Last week or so there has been a whiff around what we believe to be our front door area.
From our front door we have a driveway about 3 car lengths to the pavement.
Wife seems to think it’s a drain smell. Within our garden we have 3 large manhole covers about 70cm or so square but they are not in a line.
Back in July the Council dug up the edge of the road nearest our house to put a new drain in due to flooding on the camber on the road. So they dug a channel the full width of our property on the road, and put in a new Drainer which was then connected with an existing Drainer by large diameter Flexi tube to the other existing Drainer.
All might be red herring but would my drain ultimately lead into this same surface road drain and could they possibly have done something to disturb/block it?
I’m googling away and seems to be so many variants of drainage systems. Am sure when we got the extension done the guy saying that both foul and rainwater were leading to the one drain?
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I suggest that you try to localise the problem, by lifting the drain covers that you have. Judicious observation with sequential flushing of toilets will help you in working out the flow routing. If they are galvanised square covers they should be easy to lift even without correct lifters. If cast iron heavy covers you can still lift, try using a 60cm prybar/crowbar www.screwfix.com/p/magnusson-utility-bar-24-/9626v
and application of archimedes principles.
www.dedoimedo.com/physics/archimedes-lever.html
Old clothing just in case you release a fountain!
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Council is unlikely to have put surface water into foul drain, especially flood volumes. Not to say they haven't broken a foul drain while digging which could now be partially blocked.
Get the covers up, run all the taps, flush the lavs and see if the drain is free running.
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Yeah it’s sounding like that’s what’s needed.
I last had the drain covers up probably 15 years ago. They are very very heavy. Did have sort of iron loop things in them for lifting but they are long broken off.
Will be a right pain in the neck trying to lift. I have two either side in front of house and then a third between house and pavement. Might start with the third and if everything appears there then we should be fine?
Just need to work out how to lever it off. Pretty sure it is “as snug as a bug” On all edges.
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Your local petrol station will have some drain lifters; they need them to access the manhole covers over the tanks at least weekly to check the levels. They might lend them to you as long as a delivery isn't due and it's not a week- or month-end. Failing that, here's a set on Amazon for 6 quid shorturl.at/gtv57
Last edited by: Dave_ on Sun 13 Aug 23 at 21:13
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Report sewage & water problems to Scottish Water.
Scotland only
Any blockages / leaks out with the walls of the house are the responsibility of Scottish Water.
You could in the past insure against leaks/blockages at a cost of say £60/year.
Roughly £3 is added to all water bills and SW then pick up the tab for any work - clearing blockages, replacing pipes, manholes etc all belong to SW.
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Oh cheers FB. That’s interesting. Must look into what’s involved.
Cheers
Bobby
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You phone up Scottish Water in Dunfermline and report the problem.
They will come, assess and carry out remedial work - Job Done!
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Have completed on line form, seem to be based in Stepps?
A quick google only throws up references to outwith your property boundary and doesn’t include pipes and drains that only serve your property?
Can’t find any reference to “outwith the brickwork” that you suggest?
Will see what they come back with.
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West - Steppes
East - Dunfermline
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In England the distinction is made between those drains which are the responsibility of the home owner and the water company.
Broadly any pipes only serving your property are your responsibility - once they join a main or shared sewer they become the water company responsibility.
As suggested you could lift manhole covers to find where the blockage is.
TBH it may be better to call the water company, report smell, ask them to attend. If it is your bit of the sewer they generally have a fixed charge (~£100) and all the kit to sort it out.
Water companies for all their faults tend to have properly trained staff working to decent standards - otherwise you are into a google search lottery to find someone to sort it out at a a fair price.
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I had water backing up in the loos last year so I called the house insurance emergency people who were somewhat difficult to deal with but eventually sent someone. He claimed to have fixed it but it recurred within days.
It seemed near-impossible to get a second person out from there so I called the water company. They came out and, as above, took a really professional approach, were fully equipped with video equipment etc and took time to narrow down where the problem was and did none of the "poke and hope" that the others did. All at no cost - it was a build up of waste around the junction where my waste met the main shared one. He couldn't see a fault but said if there was something like a cracked junction pipe it'd be their job to fix it.
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My wealthy grandfather owned a small/medium plumbing business from 1910 till his death in 1958
Blocked Drains - "It might be s***e to you BUT it's Bread & Butter to me"
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Where there's muck, there's brass.
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He left the business to his son plus £25K cash - enough to buy 10/12 new build bungalows, in my area, 65 years ago.
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>> I had water backing up in the loos last year so I called the house
>> insurance emergency people who were somewhat difficult to deal with but eventually sent someone. He
>> claimed to have fixed it but it recurred within days.
Similar experience with a bank "we cover all emergencies" policy. Told them the drains were backing up and filling the chamber under the manhole cover.
They told me - "sorry - we can't do anything unless it is overflowing". Utterly daft - they would then need to do clean up and fix the blockage. They lost my patronage shortly afterwards.
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Water companies for all their faults tend to have properly trained staff working to decent standards
You obviously are not in an area covered by Thames Water! Most work done by subcontractors who do not have a clue, cannot read maps and have to be shown where every manhole is. Concept of customer care and communication is foreign. The last guy who came as a singleton for a main sewer blockage was previously working as a delivery driver for Tesco, and conceded that he only had 3 weeks training and did not understand what he had to do.
Historically, pre-privatisation however they were good. Clearance cost of private drains was generally measured with a volumetric reward.
Be very wary of using callout services. Very expensive.
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>>The last guy who came as a singleton for a main sewer blockage was previously working as a delivery driver for Tesco
Bit like the chap at ATS Euro master who repaired a puncture for me recently.
He worked for Jewsons last year when he delivered a scaffold tower for me.
He's carrying out MOT's next I hear.
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>>
>> Water companies for all their faults tend to have properly trained staff working to decent
>> standards - otherwise you are into a google search lottery to find someone to sort
>> it out at a a fair price.
>>
What he said.
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My old house suffered from blocked foul water sewer occasionaly. I despaired of the water company dealing with it. The last time I tried them, I never saw hide nor hair of them for five days, so went and bought myself a set of rods. The blockage was always under the wall of a neighbour's extension!
I heard of an 'old boy' plumber called to commercial premises to unblock a foul water drain. The company MD came out to thank him when it was cleared and asked what the problem was. The reply: "You've got a 4 inch sewer and someone in there's got a 5 inch a-hole".
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Nope!
Other than the email acknowledgment not heard a thing from SW.
Having said that, I’m not convinced the smell is still there but the old story of have we just got used to it? See what daughter and SIL say when they come down tomorrow.
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SW turned up today and checked every drain, lifted all the covers and everything tickety boo.
I am now wondering if the smell had maybe came from a large sack of the white rock salt that I had sitting by the front door. I have moved that to the far end of the drive to isolate it and will do the sniff test later.
Relieved that all drains and drainage seem to be fully functional.
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I now live in a bungalow, where the stench pipe exits just above the gutter outside a bathroom. My previous property was a 3-bed semi, 2-storey with the stench pipe situated well away fom any windows.
I often get a whiff of something, but despite lifting manhole covers, never find anything. Perhaps I need to add some length to the the stench pipe?
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My stench pipe, which is internal, is fitted with a 1way valve, this lets air into the system (to prevent a vacuum) but not let foul air out.
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>> My stench pipe, which is internal, is fitted with a 1way valve, this lets air
>> into the system (to prevent a vacuum) but not let foul air out.
Durgo valve.
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Drains query - sherlock47
