Cast drains

[Alison556]

The vents on the wall next to the pipes! they are to vent the sub floor void, i would unblock them if i were you.

Don't worry - they're not blocked - it's fine mesh over them to stop bugs getting in!

 

[Alastairreid]

So it is! All good.

 

[bobasd]

so after a plumber an a builder on site maybe your no further ahead.

haunching on that connection is a tempry repair - tempry repairs can cost more in the long run until finally the proper job is done. you need a gulley.
you still dont know or show where the white Pvc waste is dischargin to?it could be simply sumpin into the ground?
what plumber when an what proposed trench are you talkin about?
wheres the nearest manhole - did anyone look down it?

your pics show two external water shut-off covers - you say the cover at the bottom is where you can see water draining.


you shouldnt see any water draining in a shut-off box, its not an inspection chamber or a manhole.
so either the water service is leaking or someones drainage is gone haywire.

 

[Alison556]

so after a plumber an a builder on site maybe your no further ahead.

haunching on that connection is a tempry repair - tempry repairs can cost more in the long run until finally the proper job is done. you need a gulley.
you still dont know or show where the white Pvc waste is dischargin to?it could be simply sumpin into the ground?
what plumber when an what proposed trench are you talkin about?
wheres the nearest manhole - did anyone look down it?

your pics show two external water shut-off covers - you say the cover at the bottom is where you can see water draining.


you shouldnt see any water draining in a shut-off box, its not an inspection chamber or a manhole.
so either the water service is leaking or someones drainage is gone haywire.

One of the covers is an external shut off, the other (bottom one) is an inspection chamber for that drain. The white pvc drains into that. When the bathroom was done up years ago, the plumber put in that white plastic pvc to bring the drain under the floor as opposed to above floor level as it was - it was him that was wanting a trench dug for that white pvc from the wall to the inspection chamber and I certainly wasn't doing it. The manhole for that drain is in next door's garden. So I can see the water draining from the cast drain and the white pvc into the inspection chamber and can also see it draining via the manhole in next door's garden.

My biggest problem is that my upstairs neighbour, who shares that drain, doesn't seem to want to take responsibility or pay towards any repairs. She got her brother to do all her plumbing work (though she recently told me he's not a plumber) and then proceeded to flood me twice and denied all responsibility for it - she "couldn't possibly have been aware of the water leak so is therefore not liable". I don't particularly want him faffing about for days on end in my garden, and that's what would happen - or I get someone else in and I have to foot the bill for the whole lot.

 

[cdbe]

My biggest problem is that my upstairs neighbour, who shares that drain, doesn't seem to want to take responsibility or pay towards any repairs

Perhaps (in writing) tell her that it is a shared responsibility and if she doesn't want to go halves you will report it to Environmental Health at the council who will, if you fail to address it and they deem it a health hazard, do it (probably at considerable expense) and bill you half each. Your half would hopefully be less than you doing it privately and footing the whole bill.

I had to threaten my neighbours after they failed to fix their broken soil pipe and seemed quite happy to just let the contents form an open cess pit in their back yard. In they end they turned out to be quite nice people who kept being let down by builders and plumbers and after after ending up with a £2500 quote from dyno rod I did for them for £400.

As already said, putting a bit of concrete round it is not a repair and you risk washing away the soil under your foundations.