location
Deep North
It started a few years ago where my private drain got blocked and I had to get it rodded by a drain company. Fast forward this June and it happened again, according to the drain bloke the blockage is at the boundary between my private drain and where it joins the water company's sewer in the road.

He didn't use a camera to check but he reckoned there might be damage to the pipe which he said he could feel when pushing with the rod while unblocking it. He also said it's right on the boundary or just within my boundary and therefore I will have difficulty getting the water company to fix it for free.

Anyone had experience of having a section of sewer pipe dug up and repaired and the likely costs? These are 100 year old drains and sewers.

My drains have blocked again so I know it needs sorting sooner or later.
 
Probably best off getting the drain unblocking company out again but have them have a look down with the camera this time too so you can be certain of what the issue is. Then if it does fall on your property you'll most likely have to foot the bill, if it doesnt then get it will be for the water company to sort. Either way you'll have to ring your local water board to get it fixed if the pipe is nackered.
 
R.O.S.S.I said:
Probably best off getting the drain unblocking company out again but have them have a look down with the camera this time too so you can be certain of what the issue is. Then if it does fall on your property you'll most likely have to foot the bill, if it doesnt then get it will be for the water company to sort. Either way you'll have to ring your local water board to get it fixed if the pipe is nackered.
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Do this.... Thread closed :P
 
I'll have to get the drain company out anyway as the drain is blocked and only draining slowly over some time.

Just wanting a guestimate of cost of digging up and repairing a drain before my wallet is raped. Cash is tight.
 
Have you got a manhole before pipe gets to road - if so get 50 gall drum and cut lid off - place by manhole just back enough so if you tip it the top is over manhole - Fill it with water then dump it down manhole - When mine blocked it was loo paper sticking on bad joint (I dug it up and found it ) - This should wash away anything other than rubble.

Mine took month's to block up after each rodding. Should have dug it out years ago though and was lucky they were only 2ft deep in sandy soil.
 
Yeah I've got manhole just before edge of property boundary.

What if the 50 gal drum doesn't bodge it and end up with ****** water all over my back yard! :D
 
I'll throw this one out there but readily admit I am not 100% au fait with all the implications.

It is possible to buy caustic soda (sodium hydroxide) powder. I have seen it at farmers merchants. Following the directions carefully you can make a sodium hydroxide solution to pour down your drains, it will breakdown proteins (hair) and dissolve oils. Sodium hydroxide is nasty stuff and needs to be handled and stored with care, goggles etc whilst handling the powder. It is exothermic meaning it will release heat as it is dissolved to make a solution. But it is a very effective drain unblocker.
 
Anglian water just sent me a letter offering insurance for this sort of thing for 50p a month for the first year, 8 quid after. They quote in the letter the costs for locating, excavating and repairing a water pipe are around £430 including labour, parts, call out charges and VAT. That price is from oct 2015 research.
Cant see it would be any different for a drain pipe.
 
LeeUK said:
Yeah I've got manhole just before edge of property boundary.

What if the 50 gal drum doesn't bodge it and end up with ****** water all over my back yard! :D
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Stop pouring when manhole is full :rolleyes::rolleyes: Then call out Dyno rod to unblock it again.

I have a long run so large amount of water gets up speed - being close to blockage could be a PITA

On second thoughts just rod it if blockage is not that far from M/H
 
finga said:
Cant see it would be any different for a drain pipe.
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Depends on the depth of sewer, type of soil, any utilities that might be in the way and numerous other variables.

Maccapacca said:
You can get the relined if it's just roots, probably £400 - 500 for a days work with a CCTV camera and a van full of kit.
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Roots will require a root-cutter rig, which a standard inspection van won't always have. Fat too requires a jetter and possibly a flail.
Lining (not re-lining, unless you're stripping out the old one) must be done properly and is again a completely separate rig, as well as more crew to manage, even if only patch-lining. Still cheaper than digging it up, though.

Maccapacca said:
Danger being you pay for the CCTV and unblocking for them to say it's not repairable and it all needs to be dug up.
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There are still other trenchless/no-dig techniques available.
I find Lanes are a LOT better than they used to be, but still not the cheapest or the best... If you have a choice, that is. If it's the water company, then it's their call.

Best to get a proper inspection done first, both to ascertain the extent and nature of the problem, and to make sure this is a 100% private sewer.
 
Shouldn't be any roots as it's a concrete back yard and outside is small footpath and backstreet road. Sounds like it's cracked over weight above it over time. There is a crack in the concrete in between the man hole and the edge of my property so knowing my luck that probably has something to do with it.

Wouldn't touch Dyno Rod, had them few years ago and charged £90+ and didn't even clean up after themselves. Got an indie bloke this June who only charged £65 and spent a while jet washing the drains out etc after unblocking it.
 
I'd approached your utility company. They may come out and 'trouble-shoot' without charge. You'll then have a better idea of where you stand.

I have one of those 50p per month policies and used them a few months ago. It's paid for itself already, but it took several visits from their contractors, and the utility company came out at one point, to get it sorted.

The issue was also on the boundary, like yours, and the insurance covered all the works. However, one of the utility company guys said we should have gone to them first. But much like you, I was unsure how much money, if any, the utility company would want to investigate/repair, so simply went straight to the insurance provider.
 
I have buildings insurance but not sure if they would cover this? I'd assume they'd just tell me to sling my hook and say it's a maintenance issue. I'll have to check.

I haven't got any of those 'Homeserve' home emergency type polices. The only one that my water company try to flog is for mains water cover not sewage.
 
Last year, we had a 2m deep main ceramic sewer fail due to root ingress, our side of the boundary.

Our regular buildings insurance covered it. Must have cost $$$, as it had to be excavated.

Call your insurance company. The only thing we had to do - is have a survey done at our cost first to prove it had failed before they would begin work.
 
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