What Will I Find Under Manhole?

plumbandplumber · Jul 17, 2013

I've got to visit my mum at the weekend, as the back entry gully outside her kitchen door is backing up through the metal grate. The kitchen sink drains into it. I had a quick look last weekend, and the gully itself is clear, and running water from a hose into it causes it to back up after a while, not immediately - so blockage is under the drive.

Her semi has the b/e gully on the side of house as well as a soil stack a few feet away. I assume that I will need to rod up hill towards the house from the inspection chamber that is half way down the drive. My question is, when I lift the manhole on chamber, will I find;

A) One outlet because the b/entry gully and pipe from soil stack join into one pipe between house and inspection chamber

or

B) Two outlets into insp. chamber, one from kitchen b/e gully, one from soil stack (ie. 2x seperate pipes running from house to insp. chamber)

Hope this makes sense, and thanks for any advice.

Howsie · Jul 17, 2013

Probably two but possibly one. What does it matter, you're going to get dirty either way 🙂

plumbandplumber · Jul 17, 2013

Thanks Howsie.

The reason I ask is because if it's only one outlet for both, when I start feeding the rods up from the insp. chamber, how can I be sure it goes up the right branch? How do I make sure the rods don't branch off to the bottom of the stack, and not down the pipe to the b/e gully?

Presumably, I can't feed the rads into the b/e gully.

Also, I will have my old clothes with me! :wink5:

Howsie · Jul 17, 2013

It's all in how you use/twist the roads. Lift it and give it a go.

stevetheplumber · Jul 17, 2013

only twist clockwise if you want to see all the rods again unless you have the posh locking ones

plumbandplumber · Jul 17, 2013

Thanks to all. Will give it ago. Only hope my rod goes the right way!

plumber0808 · Jul 17, 2013

hottest day of the week tomorrow.

Hhmmmmmm hot smelly blocked to the rim manhole 🙂

close it back over and say all is well I bid you good day.

REDSAW · Jul 17, 2013

why bother?

call the water board, its their problem!!

Irish · Jul 17, 2013

REDSAW said:
why bother?

call the water board, its their problem!!

Yep spot on redsaw, I copped on to this a while back and customers love it when they get a freebie and it looks good you giving the advice

JAH HEATING · Jul 17, 2013

I rent a house out an the tenant saying toilet keeps blocking up.

was going to get manhole up etc an have a gander ??

the water board cover this though really ?

Ads · Jul 18, 2013

The water company is only responsible if it is a shared drain. If the drain only feeds your house to the main sewer (lateral drain) then it is the house holders responsibility.
I went through this when my toilet started backing up. Blockage was in shared part so I didn't have to get messy! 🙂

Reg Man · Jul 18, 2013

Any thing with in your boundary is down to you. What's the worry about this branch? it will be obvious when you lift the manhole, that what it is there for. Most likely cooking fat built up on the back end of the kitchen drain gulley, quick rodding shall shift it.

Howsie · Jul 18, 2013

And/or bloody wet wipes.

Ads · Jul 18, 2013

Reg Man said:
Any thing with in your boundary is down to you. What's the worry about this branch? it will be obvious when you lift the manhole, that what it is there for. Most likely cooking fat built up on the back end of the kitchen drain gulley, quick rodding shall shift it.

From what I understand in my experience, you can have a shared drain which runs across your property / boundary. The key part is, it is shared. If the blockage is in the shared part its not your responsibility.
Agree though it is probably cooking fat or wet wipes! My problem was wet wipes from a neighbour, only problem with a shared sewer!

This link probably explains it better.
https://www.anglianwater.co.uk/hous...ers-and-lateral-drains.aspx#after-1st-october

plumbandplumber · Jul 24, 2013

All sorted. Thanks to all.

Managed to get set and a half of rods up the inspection chamber. Luckily it seemed to go all the way up the b/entry gully branch rather than soil pipe branch. Bit of twisting the screw and lots of flushing through got it all in the end. Half the roof drains into the b/e gully as well as kitchen sink. Semed to be mostly compacted leaves and moss from the roof, not kitchen gunk that caused the block.

Only disaster was mate with the rods dropping his sun glasses down the chamber. What a tart! At least he remembered to keep turning clockwise.