Kitchen wall wet to touch I suddenly notice. Poke about. Standing water in grey water pipe outside. No chance of me dealing with it.
Dynorod a mad choice, simply cos I've heard of them, or find a local guy from Yellow Pages?
No experience in such things. No idea if it's even covered by house insurance to be honest. I guess it's been like that for ages for the wall to get wet five foot up!
|
What water pipe?
Large foul water (toilet), Medium gutter down pipe, small sink outlet?
|
|
Call the water authority. The blockage may or may not be your responsibility depending where it is but they will sort it out and bill whoever liable.
|
It's outside the utility room (la dee dah) and the washing machine and tumble dryer drain into it (and maybe the downstairs shower?)
Water authority I didn't think about. Really? I'll check that out in the morning.
|
Are you certain it's a drain?
I had a damp patch under the kitchen sink, which turned out to be caused by the inlet pipe for the cold water tap.
The leak was a pinprick, and it may have been leaking for days if not weeks before I noticed.
|
If I remove the cover from the drain outside the house, it's full of grey water. I think it runs along the outside of the damp wall.
Just looked at the Anglian Water website and they just say "your responsibility, we can help you find a plumber", which isn't that encouraging, but I'll talk to them anyway.
|
You could always ask Dave TDCi if he fancies a run out.
It's not so far from Leicester across to Cambridge.
|
|
I was in Leicester yesterday! Blow. It was Mrs C's annual holiday - this year, we did a night in Loughborough.
Last edited by: Crankcase on Wed 27 Jul 11 at 18:13
|
Cheap overnight accommodation in the university? :)
|
I know of no University there. :)
No, a nice little place, and we did the Space Centre and Charnock Geology Exhibition, as well as assorted town trails and a river walk. Good couple of days.
|
... know of no University there. :)...
Ha-ha, I should have realised it's a bit too red brick for a man of your academic calibre.
Pleased you had a good time, a couple of days away here and there is my idea of a good holiday.
Anyway, back to your drain....
|
By drain do you mean a manhole with large cover or the grid several pipes flow into? Usually all drains are below the damproof course so it shouldn't get the wall wet... unless it is so blocked the waste water is overflowing somewhere higher up.
As usual a picture would tell us all.
|
>> You could always ask Dave TDCi if he fancies a run out. It's not so far from Leicester across to Cambridge.
Don't know how I missed this thread, but I've got my son this week so I wouldn't be able to take a look for a few days yet.
I'd suggest getting a local plumber in, if they aren't able to quickly resolve the problem with drain rods they will certainly know a specialist who can do it. The techniques aren't that easy to describe in detail on a general forum, much better to get someone in who deals with drains on a daily basis IMO.
|
Get some caustic soda crystals Crankcase, and pour some into the grey water. Probability is that the water level will drop to normal after a while. Then (following the instructions and taking good care) mix up some more caustic solution and pour it down to complete the job. Not demanding, but don't get caustic on you or your clothes.
Drain rods are cheap and usually come with one ending in a flat rubber disc designed for pumping water in and out in standard outside drains. That will often shift obstructions by itself and should be tried first perhaps. But caustic will dissolve grease and other deposits which can block drains and don't usually respond all that well to rodding alone.
Intelligence and courage will usually suffice to unblock a drain. If you really can't manage by yourself, don't bother with Dyno-Rod or similar rip-off merchants. Use a good plumber if you know one.
|
Ah, now then, m'Lud. Thank you for the suggestions, but I've tried both of those to no avail. The caustic soda has done nothing, and although I have a set of drain rods I can't get them down it. Turns out that at the bottom, about a foot down, there's a basically exactly what you would see in a sink - a hole leading off somewhere covered with metal grille, and it seems the drain is then horizontal immediately under the grille - so no chance of getting me rods down it, as it were.
Pictures - hope this works!
One is the drain with the water in it. Another shows a window - the wall next to it is wet up to the level of the cross bar, inside. And one is Mrs C in a spacesuit, for no apparent reason.
