Plastic Drain Botch Job

[cr0ft]

Hi all. Had the chance to go and do a quote today to relay a run of plastic drain which has been botched. Long story short, the guy who was working on the job died shortly after it was finished and before any issues became apparent.

A run of plastic drain has been laid into an existing brick inspection chamber. The plastic drain run (around 9 metres) hasn't been laid in a gravel bed. It hasn't been pressure tested and building control haven't been notified about the work. How do I know it hasn't been pressure tested? Oh yes, it's leaking sewage from where it joins the brick inspection chamber.

I'm guessing that the drain needs to be cemented around where it enters the brick inspection chamber. I'm also thinking that the whole lot needs to be dug out and laid on a bed to avoid any future problems.

If it was you would you take the job on or walk away? How would you proceed? I'm tempted to do it but on the basis of rip out and do it all again only.

 

[ecowarm]

Rip it out and start again cr0ft

 

[Kev the gas]

^^^^ As above ^^^^

Get your shovel out do it properly invite [PAY] building control to inspect, cover yourself as the client who I imagine isnt happy would be even more pi..ed off if your repair goes wrong again.

Kev.

 

[WHPES]

Reminds me of a real bodge job I was called out to. The manager of this industrial unit had got some mates to fit the toilets out over a bank holiday weekend. Everywhere being shut they had not had any tees for connecting the urinals and basins together so they had dug a hole in the floor and joined the ends of the plastic waste pipes up with loo roll middles and sellotape then cast the whole thing in concrete. It worked OK for a couple of months then the concrete started getting eaten away!

 

[cr0ft]

Well I don't know if you have had the letter through your doors yet from your sewerage authority but all lateral drains and private sewers in England are going to become property of your local sewerage company in October 2011. This means everyone's water bills will go up from £3 to £14 a year but they will only be responsible for their soil stack(s) and their own private drain up to any lateral drain. I imagine this will be like a death sentence for companies that just rely on drainage work but who aren't closely linked to the sewerage authorities as the work is going to really dry up now.