man hole sewage drain covered in concrete.

[bluesky]

i am going to buy a terraced house, but the house does not have back garden because it has been converted into a drive way for another property, the man hole was then buried under concrete, is this a problem in the future? if some blockage happens will it become impossible to unblock it?

cheers in advance

 

[dontknowitall]

It could well be a problem in the future as a manhole is usually placed at a change of direction. Change of direction means slowing down and like traffic going around a sharp corner a build up occurs and then usually clears without a problem.

If a blockage occurs the only way in (apart from rodding from previous/next manhole covers) is to dig up the concrete, unblock then make good again. Not a five minute job! A sort of guess would be at least a week of waiting for a builder, then 2-3 days of work from digging to drying out of concrete around a newly placed manhole cover, and then an inspection by the local building control. Most drain blockages are cleared with jet washers by drain companies and it's a reasonably painless task.

If the driveway was laid many years ago and there's no sign of drain covers being lifted then it probably means it's never been a problem. If the drain covers have been lifted recently (you can tell from scratch marks on the covers, dug out moss, scraping etc) then it means either someone was looking for something (e.g. mains water or electric cable) or maintenance.

Generally though, drains do not cause much of a problem as blockages will occur within the first few months of use.

If you're uncomfortable about it, ask your house surveyor. He'll probably just cover himself with some meaningless get out clause ("No problem at the time of inspection but there could be an issue in the future") but on the other hand he might be much more helpful!

 

[bluesky]

Hi dontknowitall, thanks for your reply, the property has been converted for about 10 years, cannot find the manhole at all, but can see it in every neighbour's garden, do you think it will be ok for another 10 years?

 

[dontknowitall]

I'm afraid I can't see from here so and I'd hesitate to guess!!!

Cheekiness aside, I was refering to other drain covers (e.g. the one outside the kitchen window or at the base of the main soil pipe, another one next to the road, etc)

You could ask a neighbour or two to see if they (the neighbours and/or the sellers) have had a drain company out. You might also find out about other matters totally unrelated to drains (e.g. new bus service) that might influence your buying decision.

 

[gasmarc]

i would not be to concerned as if it blocks it is on someone elses property and they are liable not that this is an excuse. I have the same issue I dont have a manhole and it is on my neighbours drive. it has backed up a few times and thames water clear if FOC . you might find you are covered if they do get blocked

 

[stevetheplumber]

usually not a major problem if theres one either side fact its been like it for ten years is a hint that its ok

 

[WHPES]

The inspection cover should never have been covered up but should have been left accessible.

If it blocks up then it will be a kango job to unblock it.

I would use this as a potential defect when negotiating the sale price.

 

[cr0ft]

Hi, if any potential blockage occurs on a private sewer (shared between 2 or more houses) then every house that uses that sewer is equally liable for the repair of the sewer, regardless of on who's land it's on. The same goes for a drain that serves your property, even if it's on someone else's land. The only exceptions to this are private sewers that have been 'adopted' by the water company and public sewers (the ones under the streets, maintainted by the water companies).

I didn't know this when I bought our home and I would certainly look into it further before potentially accepting a big liability. The house I went to view yesterday is connected to a private sewer that serves 20 properties, that's quite a liability to take on without knowing it!

 

[cr0ft]

Hi, if any potential blockage occurs on a private sewer (shared between 2 or more houses) then every house that uses that sewer is equally liable for the repair of the sewer, regardless of on who's land it's on. The same goes for a drain that serves your property, even if it's on someone else's land. The only exceptions to this are private sewers that have been 'adopted' by the water company and public sewers (the ones under the streets, maintainted by the water companies).

I didn't know this when I bought our home and I would certainly look into it further before potentially accepting a big liability. The house I went to view yesterday is connected to a private sewer that serves 20 properties, that's quite a liability to take on without knowing it!

 

[cr0ft]

Hi, if any potential blockage occurs on a private sewer (shared between 2 or more houses) then every house that uses that sewer is equally liable for the repair of the sewer, regardless of on who's land it's on. The same goes for a drain that serves your property, even if it's on someone else's land. The only exceptions to this are private sewers that have been 'adopted' by the water company and public sewers (the ones under the streets, maintained by the water companies).

I didn't know this when I bought our home and I would certainly look into it further before potentially accepting a big liability. The house I went to view yesterday is connected to a private sewer that serves 20 properties, that's quite a liability to take on without knowing it!

 

[feste235]

WHPES is right you should use this as a bargaining point. At the very least you could get them to carry out a CCTV drain survey of the area under the property (at their cost) to identify any potential problems as you will be unable to do a manual chack with no manhole. If nothing shows up you have lost nothing and if there are problems you can get the cost of the work taken off the price of the house.

 

[PlumbBobBob]

feste235 this post is a year old he's either bought the place by now or moved on