Surface Water Drainage

[Slow_Loris]

I am looking to have a single story rear extension built but I'm concerned (and a bit confused) about how water from the extension roof and lateral drain at the base will drain.

We are a mid terrace house built in 2001 and at the rear of property our guttering simply joins with next door with next door having the down pipe leading to a surface water drain and sewer. We have two inspections chambers at the rear of the property but have been told both are foul. Questions I have are;

1. Do utilities allow for surface water down foul drains?
2. Do I have any right to connect to next doors surface water drain (the property is rented so getting permission from the landlord is unlikely given previous correspondence).
3. Am I best with a soak away and what are the building regulations (not sure we have 5m from the extension nor 2.5m from our neighbours boundary).
4.If I have to go with a new surface water connection what sort of cost would I be looking at?

Many thanks

 

[Ian H]

You could be on a combined system where foul and surface are together. Loft your manholes and put a bucket of water down the surface water drain to see if it passes either manhole.

 

[Slow_Loris]

Thanks Ian H,

The utility company are adement we have separate foul and surface water sewers. The down pipe doesn’t connect into either inspection chamber (only one connection in and out and when banging on the down pipe we can’t hear it in the inspection chamber). I’m assuming it simply leads to the surface water sewer?

Do I have any rights to connect to this next door? As I mention our current surface water links into this currently?

 

[Ian H]

If you are on seperate systems the manholes in the road will likely be in pairs. It could always join on a junction between the manholes so you may only know the connection is there with the bucket of water down it.

I’d say you could connect in. If it were my house i’d connect into the nearest drain available.

 

[Notch7]

If your rainwater currently goes to a public storm drain rather than dissapates into a soakaway, then I would think you should be able to connect your extension downpipes to the manhole in your neighbours property.

As Ian says maybe you could connect at a junction -the rules for rainwater pipework are more relaxed than foul, junctions and bends are allowed.

 

[^woody^]

You could be on a combined system

We are a mid terrace house built in 2001

2001, not 1901

 

[^woody^]

how water from the extension roof and lateral drain at the base will drain.

The regulations require rainwater to be discharged in a specific order

• into the ground (including RW harvesting)
  
• into a watercourse
• into existing RW drains

You can't use the next on the list unless the preceding one is not possible.

 

[Ian H]

For a new connection into the rainwater drain you would need to find some sort of access, new style gully or a manhole.

Then you would need someone to CCTV the drain and probe a suitable location for the new connection. They could tell you it’s exact location and depth. They you could get a price for having it done.

 

[Slow_Loris]

Thanks all for the advice.

We have the utility company coming out to put a camera down and determine where the neighbours down pipe goes as currently they have no plans for the site

My only concern is that next door is rented and may not give permission to be on the property, dig etc. Given it’s a shared down pipe do I have any right to connect if the neighbour says no?

Thanks

 

[^woody^]

No

 

[Ian H]

If your mid terrace the surface water must pass under your garden, you just need to tap in there.

 

[^woody^]

If your mid terrace the surface water must pass under your garden, you just need to tap in there.

But he's not permitted to. Plus, that won't even be his drain, but owned by the water company.

 

[Ian H]

But he's not permitted to. Plus, that won't even be his drain, but owned by the water company.

But if he can’t go into the ground (including RW harvesting) or into a water course then he must be able to go into existing RW drains.