Link is to Picasa.
tinyurl.com/3grj2u4
|
Right that waste water, You wont get your standard thick rods down there, YOu need the type that looks like its made of thick curtain wire.
Do you have a pressure washer? that will help.
|
You may wish to delete that photo.... FAST!
the camera you took it with has a built in GPS.......
|
90% of blockages will 'go' with a rodding (ooh! Matron). Grey is waste from washing machine and sink etc. and will be full of grease and hair and fluff. Do it yerself and save the wedge.
M
|
Ok well I'd be looking for the next manhole along the system. Is that full? Assuming not, and given that you can't get rods down the drain we see, I'd rod it backwards towards the problem drain and see if that shifts anything.
Oh and if it's really just a foot deep can't you get you hand in?
Last edited by: Fenlander on Wed 27 Jul 11 at 18:54
|
Its nearly always where this is a restriction/area of slow flow. That means the trap you see there.
As Fenldander says, get your hand down there and start scooping.
|
Are you sure that this is a proper foul water drain - from what I can see from the photos it maybe that somebody has utilised an old surface water drain (it is only about 9" sq) and routed the waste from a newly built utility room into it.
Not only illegal but potentially anti social? - it may only disappear into a soak away which has slowly become sludged up with greasy waste.
Be wary of inviting in a water authority - they may outlaw what you have and start asking for a complete reroute of your drains.
On balance get down and dirty!
|
>> As Fenldander says, get your hand down there and start scooping.
>>
Masks. Knee pads.
|
|
Just looked at the pics. If that goes to a decent drain then I'm a Monkey's Uncle. Cos I don't know, but from 30+ years experience etc etc etc. As someone else said...DON'T call in the authorities.
|
|
I think PMH has hit the nail on the head here. A rainwater drain improperly utilised.
|
If you have already added large amounts of caustic soda - I suggest that you dont get your arm down the drain! At least flood it with the conveniently place hose first.
If you wait a few days you may find that a large area of abnormally green lawn turns a a deadish sort of colour! You then know where the soakaway is.
|
>> If you have already added large amounts of caustic soda - I suggest that you dont get your arm down the drain! At least flood it with the conveniently place hose first.
I was worrying about that too. Don't get any of the water on you.
Is it really possible that a builder or plumber would route wastepipes into a rainwater soakaway?
You can't tell much from the photo. There may be a conventional round pottery drain under the surface. If there is one, vigorous vertical pumping with the rubber disc rod may well work.
|
>> >> As Fenldander says, get your hand down there and start scooping.
>> >>
>> Masks. Knee pads.
>>
And of course "pond gloves". I joke not.
www.pondpumpsonline.co.uk/acatalog/AQUA_GLOVES.html
|
Make sure any young children are in the house, so that they can't be injured falling down any manholes.
Lift all the manhole covers that you can see on your property. Are any of them full of water? Take the rubber plunger part off the end of the drain rods. The sewage probably flows toward the road, are there any more covers between the one in the pic and the road?
If yes, is the next one along full of water? Can you feel a semi-circular channel at the bottom of the manhole? Can you push your rods along the pipe toward the road?
Assuming that the manhole in the pic is the one nearest the road and you can push your rods along the pipe, then screw the rubber plunger back on the end of the pipe and try rodding downstream. If you can, try to build up a hydraulic head or pressure so that the pressure clears the blockage.
If you can't push your rods along the pipe, why not? Is there a gully (trap) at the bottom of that manhole? Can you put your hand down the manhole hole? How deep is it? Will there be anything sharp in the pipe? You don't want to cut yourself and get an infection from the crud in the drain.
If there is a trap at the bottom of the manhole, you may be able to clear any detritus blocking the trap with your hands. There may be a rodding eye above the trap, can you remove the cover on the rodding eye?
Sorry, lots of ifs here. Let us know how you get on. If you want to email me the mods have it.
|
If there are several manholes on your property with sewage in them, is it obvious which way the sewage should flow? If not, get a dry stick and put it vertically into the manhole, note level of the water on the stick, move to the next manhole and insert the stick into this manhole. Is the level deeper, or shallower than the previous manhole? If deeper, then that is the direction of flow. If shallower, then the sewage flows in the other direction. Repeat until you find the nearest manhole to the Authorities sewer.
