Just been out in the garden and found that a couple of block paving bricks have sunk about 4cm, suspiciously close to a drain:
Thanks, Rob
Can't quite see what we're meant to be looking at in the pic.
Are you saying you know there's a drain running under where the putative collapse is? Is there a nearby inspection cover? If you can lift that, can you see the entry point to the relevant pipe - if so, chucking a fe buckets of water or a hosepipe ahould at least help you judge whether you have a full or partial blockage.
The depth of drains can vary enormously depending on local terrain (ie to get adequate fall on the pipe) - again, lifting the inspection cover (or maybe one out in the street? should give you a steer. Especially if they are very deep, and you are still concerned, it may be worth getting a CCTV inspection done rather than picking up a pick-axe.
David
It's a bit rubbish - I've put some labels in to try to explain.
It is close to where I assume a drain runs. Thing is, the person who sited the inspection cover has it under the party fence, so lifting isn't going to be trivial. I suppose it may come out with a bit of wiggling/sliding.
OK, thanks, I'll have a word with the neighbour and see what he thinks as well - share the cost, maybe.
================================================
Since it's a shared drain you might find that it's actually the responsibility of the water company. I can't remember the details but my local water company did a survey recently and confirmed that such shared drains in older properties are their responsibility to maintain and repair. At least you can ask your local company.
Cic.
How long have the block paving bricks been there? Has this sinkage occurred suddenly, or over a period? Is there any evidence of blocked drains - from sewage not getting away, or flooding after heavy rain?
I suspect that you may be worrying unnecessarily. You don't know for *sure* that the sinkage *is* over the drain, and it could have settled for a variety of reasons. The drain may be 2 metres or more beneath the surface - but you won't know unless you lift an inspection cover.
Whether or not there's a drain problem at the moment, you really ought to make that inspection cover accessible because it may need to be removed in a hurry in the event of problems in future.
Shared and pre some time in 1937 IIRC.
SteveW
snip
ISTR that there are moves afoot to make the water companies responsible for more shared drains but can't remember to what extent or when such changes will be implemented.
A quick google reveals the bad news - not due till April 2011.
Thanks, good point, I'll ask. They don't exactly shout any responsibility, given the volume of 'drain insurance' they generate.
Blocks been therea bout 10 years, occurred over the last week, no evidence of blocked drains.
Yes, I'll have a word with the neighbour and see if we can shift the cover without too much disruption.
Thinking further on this; if the drain is indeed pretty deep I think it's highly implausible that a collapse would be noticed on the surface (certainly not at 2 metres) - the volume of material that would move downwards would be tiny in comparison to the distance.
Is there a readily-inspectable manhole cover out in the street which would let you make a judgement on the depth?
David
There's an inspection cover within 3 feet clearly shown in the photo.
easy enough to probe.
Unlikely for drains to be deep near a house.
about 18 inches Id say.
if the drain is intact, leave well alone.
If the manhole is full of streaming turds, then its time to worry.
Yebbut we've told it's under a fence!
You should see my Mums'... admittedly a little bit further away from the house than the OP's but ISTR (must be 30+ years since I last saw it open) it was about 2m deep.
David
Just lift a few bricks and scratch the dirt out with a potting spade and have a look.
Is that /definitely/ going ahead? I've never seen any confirmation. I'm concerned about the quality of where my effluent goes. We've had many blockages due to the incompetence of the original builders, and would look forward t ohaving it sorted. Might they insist on a certain standard before adoption?
Well it is DEFRA so anything is possible.
Looking again at the cite I can't see where I got April from and can't remember if I looked at more than one reference. As it is DEFRA it could be that the timetable has slipped and they have silently edited April out of the press release.
I think your best bet is to ask your local water company. ISTR that there was some suggestion when this was first mooted that some companies might not wait till the deadline but I haven't managed to find any reference to that.
I wonder if there has been, during the hard winter, a certain amount of frost heave lifting the blocks, and they have now settled unevenly.
Chris
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.