Garage ACO Drain & Potential Damp Issues?

[DIYRalph]

Hi all,

House I am in the process of buying has a detached garage conversion to an office in the back garden which has what I believe is termed an 'aco drain' along it (see photo below). This is the first I've heard about these kinds of drains and I'm reading mixed reports about them regarding tendency to get blocked and cracks/gaps in the gulley leading to water entering the foundations.

For further context the conversion didn't get building control sign off and there are no real records of what was done, so I'm really just going by sight with regards to how well it was done.

Here's a photo of the drain and the front of the conversion:

Drain hosted at ImgBB

Image Drain hosted in ImgBB

ibb.co

My questions for those in the know are:

- What do I need to be aware of in maintaining a drain like this, and what are the risks? Should I be getting someone to put a camera up the drain once a year or so to make sure its not blocked and there's no cracks along it?

- If you look at the front wall of the garage conversion where the garage door was replaced by a wall you can see some discloration along it - does this look like damp? Probably paranoia on my part but since there is no BC sign off I have no record of what steps were taken with regards to damp proofing with the conversion.

 

[23vc]

You get these all over the place, in various conditions, they’re easy to clear out just lift the grid off, should be piped to a soakaway or existing drain. Tbh, I’d very much doubt this is ever going to be anywhere near enough of an issue to dissuade you from buying the house if you otherwise like it. Your info about their potential issues sounds a bit OTT in this context and same could be said about other drain components

Looks like it’s there due to a fairly level threshold/high outside ground level .. which may actually be more of an issue depending on how the dpm is detailed etc

 

[noseall]

- What do I need to be aware of in maintaining a drain like this, and what are the risks? Should I be getting someone to put a camera up the drain once a year or so to make sure its not blocked and there's no cracks along it?

If the drain gets blocked (by leaves, crud etc), pop the grids and remove the material.

- If you look at the front wall of the garage conversion where the garage door was replaced by a wall you can see some discloration along it - does this look like damp? Probably paranoia on my part but since there is no BC sign off I have no record of what steps were taken with regards to damp proofing with the conversion.

As far as modern phones and photos go, those are dire. Must try harder.

 

[DIYRalph]

As far as modern phones and photos go, those are dire. Must try harder.

Fair point but I wasn't able to take the photos myself as I dont own the house yet, they are enlarged from photos that were on the estate agents website.

 

[^woody^]

There are no issues with these surface drains. Neither do they block more than other types of drains, or cause dampness.

 

[Old Salt]

I have one of those drains at the bottom of my drive. I generally clean it out once a year once the leaves have fallen. Dead easy pop the grid, remove any rubbish and pop the grid back on.

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

If you were to build a road along the edge of a hill then one side would have driveways that sloped away from the house, the other would have driveways that slope towards the house so would need an aco drain.

They're a complete non-issue. Worry about a house that has a driveway that slopes towards it that doesn't have a drain, as that suggests a builder cutting corners.