Of course, it may flow under the fence into next door's property. In which case you have some negotiations on your hands!
From the photo, everything looks pretty old.
|
|
Is that really your house in Church Street?
|
>> :)
>>
>> Photo now removed...
>>
Thats better! ;-)
BTW put the kettle on... coffee, white, 2 sugars!
Last edited by: swiss tony on Wed 27 Jul 11 at 20:28
|
|
Be quick tho, I am sending the boys round to have the kettle away tonight.
|
That'll be Tesco value decaff, soya milk and there's no sugar in the house. You can call at the Co-Op next door if you like on the way. You know where it is.
If I'd realised in time I could have opened it up to all comers to identify the car parked on the drive at the time - that would have been a challenge.
Anyway, thanks for all the advice, people. I'll tackle it somehow tomorrow.
|
|
Not a good enough image Im afraid...
|
|
Hmm... I'd said to the Mrs I may have to turn off GPS tagging in the new camera.... easy to get caught out.
|
|
And don't forget the default for taking photos on iPhones and Android (and others) is to store GPS details too.
|
Sometimes a blockage is actually held by very little, and a bit of rapid reverse suction or pressure from the other side suddenly frees it.
I'd try:
1) Connect one of those plungy things to the outlet. The kind with a proper pump, not just a rubber sucker
2) Probe a garden hose round the bend outside - pre-bend it to get it started round a tight elbow. Push it down as far as it will go and turn on full
3) Ditto but up from the other end under the manhole cover - pug with rags to try to build up back-pressure
4) Rods from the manhole
|
If you have a pressure washer then £50 (last time I bought one a decade ago so prob. £75 by now...) will buy you a "Dyno Rod" attachment. Absolute miracle worker. It just whizzes up the pipe and pushes through the blockage. Assuming your blockage isn't round a corner, of course.
If close to the entry then a metal coathanger may do the trick.
|
>> That'll be Tesco value decaff, soya milk
How do you get the soya milk to not curdle in coffee? It always curdles in coffe, both instant and filter, for me. Never with tea though. Strange stuff.
|
|
AH! Nicole has Soya in her coffee, the secret is the coffee needs to be not too hot. leave it to stand in the cup for a minute or two before you pour in the milk.
|
|
NEVER use boiling water to make instant coffee... always let it go off the boil for 1-2 minutes....
|
Reason it curdles in coffee, not tea is that you add the tea to the milk. Thus when adding tea the milk is gently heated up from 1 degree up to a max say (assuming 5% milk and almost boiling water) 95 degrees.
When adding milk to coffee, the milk is instantly taken up to almost boiling point - and curdles.
|
|
I always put the milk in the cup before the coffee. It still curdles.
|
... always put the milk in the cup before the coffee. It still curdles...
Mike could be your friend here.
Put milk and cold water in the cup in usual proportions, zap for a couple of minutes in the microwave, then add the coffee.
I make instant coffee with skimmed milk that way sometimes.
It's a slightly different flavour because of the hot milk, but I like it.
Be careful not to over-zap because it will boil over.
Also, don't put the coffee in if the mixture is still bubbling because it will boil over on the worktop.
|
Talk about thread drift.
Ok, well I won't update you on the drain, then, but I will add some background info about soya milk. Perhaps it's the brand. I've tried a few and the best tasting to me is that Alpro Soya Original in a blue box (not the nasty organic one) and it's never curdled in anything.
|
...Ok, well I won't update you on the drain, then...
No, no, please do.
|
>> (not the
>> nasty organic one)
Ah. Mrs A insists upon as much organic produce as possible, hence all soya milk chez nous is organic.
|
|
The coffee I drink is strong enough to clear any drain, a shot of rum beats any milk.
|
I sometimes have mine with half a teaspoon of vanilla essence.
|
|
I don't have anything with mine as I don't drink coffee.
|
>> The coffee I drink is strong enough to clear any drain, a shot of rum
>> beats any milk.
