What is this? U-bend from inspection chamber?

[Safety First]

Hi there,

See Pic please.

bottom right hand diagram shows inspection chamber of the type I have seen before: staring down onto a half pipe that enters and leaves the 'box'.

My neighbour today alerted me to a blockage where our two fould wastes join entering an inspection chamber. The inspection cover is under a hedge. Once lid removed I found it was blocked to brown line. Almost to surface.
Rodding what I thought was main outlet- very large bore pipe, cleared it. Though my neighbour who has been into pit before told me to keep going to clear the lower pipe. He said upper pipe was overflow and there is a u-bend lower down. Sure enough there was. We cleared it. But I cannot work it out. We never got the rods to go around the curve -too tight- but pressure did blast water back up main larger pipe as we cleared the lower one. I.e. they are connected as diagram.

Is the lower pipe going to a bottle type gulley? It felt almost square? Though I only gauge this from rodding.
Why a u-bend down there? Is what we have normal- can someone explain please?

I only ask as suspect, given appearances, that it will block again.

TIA.

Untitled

• Safety First
• 15 Feb 2014
• 1

 

[noseall]

Interceptor trap.
Pain in the ass antiquated nuisance.
We have straightened out one or two of these in the past.

 

[stuart45]

Originally designed to stop sewer gasses coming back, but not used now. Usually find the plug missing, or stuck in the system.

 

[Flyboytim]

Untitled

• Flyboytim
• 15 Feb 2014
• 1

You are missing the cap for the rodding eye - the straight pipe down to the sewer. The waste should siphon out through the trap.

 

[Safety First]

Thank you all so much.
Not like it's a big deal, I know, but really impresses me in a life-affirming way how this forum allows people to share their knowledge, and that they go to efforts like this.

Thanks again. I will tell my neighbour, now I know!

 

[Safety First]

Oh......just thinking then, do we need to replace the rodding cap? Was planning not to...

 

[Flyboytim]

They are not essential, but by allowing the waste to flush out the trap each time waste is run out, stuff like congealed fat cannot build up in the inspection chamber, to block the system later when chunks of it break off, and block the main pipe - which is why it probably needed rodding out this time.

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

Interceptor's were a Victorian idea to prevent 'drain air' (something they thought was source of most illnesses), getting into the house drains. As Noseall said, a PITA and surplus to requirements nowadays.

Dont worry about replacing the stopper, there's thousands out there without it, and it's one less thing to cause a problem in future.... You may wish to note that as the drain at that point appears to be shared between you and your neighbour, it may well be the Water Authority's responsibility to maintain and clear.

 

[Safety First]

Interceptor's were a Victorian idea to prevent 'drain air' (something they thought was source of most illnesses), getting into the house drains.

Good news- definitely not a concern nowadays then...

Dont worry about replacing the stopper, there's thousands out there without it, and it's one less thing to cause a problem in future....

I found a site who's prognosis of missing stopper was immediate biblical plagues of rats; happened to be a pest control site though..

You may wish to note that as the drain at that point appears to be shared between you and your neighbour, it may well be the Water Authority's responsibility to maintain and clear.

..that is good news too
Thanks for your input.

 

[eddieed]

I have one of these in my front garden it is a PITA. Thankfully since the nieghbour with children (flushing baby wipes we think) moved out it doesn't block up as much as it used to.

It's shared and not my responsibility thankfully...although I will still rod it if it blocks as I don't want crap in my fron garden!

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Backed up drains don't care whose responsibility they are.

My neighbour and I (well, actually just him, as he's got a set of rods - I hung around for moral support) cleared a blockage a couple of houses down once - may not have been my, or his, responsibility, but it was my patio flooding, and his would have been next.

Was jolly glad it was winter, and windy.

 

[Dereekoo]

When a section of drain has 2 or more properties discharging down it it is now the responibility of the Water Company to maintain it (has been for last 2 years) I use to have a U bend that blocked every now and again and so cleared it. Since it became Water companies responsibility called them out 3 times to clear it and eventually they came and piped it straight through, something I was going to do but never got round to. Good old Severn Trent.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

This section has at least 3 properties using it.

It was > 2 years ago that it blocked.