Lifting concrete path to find drainage pipe only 5 inches in

[Stuff82]

I've just started lifting a concrete path in my back garden with the intention of then replacing it with soil & grass.

The concrete path is approximately 8 inches deep which I thought was a bit overkill, but just after starting it I found that there is a drainage pipe no more than 5 inches into the concrete that seems to head off to main road about 200 metres away.

Is it wise to remove the concrete & replace with soil as I'm sure that pipes should be buried more than 12 to 18 inches in the ground?

Or am I going to have to leave the concrete in place & try to lay a thin layer of soil & lay grass on top?

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

What's the pipe made of? Is the pipe serving only your property or does it serve other properties too?

 

[Stuff82]

It seems to be made of quite thick plastic. I live in a down stairs flat so there's a possibility that it may be for a both downstairs and upstairs.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

How much cover will there be once you have come up to the desired level? 5inches?

 

[Stuff82]

Yes it will be same depth of 5 inches. I've just took a bit of the concrete up at the other end of the path to follow it & it heads off into next doors garden under the grass, no more than 3 inches due to the slope. I couldn't follow it further as it heads off into another property after that & I don't know them.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Well you can either leave it alone and leave your path as it was and repair it back to its original state or if you want grass maybe lay a protective board on top (just to stop a spade or fork from cracking it in the future) and cover over with earth and forget about it. A bit of 18mm plywood or similar unless you can get hold of say some 1mm thick steel sheet. It will rot eventually but it will take a few years. Its a bit of a bodge but the alternatives are really a huge can of worms

 

[kbdiy]

As above really. I guess the chances of it being damaged in the future a fairly remote anyway as it will be under your lawn. The only problem you may have is that the patch of grass covering the pipe may die off / dry out faster than the rest of the lawn due to the limited depth of soil covering the pipe, so it might show up more in drier weather, but that's all.

 

[r896neo]

You really should put either a cap of concrete on it or you could put a metal pipe similar diameter over it and some warning tape above.

Give the poor guy who has to dig up your lawn when your gone a chance to find it.