Cracked external drain - need fixing?

[Meanmotion]

Hi all,

My bathroom appliances - aside from toilet - run to an outside clay drain as pictured. The main downpipe section, which is about 18inches long/deep, is cracked from about half way up, with some of the cracks sitting below the resting water line. I've tried to inspect around the pipe to see if its leaking significantly into the surrounding soil but it's difficult to get much closer without digging the whole thing up.

Second image shows the cracks which are exposed when the drain is plungered and the water line has dropped. It appears to lead into a clay pipe U-bend arrangement the top of which can be seen set back from the main drain where I've dug away the soil.

My question is, do you think it needs fixing? It has been like this for years and there's no obvious seeping of water but it seems unlikely that it's not leaching into the surrounding soil at least a small amount and this side of the house does have some issues with damp.

Note, many of the upper cracks I've patched up with cement - thus all the patches of grey. The main crack of concern is around the level of where the black starts.

Cheers.

Untitled

• Meanmotion
• 21 Feb 2015
• 1

Untitled

• Meanmotion
• 21 Feb 2015
• 1

 

[Agile]

I have to say many would ignore it until anything else caused concern.

The correct procedure would be to replace it but that would involve a lot of digging as well as sometimes some tricky jointing between modern plastic and the old s.g. clay pipe.

Tony

 

[JacktheFitter]

Leave it be dude..don`t open up a hornet`s nest.

 

[Meanmotion]

OK, thanks for the thoughts. Leave it be it is.

 

[ree]

I would replace it with a modern hopper head and a riser connected with a Fernco coupling ( see: flexseal.co.uk).

Is that gulley trapped?
How often does it block?
Perhaps, the concrete flags have been placed in hope of somehow dealing with penetrating/bridging damp issues?

I wonder if the in-situ gulley and riser have been raised some time in the past because the ground level has been higher'ed?

As regards digging - simply remove the bricks, & a few concrete flags, and dig all around the gulley to expose the "black" connection. Half an hours work, if that. Then post a pic back here.

Your lower brick courses show much water staining - where is your DPC?

The 32mm waste can be Tee'd into the 40mm waste with one pipe discharging into the gulley.

 

[JacktheFitter]

would replace it with a modern hopper head and a riser connected with a Fernco coupling

Hopper head relates to higher level drainage.

Is that gulley trapped?

External drainage is not trapped.

Perhaps, the concrete flags have been placed in hope of somehow dealing with penetrating/bridging damp issues?

Bullsh#t

I wonder if the in-situ gulley and riser have been raised some time in the past because the ground level has been higher'ed?

More bullsh@t

As regards digging - simply remove the bricks, & a few concrete flags, and dig all around the gulley to expose the "black" connection. Half an hours work, if that. Then post a pic back here.

Your lower brick courses show much water staining - where is your DPC?

The 32mm waste can be Tee'd into the 40mm waste with one pipe discharging into the gulley.

yeeawwn.[/quote]

 

[ree]

1. Not so. The term hopper head is often used for gullies. Salt glaze, & many plastic, were referred to as Hopper heads in my experience. Suggest you google a few suppliers. Dont feel bad, this is the place to learn.

2. Soil pipe drainage is not trapped - all gullies are trapped unless leading to a sump.

3. Perhaps you would explain your remark in technical terms - i'm sure, given you would make such a remark, that you must have extensive knowledge of dealing with damp issues and immediately recognise what you see? I'm open to learning.

4. Again, tell the forum what you are seeing and what it means - in technical terms please?

FWIW: the last person i heard call another person "dude" was a nine year old in 1980. Just saying.

5. Do you disagree with the three points that i've made? Then perhaps you would tell the forum, and the DIY'er OP who's looking for help, why?
You sound like someone whose had extensive DIY issues.

 

[muggles]

Drain re-lining would sort this
http://www.drainlineservices.co.uk/drain-relining/

I'm not affiliated to the company posted in any way, I just Googled....

 

[ree]

What nonsense - have you any idea what drainlining costs or involves?

 

[muggles]

Yes

 

[Meanmotion]

Thanks for the further thoughts guys, although now I'm confused.

That's exactly why those flags have been placed there - I did it myself a couple of months ago. There was a concrete path before but it was so cracked and uneven that it was useless at draining water away and, as you point out, there is some evidence of damp - I've yet to work out where the DPC is and what state it's in. I really should chisel out one of the bricks at some point cause I know the wall cavity has been insulated but have no idea what state it's in down near the ground level.

I had planned to dig out and check the drain before laying the slabs but forgot. Now I'm finally getting round to revisiting it given that the damp hasn't entirely gone away.

My current thinking - if I do anything - is to try and completely dry the drain then create a lining that'll run to below the cracks (there was previously a bottomless kid's bucket attempting to do the job but it wasn't sealed so was useless). Then I'll just shove loads of silicone between the liner and the clay to try and seal it.

When it stops raining that is...

Thoughts?

 

[Burnerman]

I had a similar issue.....a vertical cast iron soil pipe was fixed into a salt glazed gulley just below DPC level.
Foul water was appearing around it, but not a huge volume.
With some clot swinging on the soil pipe at some time, the gulley was cracked almost to the bottom. Excavation of this would have been hellish due to the drain from the gulley disappearing under the patio.
So......I carefully removed all of the soil and clay from around the gulley, washed everything clean, packed the broken chunk of salt glaze back into place and then created a concrete sarcophagus around the gulley.
I left it open for a few weeks but thankfully there's no seepage anywhere.
John

 

[ree]

What are you confused about?

Your DPC should best be 150mm above ground level - ground meaning either soil, paths or flags. Otherwise the DPC is bridged, and if the cavity is also bridged and has sodden insulation you will continue to get damp issues.

I've already suggested what you could do ref the gulley - your above proposal wont work. Dont waste your time.

 

[ree]

muggles,

Then, knowing the issues involved in your proposal, why did you even suggest it for replacing a cracked gulley riser?
Would you specify scaffolding for wallpapering the living room?

 

[Meanmotion]

Confusion was about whether to bother doing anything as the first replies suggested leaving it be while you've said to get it sorted.

Think I will have another dig, see if I can get to the outside of the crack. Then might try a similar solution to John as I really don't want to be just replacing the whole thing - it's a whole other level of work and cost, especially as I'd then want to do the same for the matching kitchen drain 10ft away (cost saving is a significant aspect of this endeavour).

If that doesn't work, well then I'll know what I need to do.

Cheers.