Fun & Games With Drains

While we have been getting the first fix plumbing and electrics done the builders have been getting the drain ditches dug and the pipes connected. It's been a hard job as a lot of the ground is rock at the left side of the house so the drains have to be quite shallow there and run deeper to the right of the house to allow the fall.

Building regs have checked it all and it just requires some crushed stone as back fill to protect the pipes as they are n a driveway.

When the builders went to connect up with the existing combined sewage and rainwater pipe they found it to be a 3 inch pipe and not the usual 4 inch. This goes through our small garden and into the neighbours stretching down to the road. We asked Yorkshire Water to check the pipe and they sent a contractor (DrainsAid) out to have a look. They told me there was a blockage just before the boundary with the neighbour and it was our responsibility to sort it out.

Consequently we had to call in our own drains company for them to tell me there was no blockage but there were tree roots 25-28 meters away. This was way off our property so Yorkshire water have again attanded to take a loook, I'm now expecting a visit in a week to look at getting rid of the tree roots...anything past our boundary is their responsibility.

We also contacted Yorkshire Water about re-newing the lead pipe that feeds the house but this would mean either digging up my neighbours garden as it follows the same line as the drains or getting a new connection down the access road to the property. Neither option is viable financially or practically so we have asked Yorkshire Water to test the water to make sure it is ok. We are expecting them today...at some point.