1930's Drains

[RonanC]

Hi All,

Looking for some advice, I recently bought a 1930's property and I'm getting around to fixing any ailments. The drains became blocked over the winter with leaves and when I went to clear them out I realised I might have bigger problems. I noticed that the waste from the toilet downpipe (red line) is partially spilling out before it enters the clay drain and is filling an adjacent hole (shown in magenta)...this keeps going on until its just full of standing water. I can't figure out what this hole is for, however the downpipe from the bathroom is positioned above it (stained green). There doesnt seem to be any gully in the hole, yet whoever layed the patio did so intentionally leaving it clear. I tried digging down and it just seems to be water logged mud.

The water from the toilet (red line) and the rainwater downpipe and the kitchen sink (green) meet undergrund at the circular opening, a cesspit of sorts, and then continues it down the garden shown in yellow. Its the start of the line on a communal drain. If anyone has any idea i'd appreciate it.

Thanks

Ronan

 

[Koolpc]

Maybe a good idea to get a drain survey done.

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

Only real solution I'm afraid would be to dig the lot out and replace. Assuming you've got clayware underground, slight ground movement will be enough to crack the joint to the Cast Iron Stack, so at the very least, this joint would need making good, but I suspect you may find the rest bend at the bottom of the stack is knackered, so factor in replacing that whilst you're there.

 

[RonanC]

Only real solution I'm afraid would be to dig the lot out and replace. Assuming you've got clayware underground, slight ground movement will be enough to crack the joint to the Cast Iron Stack, so at the very least, this joint would need making good, but I suspect you may find the rest bend at the bottom of the stack is knackered, so factor in replacing that whilst you're there.

Thanks, I'll dig it out this weekend to see what fully going on. Do you think that there is likely meant to be a hole there to the right of the stack in the first place or is it just soil that has been eroded away? The patio seems to be layed around it