I live in a 1940's built house, my washing machine is in the back of the outhouse and I've just been told that I have to re route the waste to a sewer drain within 30 days.
I've lived in this house for 14 years and the washing machine has always been in the same place and was in the same place when we bought the house. There are 10 houses in my road and most if not all of them discharge to the rainwater because the kitchens are not big enough to house a washing machine along with the usual kitchen appliances.
Apparently the end house has complained that his patio has flooded and the Water Authority say its because all the other houses discharge to the wrong pipe which then causes a blockage at his house, hence the flooding.
The problem is that in order to comply with their order, I have to route my washing machine waste from the back of the outhouse to the front. This is a run of some 30 feet, gently sloping and turning around 3 walls to reach the front of the house where the downstairs ( outhouse) toilet is sited. It's not possible to connect to the outlet of the toilet ( as was suggested by the Authority) because it is ceramic and goes vertically down, not out the wall.
The only way is to dig down outside the outhouse, to find the sewer pipe and tap into it. That obviously incurs great expense and hassle. I could do it myself, but not sure how to 'tap into' a sewer pipe.
Do I have any grounds to refuse their request? The house was subject to a survey when we bought it and nothing was flagged then. The issue has 'suddenly' become a problem after all these years, which I don't believe.
I am going to talk to the other households and see what they are going to do, presuming they have been told the same.
If I have to do it, then I can save money by doing it myself, maybe not within the 30 days. Any advice on how to 'tap into' a sewer pipe? How deep down is it likely to be?
I've lived in this house for 14 years and the washing machine has always been in the same place and was in the same place when we bought the house. There are 10 houses in my road and most if not all of them discharge to the rainwater because the kitchens are not big enough to house a washing machine along with the usual kitchen appliances.
Apparently the end house has complained that his patio has flooded and the Water Authority say its because all the other houses discharge to the wrong pipe which then causes a blockage at his house, hence the flooding.
The problem is that in order to comply with their order, I have to route my washing machine waste from the back of the outhouse to the front. This is a run of some 30 feet, gently sloping and turning around 3 walls to reach the front of the house where the downstairs ( outhouse) toilet is sited. It's not possible to connect to the outlet of the toilet ( as was suggested by the Authority) because it is ceramic and goes vertically down, not out the wall.
The only way is to dig down outside the outhouse, to find the sewer pipe and tap into it. That obviously incurs great expense and hassle. I could do it myself, but not sure how to 'tap into' a sewer pipe.
Do I have any grounds to refuse their request? The house was subject to a survey when we bought it and nothing was flagged then. The issue has 'suddenly' become a problem after all these years, which I don't believe.
I am going to talk to the other households and see what they are going to do, presuming they have been told the same.
If I have to do it, then I can save money by doing it myself, maybe not within the 30 days. Any advice on how to 'tap into' a sewer pipe? How deep down is it likely to be?
