Sewer Help!?

[DuaneProblem2009]

After about a year of bad smells in the kitchen, we got a drain specialist in who charged us seventy quid for swilling some water round our drain but didn't offer any long term solution to the problem which is...

On flushing the toilet (upstairs), the sewage comes down very quickly. Unfortunately, the poo doesn't know to take the left turn towards the main sewer (red line) and instead keeps going straight on and splashes onto a mini 'embankment' (brown line) where it stays... and smells... until I hose it away. This alleviates the problem temporarily until the build-up returns.

We have been in this house for 6 years now but we only noticed the problem within the last year or so. We're not sure but it may coincide with the fitting of a new toilet about 2 years ago.

Can anyone suggest anything to stop this problem and ensure the poo takes a left, or at least doesn't build up as it is currently.

I have put a photo below (sorry if you are squeamish!) showing 4 days worth of action (blue line is neighbours drain).

Untitled

• DuaneProblem2009
• 12 Aug 2009
• 2

 

[keego]

You could try building up the sides with concrete where the waste is building up.

 

[Onetap]

How does the smell get out? It's siphoning out the kitchen sink trap, or the cover seal is defective or the open vent pipe is damaged or something else. Look into a smoke test. There isn't otherwise a problem, turds go down the sewer and get washed away eventually. You could build up the haunching with concrete, or let it build itself up with turds.

 

[DuaneProblem2009]

Thanks for the responses.

Onetap - the soil pipe from the toilet runs internally in a boxed-in section and goes down through the kitchen and out of the wall below kitchen floor level.

The smell seems to be worst at a vent on this boxed-in section at the back of a kitchen unit, although we have noticed it sometimes as far as upstairs of the house.

 

[Nige F]

Plastic pipe 90 degree branch too close to soil/vent pipe from WC. This also occurs with pre formed manhole bases. As suggested a concrete wall, but you`d have to render it smooth for the Richard 111`s not to stick. In fact one looks so big it could be a Henry V111 . Have you got a vent pipe right out through the roof .? That toilet fitting didn`t involve putting a durgo air valve on did it.

 

[kabel]

For some reason I have images of a poo equipped with a satnav in order to have it make the correct turn.........



......Sorry for my unhelpful post!

 

[Nige F]

That`s a great update for the 21st, Century.....We just used to flag them with a cocktail stick and a pennant shaped bit of fag packet

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

The depth of the manhole determines the awkwardness of the job, but building up the benching (sides), I would suggest is the only solution.

Get some grano dust (Builders merchants should stock it, bagged), mix with an equal amount of portland cement to quite a stiff consistency, and build up the sides. (This is used to bench large manholes and will not be washed away over time by the action of the water.) Bear in mind though if you do this it will need plenty of time to dry out before anyone flushes the loo!