Overflowing drain

[laird18]

Hello all,

I've got a problem with what appears to be kitchen waste water overflowing from a grate at the rear of my house. And it stinks!!

This is an old terraced house built in 1879, which we have owned for just over a year.

I think this problem may have been building up for some time, but we haven't noticed because it has been covered by decking that was installed by the previous owners. Underneath the grate is a circular hole full of unpleasant water and gunk. When the taps in the kitchen are run the water level goes up. However, when toilet is flushed etc there doesn't seem to be any change.

Using a couple of bin bags as a glove I've manged to stick my hand down and have a good rummage around. The thing was almost solid with gunk, but I have managed to discover that there is a hole exiting to the right about half way down, and a hole exiting to the left near the bottom. I can only reach in to these side pipes a few inches but both seem to be just as full of gunk.

I'm not even sure what this thing is. From what I read online I thought it was a gully, but there is no downpipe leading in to it. Is it simply an overflow mechanism so water spills out outside, rather than inside, the house?

What will be the best way to clear the problem? I was planning on getting some drain rods tomorrow from B&Q (if they sell them). I'm a new homeowner without much knowledge of drainage systems, so any advice you can give would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
Michael

 

[m1key00]

It does sound like a gully, probably blocked with fat. Try unblocking it using water through a hosepipe, failing that try emptying as much hot water down it as you can to try and melt it away. Its the same shape as the 'U' bend under your sink so is probably blocked out of reach.

 

[Burnerman]

There's no connection between the kitchen waste and the loo flushing at this point - this happens further down the line within the nearest manhole.
The kitchen waste exits into a gully (sort of a settling trap with a U bend) that is, as you have happily discovered, full of greasy gunge.
Your thoughts about rodding the drains wont work from this end - but if you could find the manhole (correctly called the inspection chamber) further down then you could possibly rod up from there....
Its best to empty the gully with a wet type vacuum cleaner so you dont push the garbage further down - very unpleasant though!
With the gully empty, get a hose pipe and push it around any exits that you can see or feel - if your luck is in then the blockage will clear.
Enjoy!
John

 

[HERTS P&D]

Pull up the nearest manhole and look to see if it is blocked. Being a property of that age you might share your drains with up to 4 other properties.

Also if you do share with other properties then it comes under the 1937 year rule that the drains are the responsibility of the council.

Andy

 

[laird18]

Thanks for the advice, guys.

The gully is full to the brim with water just now so you're right that it will need to be emptied by vacuum (or something else) first. I don't, however, have such a vacuum so I'm thinking I might need to get the experts in...

Could someone explain to me what the purpose of the gully actually is? Excuse my ignorance but why doesn't the kitchen waste just go straight to the sewer like the toilet waste?

Thanks again.

 

[HERTS P&D]

In one sentence, the gully holds water just like a toilet, to stop smells escaping.

Andy

 

[Burnerman]

The kitchen waste will meet the toilet waste, at a manhole not too far away. If the kitchen gully wasn't a water trap, then smells would come up from the sewer. Therefore, all wastes have a water trap, be it a bath, shower, hand basin, kitchen sink or what ever.
John

 

[Nige F]

Thanks for the advice, guys.

The gully is full to the brim with water just now so you're right that it will need to be emptied by vacuum (or something else) first. I don't, however, have such a vacuum so I'm thinking I might need to get the experts in...

Could someone explain to me what the purpose of the gully actually is? Excuse my ignorance but why doesn't the kitchen waste just go straight to the sewer like the toilet waste?

Thanks again.

Vacuum , schmacuum - get a mop and a bucket of hot water and a tin of Jeyes Fluid - £20 . plunge with the mop . clear the smelly water up with mop/water/jeyes . OR call Rhino Dodd @ £ 100

 

[laird18]

Ok, thanks for the advice.

As I said the gully seems to have a pipe entering/exiting from either side, one half way down, the other near the bottom. It can be quite difficult to tell when you're fumbling around, but the one near the bottom seems to go upwards sharply. I guess this is what forms the trap? I guess one of these pipes comes from the kitchen, and the other goes on towards the sewer. Could someone advise which one is likely to be which - I guess it would be best to flush the stuff out in the direction of the sewer, rather than back towards the house?

Unfortunately I think I'm dealing with a considerable blockage. The previous owner was a 99 year old lady who had lived in the house most of her life - I dread to think when they were last cleaned! How far do you think the blockage is likely to extend? At the moment I have no idea how far this gunk extends along the pipes. Are blockages usually located around the gully or can they extend quite far beyond it?

Thanks for your help again. Really appreciated. My wife is getting a bit agitated about the problem and I would really like to get it sorted before going away this weekend - ideally learning something along the way, rather than having to rely on "Rhino Dodd".

 

[laird18]

I should add that I haven't yet been able to locate the manhole. It must be somewhere under the decking - I will start lifting more boards to try to find it.

Any tips on where to look? Is it usually quite close to the gully/downpipe?

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

Pipe entering halfway up will be inlet from the house. Its the outlet at the bottom you need to clear. This will go upwards for about 6" then level out into the pipe to the sewer, forming the trap. If you're brave enough, armed with some decent rubber gloves, you may be able to poke around in the upwards section to dislodge any debris blocking it. Chances are its congealed fat, soap and food waste thats built up over time. Other idea is to try and push a hosepipe back up into the outlet, using the water pressure to try and loosen the muck. (Make sure any nozzle is firmly attached, you dont want to lose it!)

Manholes on homes of that era can be few and far between. Dont be surprised if there isnt a manhole on your's or even your neighbours property. If the toilet is flushing away ok, and the neighbours arent reporting problems then I would think the problem is within the gulley and/or pipework from gulley to sewer. My house is 1896, AFAIK the only manhole is at the end of the row, about 20 houses away, where the pipe bends 90deg to head for the road.

Worth remembering with properties built pre 1937 (I think has been mentioned), that if the problem affects a shared drain, (i.e. serves more than one property) then its the water authorities responsibilty.[/i]

 

[Axel]

Manual siphon pump, as used for aquariums works wonders to empty toilets and dirty gullies. Only a few quid from pet shops that sell fish.

 

[laird18]

Hello all,

Just to let you - and anyone else reading - know that I was able to clear the blockage with a long plunger on the exit point of the gully, followed by a lot of running water to clear it out. Back to normal now.

Thanks for your help.

Michael

 

[echoes]

Glad the OP cleared his blockage.
As an aside, are we permitted to use caustic soda to help clear blocked drains?

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

Use extreme caution with any chemicals. http://www.thisishampshire.net/news/8254458.Gran_burnt_by_drain_cleaner_back_in_hospital/