Rum? Old Navy? That figures :) You'll need something to warm the cockles when you're snowed in.
EDIT - Heres something that'll probably make you snort in derision. Every now and then I have a catalogue called 'Nauticalia' sent through my door. It sells something called Pussers Rum. Any good? Must admit I find the stuff in there fascinating.
Last edited by: corax on Fri 29 Jul 11 at 11:46
|
>> EDIT - Heres something that'll probably make you snort in derision. Every now and then
>> I have a catalogue called 'Nauticalia' sent through my door. It sells something called Pussers
>> Rum. Any good? Must admit I find the stuff in there fascinating.
>>
Snort, snort. :-)
Pussers rum is a fair imitation but nothing matches the original navy rum, end of.
I can't vouch for this stuff but it should be good at the price.
www.thedrinkshop.com/products/nlpdetail.php?prodid=7026&afwinid=90909
Last edited by: Old Navy on Fri 29 Jul 11 at 13:16
|
Come on - no more suspense!
You are currently sitting in A&E with no skin on your left arm, the water authority have visited and served a a prohibition notice, the wife has left, and the grey water is still 30cm deep?
|
You gave it best and called DynoRod. They were late so you looked in the yellow pages and called another outfit.
As both firms arrived simultaneously, your earlier ministrations with the caustic soda finally ate through the blockage and the grey water subsided with a happy gurgle.
Both drain firms are now suing you for their fees plus compensation for hurt feelings. Each wants £1500. Bailiffs have started to appear, sucking their teeth and cracking their knuckles.
|
Children, children, less of the melodrama.
Obviously, I elected to pump out the water first. I have a battery powered pump. It managed half of it. Then the batteries ran out.
I'm MUCH too tight to go to the Co-Op and get new ones, which are probably about five of your Earth pounds, so I dug out some rechargeables. The only recharger I have is solar powered though, and it's not sunny today, so as soon as we get some sun, I can progress a bit more.
I'm sure nobody expected a normal approach, which is as well.
Water is inky black and gritty. Interesting.
I do appreciate all your suggestions and will tell you what happens in the next exciting installment, but Mrs C is currently making noises about employing Hoover Man and his trusty sidekick Duster Boy, so I'll have to be employed elsewhere for a bit.
I understand procrastination is the thief of something I'll look up tomorrow. I guess the wall won't fall down immediately.
|
I would think that if the blockage (if there is one) in a pipe has not been cleared, then the drain will refill if you're still using whatever is producing the water.
Have you worked out if this water is going to a soak away yet? Because if it's from a washing machine then that could be blocked and not a lot you can do part from route the pipe to a proper drain.
|
Don't know where it goes. It looks like it heads towards the drain where the downpipe next to the back door meets the ground, but that's not blocked, nor can I see an entry to it. So I know the direction but not the termination point at present. Certainly not going towards the garden, so not a soakaway unless it's under the house!
Other manhole covers in the vicinity have all been lifted and look like proper drains, reasonably modern, no signs of any problems. It's just this one.
The house was around in (at least) 1830, so heaven knows the age of this "drain". Been all right for the last ten years or so though, since we've been here.
I'll make some progress as soon as I'm able to.
|
...Other manhole covers in the vicinity have all been lifted and look like proper drains...
Pedant alert.
Manhole covers are circular, because the flange of the cover means it's impossible for the cover to fall down the hole and injure the man.
Drain covers are rectangular, the cover could fall in, but it matters not because the hole underneath is only a couple of feet deep.
Pedantry maybe, but also handy to know, because when you are looking about for drains, you can tell which cover to lift.
|
What's the cover for an oubliette called? I have one you might like. :)
|
...What's the cover for an oubliette called? I have one you might like. :)...
If I knew what an oubliette is, I might be able to tell you the name of its cover.
|
>>If I knew what an oubliette is<<<
I have forgotten........
|
Blocked drain advice? - Zero
