Misconnection - clarification regarding drainage system

[georgeflat]

Hi there,

I was wondering if anyone could help. We live in a flat in a converted terraced Victorian house built between 1896-1914 in east London. Our kitchen waste is connected to a rainwater pipe that drains into a gully and we wanted to make sure that this waste goes to the appropriate drain. We got a plumber around who said that properties of this age have a combined system as evident by the single manhood and that everything is in order.

We mentioned that the road has separate foul and surface water systems and he said that this is irrelevant as the property's drainage system is a combined one and that it would connect to water's authority foul system. For further reassurance he opened the manhole (this is very close to the gully that receives the kitchen waste) which definitely carried foul waste as there was toilet paper there (by there was a pipe running across it). He then run the tap having added dye and although this was draining in the gully neither the water or dye could be seen in the manhole. He was convinced however irrespective of that the property is served by a combined system and that the gull yin question connects to it.

The question I have is that do you think that this is correct? Could the dye not be seen as because the gully opens below what we saw but in the same manhole?

Thanks :vanish::vanish:

 

[Radioman]

I have seen a Victorian terrace with an extension for a kitchen and shower room where the waste was plumbed into the rainwater soak away from a previous uncontrolled conversion. It only became evident when the lawn collapsed and formed a smelly swamp. Easy job for us to dig out the main sewers that ran along the back of the terrace and make a building controlled connection.

 

[oz-plumber]

It would be easier to get someone in to camera the drains.

You can also use a locater to locate the camera from the surface and then determine where the drains are running and into what.
At least that way you will take all presumptions and guesswork out of what drains run where and to what point they run.

Fairly simple procedure these days.
It will only be a couple of hours works by the sounds of it.

 

[georgeflat]

Hi someone has come and checked the connections again verifying it is all good