Randomly Cracked after 93 years - Resolutions?

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Hello all,

After 93 years - this just cracked. Has anyone seen anything like this before?

What could have caused it (all of a sudden) after 93 years?

Locatio/Context:

A - Context.jpg



Below: The one with the brick on the lid seems fine.

B - Rear One.jpg


The one near the gate However :

C- Problem One.jpg


Has no water & has loose motor pieces at the base plus:

D - No Water Visible .jpg


Cracks:

E - Cracks.jpg


F - Cracks 2.jpg



The other side of the drive (below):

H - Opp side of driveway.jpg


I am at a total loss to explain how and why this has happened after 93 years. It was a functioning drain not 3 months ago.

It serves a gutter downpipe plus the waste for the upstairs bathroom.

I would be grateful to anyone willing to contribute to a discussion on how/why this may have happened.

And most importantly, options on how to resolve it.

This drain terminates in a shared drive lateral drain (both foul and surface water out to main road).

My thanks to all those willing to chip in to the discussion.

SL
 
What are the symptoms of the problem you are encountering?

I guess the cracking is stress fractures with loads being put through that will eventually result in cracking.
 
Possibly due to dry weather, which has lead to ground movement. Old Salt Glazed drains aren't very forgiving when there is ground movement, they cannot flex with it and instead, break.
 
Ground settlement most probably due to lack of rain and lowering of the water table caused by water abstraction during the recent very dry weather. Unlike modern plastic, the old SG drain pipes are unable to cope with even the slightest ground settlement. The joints are the first to go and then the body of the pipes follow. For an installation to last 93+yrs, it hasn't done bad, has it.
 
As above, we have had some exceptionally dry weather, for the past few weeks, which will cause ground movement.
 
Taking a 2nd look at those photos, I noticed that next door has already had their drains replaced with modern plastic, so the OP did well to last longer before drastic settlememnt.
 
OP,
Why not dig out both gullies & their surrounds?
The yard concrete has previously been opened probably for a plastic lateral when the newish soil stack drain was installed.
You could replace the existing gullies with modern gullies and hoppers connected by plastic drains to the lateral.

The conditions shown in your pics suggest that there have been previous blockages in both gullies.
The CI cracked down pipe is also due for a replacement with plastic.
The very far left waste pipe is leaking as it enters the gully surround.

Above the LH gully there's a previous render repair, and some of the Bell Cast is missing.
At the base of the wall a sand & cement plinth has been install - causing two possible problems - ground contact & bridging the DPC but if there are no signs of damp inside the house then OK.
 

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