At the weekend our drains backed up and after several hours with new drain rods the system was empty and flowing again.
However all is not as it seems, we are the first connection in a row of LA semi detached houses and small block of flats which hve the drains run at the rear of the properties. This run then goes down to a cesspit or out to the main drain in the road.
This problem has happened before a few months ago and next door called out the council who came out and cleared it from their drain, unfortunatley this time their drain was clear and ours was blocked up.
After getting the first lot to shift there were a lot of condoms and rubber gloves in the waste, we have been here since June and not used either so they must have been stuck in there for a while!!
When I went to th eoutside man hole the backup was gone but there still remained some water and waste which would not push through with the plunger, so I had to 'crack' open the sealed man hole in the conservatory to have a look. It was awfull, it was almost full of stuff which had gone hard and congealed into something that resembled a foam cushion.
After half an hour with the spiked end and a hose everyting was cleared out and running through, allthough very slowly, and this is where the problems lay.
My internal manhole is deeper than next doors and has two inlets, one from the outside manhole and a dead leg that appears to not hav been blocked off properly as when I pushed the rods down all we got back was an earthy smell and nothing else. Also next to this manhole is the original soil stack which does not discharge into this manhole, when the upstairs toilet is flushed you can hear it flowing into the pipes after the manhole.
I think the whole lot has to be re-done, however the extension was built by the previous owner about 15yrs ago and was passed (I assume) by the councill yet there are at least two junctions underground with no inspection access.
Should I go back to the council to see if they passed it or not and if not who is going to pay for the upheavel of re-newing it all???
However all is not as it seems, we are the first connection in a row of LA semi detached houses and small block of flats which hve the drains run at the rear of the properties. This run then goes down to a cesspit or out to the main drain in the road.
This problem has happened before a few months ago and next door called out the council who came out and cleared it from their drain, unfortunatley this time their drain was clear and ours was blocked up.
After getting the first lot to shift there were a lot of condoms and rubber gloves in the waste, we have been here since June and not used either so they must have been stuck in there for a while!!
When I went to th eoutside man hole the backup was gone but there still remained some water and waste which would not push through with the plunger, so I had to 'crack' open the sealed man hole in the conservatory to have a look. It was awfull, it was almost full of stuff which had gone hard and congealed into something that resembled a foam cushion.
After half an hour with the spiked end and a hose everyting was cleared out and running through, allthough very slowly, and this is where the problems lay.
My internal manhole is deeper than next doors and has two inlets, one from the outside manhole and a dead leg that appears to not hav been blocked off properly as when I pushed the rods down all we got back was an earthy smell and nothing else. Also next to this manhole is the original soil stack which does not discharge into this manhole, when the upstairs toilet is flushed you can hear it flowing into the pipes after the manhole.
I think the whole lot has to be re-done, however the extension was built by the previous owner about 15yrs ago and was passed (I assume) by the councill yet there are at least two junctions underground with no inspection access.
Should I go back to the council to see if they passed it or not and if not who is going to pay for the upheavel of re-newing it all???
