Raised manhole cover in garden

[danoruk]

Hi,

At the bottom of my garden I have a manhole cover that is raised by approx 200mm. The actual footprint is approx 1200x1000.

This is a bit of a nuisance as we would like to use this area of the garden as a chill out area but the raise cover is somewhat in the way and very unsightly!


I'm happy to lower the cover to ground level but is there any particular reason why it is raised i.e. would I be more prone to overflows if it is lowered??

Any advice would be very much appreciated.

Thanks,
Dan

 

[Shytalkz]

The drains went in when the site was first developed and either the lazy developer hasn't sorted the finished ground levels out as he should have done; or the ground has settled slightly over time.

If it's a private drain, do what you want with it. If, however, it's a shared drain and belongs to the local water company, you'll have to leave it alone. And in which case, I would suggest that you import some soil to make up the levels (which is probably the easiest thing to do, regardless).

 

[danoruk]

Cool! The drains are owned by a private management company run by the residents (26 in total) of which I am the treasurer so will hopefully be able to swing it!!

I was planning to re-use the cover and frame (old fashion iron type and very heavy!). What type of cement/sand mix would you suggest?

Thanks for the advice.

Dan

 

[Shytalkz]

1 cement to 3 sand.

 

[noseall]

The actual footprint is approx 1200x1000.

are you saying that the chamber is rather large and that it is topped off with a 'biscuit' that has a 450 x 600mm cut out, capped off with a metal cover and frame?

if so, then this particular type of i.c. may be a little more difficult to lower.

 

[Shytalkz]

Sounds like it Nose. Raise ground levels may well be the most practical solution for thissun...

 

[danoruk]

Hi Nose,

Not quite sure! I'll have to have a closer look i.e. lift the cover.

I think the chamber is standard size, not much bigger than the cover, but the brickwork supporting the cover is raised and the surrounding concrete has been finished at an angle creating the 1200x1000 footprint. My thoughts are that I can knock out a course of bricks or two and reset the frame at ground level but I'll have a look in the next day or so and get back to you.

Cheers for the mix advice shy.

Dan

 

[noseall]

if there are a number of brick courses on top of the biscuit then any of these can be removed and the lid put back.

once you are down to the biscuit - forget going any lower.

 

[danoruk]

Nose, you were spot on! Looks like I've got two biscuits here. The one under the cover sounds metalic when tapped - do you think I would at least remove this one?

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[noseall]

gosh!