Death to trees!

[PeterC]

Yes - and underground to protect them from that nasty UV stuff (and SUV stuff).

[Matty F]

Is it just a matter of gluing them together like plastic downpipes? If I do that myself it can only be better than the very old pipes that are down there already. The plumber who connected my new plumbing to the old pipe expressed surprise that the inspector didn't test the old pipe.

[Robin]

You and TMH don't need stupidity - VirginMedia add (apparent) stupidity free of charge to all their Usenet users. (I had the same earlier in another group.)

[ARWadsworth]

vbg.

[robgraham]

I will admit to not reading this through, but I think this is what you want, Matty.

By the way I thought the Plumbing Police were pretty aggressive in NZ - better beware of them if you're taking business away from one of their tradesmen !!! :>)

Rob

[Matty F]

house uses for the new pipework. That is connected to the old clay drain.

If I decide to replace the clay drain I'll dig the trench and show a drainlayer the free pipes that I want put in.

[Andrew Gabriel]

Other way round normally. A tree has no interest in a working sewer - it just looks like a lump of fired clay in the ground, like a rock or something else solid.

However, if it starts leaking, now it's very interesting to the tree, which will grow roots into the leak, eventually breaking the pipe.

My parents had exactly same issue. They planted two willow trees in the front garden, which quickly grew enormous like they were on a river bank. (A neighbour also planted one at the same time, which has never grown big.) Of course, they had found the main sewer. When it was eventually dug up after repeated clearing and blocking, it was very obvious why. The pipes had been laid in the bottom of the trench, and a bucket of cement poured over each join. The things never were sealed, although it still took 25 years for the willow trees to actually start blocking them.

[Clot]

My thanks. I was not aware of their assitional free facility! ;)

[Tim Watts]

Yes, I guess the pipes must have been leaking a bit to stat with.

Just has the insurer's assessors some and CCTV again. They seem happy to recommend the insurers cover the repairs (subject to my 500 quid excess). But they want to talk to the neighbour's insurers too as they apparently need to contribute, being "beneficieries of the service".

So I've warned them in a neighbourly fashion.

I don't see a problem - they're all OK about it (except one guy I haven't told yet as he was out).

I did ask what happens if one of them won't play ball. The reply was: "we write 3 times and then serve then with a Section 59 Public Health Notice" and they don't have a choice.

I was hoping they'd just come and fix the pipe, but looks like I have to wait while 4 insurance companies have an argument about it... Good job I found it before it totally died... And it also looks like I might be able to claim the original jetting and my CCTV survey back which will offset the excess to some degree...

Tim Watts