Blocked drain outside. Manhole built over!

[peterf83]

Hi,

We bought our house 6 years ago and have had no issues with any drainage, until now. Outside my utility room the ground has started to flood. I called an emergency drainage company out who have given me some very bad news.

They believe that the utility room, which is a small extension, has been built over a man hole. Both my next door neighbors have man holes, and if you were to draw a line between them then the sewer goes straight through my utility room. They opened up both neighbors man holes to try and clear the blockage but their drains are working normally.

The drain man has said that the way the pipe work has been done is wrong in every sense. He says the only solution is to to dig up the ground to see what has has caused the blockage. He has suggest to place a new man hole cover so that this access issue is not a problem again. He has used a pressure pump to try to clear the blockage.

Obviously I am very desperate as the water is not far from the door level so I don't think I have much time to get quotes. He has said it is impossible to quote for as he doesn't know how deep he might have to dig, or what he will uncover. He said in an absolute worst case scenario it could cost up to £2500, this include installing a new man hole.

Can anyone suggest whether the work he intends to carry out sounds right, and if so whether I am being ripped off?

I have uploaded a picture showing the area which has been flooded, this picture was taken just before the flood as I was getting quotes to replace the cast iron down pipe as it is cracked.

 

[Doggit]

Not sure if you're being ripped off, but is he going about it the wrong way; is he proposing to dig up the ground in the garden, or in the utility room - which is where the problem originates from. If you can work out where the drain should be, then dig up the utility room floor, clear the blockage, and then refit a sealed manhole cover. Obviously, this is going to determine what floor covering you've got, but it'll be the quickest solution, and you can then repair the floor afterwards; digging a new manhole in the garden, is not going to be a quick job. How come this extension got passed by building control.

 

[peterf83]

I don't think the extension ever went through planning permission to be honest. The guy we bought the house from paid under 10k for it back when right to buy was first offered, now the house is worth 280k so it could have been done some time ago. The extension is only about 2.5m x 2.5m.

We don't want the utility room dug up as there is now underfloor heating and it is fully refurbished in there. I would rather the man hole was positioned outside the house regardless.

 

[HERTS P&D]

As above, dig up where the manhole cover is and work from there.

Andy

 

[peterf83]

As above, dig up where the manhole cover is and work from there.

Andy

Out of curiosity why would you recommend that rather than placing a new man hole cover outside? Ripping up the utility room floor which consists of glued flooring with underfloor heating and this goes wall to wall under fitted cabinets, seems more work than simply digging outside and placing a new manhole?

 

[HERTS P&D]

If you place a new manhole outside there is no guarantee that the blockage can be removed. Manholes should always be accessible.

Andy

 

[Doggit]

Well if you've got underfloor heating, then you've got to go for the outside solution, but if the main drain goes from your neighbours gardens through your utility room, then digging a hole in your garden, is going to mean it'll be on the wrong side of the sewer. Or, does your drain go out of your back garden, in to the communal sewer further away. If it does, then they already know how far they've got to go down due to the depth of you're neighbours drains. It just means digging a hole down to the drain, cutting into it, clearing the blockage, dropping a precast or plastic inspection chamber down, then backfilling the hole, and putting a manhole cover over the top. I suspect that however long (or short) the job takes them, the bill will still come close to £2.5K.

Get your self a submersible pump to clear away the water whilst you sort out the problem.

 

[JohnD]

I'm inclined to think that you should bite the bullet on the UFH and consider it doomed.

 

[HERTS P&D]

If you have a downstairs toilet then you could have the toilet removed and use an electric drain snake. See below:

://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgVCMG6o7I0

No digging and much cheaper.

Andy

 

[Doggit]

Well done Andy, never seen that idea before. But why can't they take the toilet out, and use their power flusher pipe in the same way they would have down the manhole. But the the OP will still need to deal with the lack of a manhole at some stage.

 

[HERTS P&D]

They can't jet down down the drain line as it would pull all the sewage back into the property. At least with the drain snake it will cut through the blockage and hopefully push it along.
I had to use one at a wedding reception, the bride kept coming in to make sure it was going OK. The smell was horrendous.

Andy

 

[Nige F]

Could be that the drain is now the property of the water co. - it sounds like a shared drain - maybe let them have a go @ clearing it F.O.C.

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

How do these drains run, and where exactly is the problem. If its flowing sideways across the backs of the houses, then it should still be accessible from both neighbours chambers... Which then leads me to wonder if it's the lateral that's blocked, could you give us some more information please Peter? (Not that I'm suggesting emergency drainage companies, (particularly the franchised types), will try and rip you off..... )

Even if it is the lateral, then the stack pipe should be accessible internally without causing too much damage, I'd then be looking at breaking into that to attempt to clear the problem. Whilst it currently appears to be cast iron, replacing it with plastic from floor level upwards is still going to be preferable to digging the floor up.