Leaking gulley

[Steve]

I've just come across a problem while digging my water meter out (we're replacing the lead main). The hole was filling up with water when i got so deep. I was sort of expecting this as the meter itself has been sat in water for over a year (we bought the house last year). Anyway I started thinking I should call the water board to inspect the pre-meter pipework before I expose it so I cant be held to blame for a leak. Then R lass went to the bog and washed her hands. Water started trickling into my hole! Bang next to the meter is a drain gulley. Which everything drains into. I realised if I crouched down at a certain angle I could see into the gulley from my hole!

The hole is perfectly round from what I can see, maybe 2-3 inch diameter and faces away from the house. So is this a back inlet gulley with no back inlet fitted?

Now I think on, it was blocked up when we moved in. It took a lot of messing to unblock it. I'm guessing soil has been washing into the gulley from this inlet, as there was a big cavity there when I removed the concrete.

If I expose the gulley is it a relatively simple job to replace with a plastic one onto the clay pipe?

I dread to think how long this has been leaking. No signs of damp inside.

 

[JohnD]

yes, but when you dig out one piece, you may find the next one is also broken.

with luck it will just be at the bend where the horizontal pipe turns up at the house, and the house has moved relative to the ground.

You can get various sockets to go on the end of the old pipe (the old socket is very likely to be broken), either with a rubbery connector like a Hep-sleeve, or to be mortared on.

you will probably find red worms.

You may find the bend on the soil pipe is also broken, and provides much more nutrition for the red worms. Fishermen like them.

If you are in a terrace or semi, the drain next door will be broken too, and may drain into your hole.

You may find the leak has washed out the mortar between the bricks, especially if it is lime. you can repoint them after hosing out the mud. If the hole is big it may have undermined the footings.

Benching and patched concrete round gullies are indicators of these problems.

 

[Steve]

Speaking of worms. I've opened a whole new can of them. I tried to remove the concrete around the gulley. When I got a piece loose it seems to have put presure on the gulley and now its cracked right down. So this job has just got a bit more urgent. Now all the water seeps out into my hole.

While digging I did find what looked like the corner of a clay gulley like this one. Perhaps this happened before. . .

Anyway I think I'll get my builder to take a look at replacing it. Alternatively I'll get my plumber to redirect the wastes to the soil stack (1.5metres away). This might be the easier option, then I'll cap off the drain somehow below ground. There is another gulley on the corner of the house for the rainwater (it does go into the same manhole and its right next to the soil stack).

 

[John D v2.0]

If you do cap it, make sure it's at the place where it joins t main run. Apparently building regs don't allow redundant drains as it make a perfect home for rats.

 

[Nige F]

. Alternatively I'll get my plumber to redirect the wastes to the soil stack (1.5metres away). This might be the easier option, then I'll cap off the drain somehow below ground. There is another gulley on the corner of the house for the rainwater (it does go into the same manhole and its right next to the soil stack).

If the stack is plastic then it's got to be better - waste water gulleys are so 19th Century

 

[Steve]

Looking online I couldn't find anything big enough for this hopper pipe to drain into anyway. Just modern small gulleys. The soil stack was replaced with plastic last year, a cast iron stack was cut off at ground level and a rubber coupling used to convert to pvc.

The kitchen waste is in 32mm for some strange reason, and we're doing the kitchen shortly so that'll get renewed anyway. Just the basin and bath wastes to sort out.

What would be the best way to block up the inlet to the inspection chamber? It is a traditional clay and concrete chamber with two inlets and a flow-through main pipe.

Any ideas?

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

Plastic bag up the pipe and fill the hole with a good plug of concrete, but that depends how deep the chamber is. I don't advise working in a chamber if you cannot reach from the surface, you don't know what the air quality is down there.

Personally, I'd replace the gulley and just have the kitchen waste going into it, reroute the bathroom wastes to the stack, and get rid of the hopper. Set the new gulley flush with the finished floor level, and the waste can go through the grid.

 

[Ian H]

I'd replace the gully too. They are very easy to do.

You want a 4D900 gully which is very similar in size to yours, a bit of pipe, then an AC4000 to connect back to the clay.

It will look a bit like this once you pipe it up:

Then you finish it by pushing the grid/hopper on top.

 

[Steve]

Easy as long as I can get a clean end on the clay pipe. I'll give it a go. If the end of the pipe is shot I'll cap it off.

 

[Ian H]

You can slit it with a grinder and crack it off neat.

 

[Steve]

Today I've diverted all the drainage to the soil stack. Got a bit peed off when I realised none of my push fit stuff would fit onto the solvent weld pipe sticking out of the walls. Anyway another trip to the shop and I've solvent welded it all up. No more water is going down this gulley. I will be removing it.

Back to my hole.

I have dug down and removed the meter chamber. The meter and valve and surrounding pipework are now exposed.

However, all the time I was digging it was half water, half mud. The ground is saturated. And very smelly. The picture shows about 5 minutes after I finished digging.


The water level is now (3h after i finished) roughly half way up the meter, the stop tap handle is submerged. The meter has been part submerged the whole time we've lived here.

My question is, will this water be what has soaked into the surrounding soil from this gulley, thus will eventually stop? The soil is clay in the garden and we live up a hill so I cant imagine this is the water table.

 

[Ian H]

I would say the water will now stop.

You could jug some out to get rid quicker.

 

[Steve]

Thanks. I'm going to scoop all the water out daily and see if there's an improvement day by day. I don't want the meter sat in water anymore. Especially not dirty water. I'll leave this hole open until I'm happy no more water is seeping in.

 

[JohnD]

Do you know for sure that the nearby soil stack is not also broken? Most likely at the rest bend.

If your hole fills with warm water after a bath you can get your spade out again.

 

[tomfe]

WTF is going on with your water meter connection and stop cock?
What a bodge!
Were you not able to get to your cock before you dug it out?
You might have a leak on your rising main, stick some food colouring in some water and stick it down each of your internal wastes.