twobears Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 If Ghostbusters are unavailable I'm not sure who to call? I'm up in Yorkshire until the end of next week to sort out maintenance on my cottage and there is a problem with the drains. They smell horrible! The smell comes and goes but it definitely needs to go for good. The problem that I have is that we are not on mains drainage so Dyno Rod etc would be useless. All I can think of is to get hold of the people who installed the new drainage a few years ago for me. The cottage is very old and the original drains had long since failed so we had new pipes installed from the downpipes at the front of the house which run all the way down to the end of the property via larger drainpipes with two inspection covers en route. If I lift the manhole covers the smell is there but no water or other debris but the drains at the front, just outside the door seem to be blocked with smelly mud which I have jetted with my pressure washer but this only improved things briefly. We have a septic tank, well a Klargester, which has been emptied recently and this also flows into the drainage system (grey water only or that is what it is supposed to be) and this is 'downstream' of the drains by the front door. I am wondering if the septic tank discharge could be flowing back towards the house but I can't really see how as there is a gentle fall right down the orchard (where the septic tank discharge comes out) and water doesn't flow uphill unless it is pumped surely? Any ideas please on who I need to call if I can't get hold of the original drain installers? Am going to try them again today but not actually sure if they do maintenance or just installation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 Just call a local plumber. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twobears Posted January 23, 2015 Author Share Posted January 23, 2015 Do plumbers do 'outside stuff'? My other problem, which I should have mentioned, is that, being remote, I can't get tradesmen to agree to come out The only ones that are keen to come here are cowboys and I have been ripped off a few times now and am anxious to avoid that happening again. I did have a plumber in the house last week to see if he could fix the broken shower (house is falling down since I left it a year ago) but he said he didn't do drains. He has also not returned to do the work on the shower which is what normally happens when I try to get tradesmen to do work. I might have another go myself with the jet wash when I get home this afternoon but I am not quite sure what I am doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 Of course plumbers do outside stuff! What do you think we do when we have to unblock a main drain, or some guttering, or install a boiler?! If your plumber says he didn't do drains then he's not a proper plumber, I'm afraid to say. Just call DynoRod, they'll come out. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
350zedd Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 (edited) There should be gulley traps under the grids where the drainpipes empty into. This should stop any smell coming back up provided they are clean of debris, and full of water Edited January 23, 2015 by 350zedd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twobears Posted January 23, 2015 Author Share Posted January 23, 2015 No he is definitely a proper plumber because he works for my farming friends and they can't praise him enough. I think maybe he just didn't want to go out in the cold. DynoRod are useless here. I've had them out before and they charged me a lot of money for doing a job that I discovered I could do myself and even perversely enjoy I have a talent for unblocking sewers it seems Thanks 350zedd, will Google 'gulley traps' as I'm not sure what they are. Will have another go at removing the mud that seems to have made the pipes back up and see how it goes. I think that moss and leaves have probably caused the mud to settle in the drains because I've not been around to do household maintenance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ioneabee Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 (edited) also consider - if the house is empty for long(ish) periods the water in any internal traps (under sinks/baths/showers etc)can evaporate and subsequently allowing smells into the house Edited January 23, 2015 by ioneabee 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twobears Posted January 23, 2015 Author Share Posted January 23, 2015 Thanks Andy. House isn't actually empty - just got two twenty somethings living in it who aren't very keen on house maintenance it would seem Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arkwright Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 I would have thought that your klargester will deal with the domestic waste water i.e. from your toilet, bath, sinks washing machine etc. It should not be connected to surface water disposal system i.e. from yard drains, downpipes from you roof etc. This should be disposed of by soakaways. The easiest way to check your domestic waste water is to raise your manhole covers, fill your bath with cold water get one bear to watch the flow in the manhole whilst the other bear pulls the plug out of the bath. The weight of the water should dislodge any blockage and you should be able to see the water flow on its way to the klargester. If the surface drains are blocked test the traps first. Get a pair of marigolds, lift the grate cover and reach down clearing the muck from the trap. Run a garden hose into it and ensure it runs away. (You could also check your manholes to see if they are carrying this waste water). If it backs up you have a problem, if not your trap was blocked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATTAK Z Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 Hi Annie We use http://drainmasternorthlincs.co.uk/ at work but that's south of the river but maybe worth a call Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Payco Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 Have you tried rodding the drains and then giving them a blast with your power washer ?. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyser Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 "GhostBuster" Sorry hun, just came into my head when I read the title - can't be much help as my mate is a plumber and he does outside work, so when I have a problem I call him put the kettle on and relax Only thing I do know is Dynorod are mentally expensive they had to pump our line when the students renting it blocked it and it was over £700 for around an hours work Hope you get it sorted though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenLandy Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 If stuff is getting stuck in the pipes, then the pipe has possibly/probably sunk, and leaving a ridge at the join, allowing things to get caught there and build up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 The other doozy is when people pour grease and fat down the sink. That's really helpful, that is! Might be worth checking to make sure they're putting it in the bin. Might not be the issue now, but could save you grief in years to come. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ebized Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 Just to clarify,when you say you had: " we had new pipes installed from the downpipes at the front of the house which run all the way down to the end of the property via larger drainpipes with two inspection covers en route." are you talking about the rainwater downpipes and the smell solely from them, and/or the soil pipe(s) serving the batthroom(s) and kitchen? Or are you saying they link and both empty into the klargester, as Arkwright queries? (Whilst surface water normally goes into soakaways in some areas that goes into separate drainage, usually maintained by the local water company btw). When you lifted the manholes where the smell was coming from, did it contain human waste, as opposed to just rainwater? And I presume both your rainwater and and soil waste are not shared with the neighbouring cottage and are completely independent - if they are I presume they are 'upstream' in the drainage runs given you have the cesspit? If you are finding the smell is coming from gullies where the kitchen waste flows, then as Ekona suggest and what you say about the tenants, be suspicious of fat blockages. Or it just might be a build up of debris that can often be shifted by a few bucketfulls of water thrown down or use the power washer to give it a good flush. Also, kinda supicious whether the new 'downpipes' you had fitted may not have been properly connected underground, but hopefully that is not the case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twobears Posted January 23, 2015 Author Share Posted January 23, 2015 I would have thought that your klargester will deal with the domestic waste water i.e. from your toilet, bath, sinks washing machine etc. It should not be connected to surface water disposal system i.e. from yard drains, downpipes from you roof etc. This should be disposed of by soakaways. The easiest way to check your domestic waste water is to raise your manhole covers, fill your bath with cold water get one bear to watch the flow in the manhole whilst the other bear pulls the plug out of the bath. The weight of the water should dislodge any blockage and you should be able to see the water flow on its way to the klargester. If the surface drains are blocked test the traps first. Get a pair of marigolds, lift the grate cover and reach down clearing the muck from the trap. Run a garden hose into it and ensure it runs away. (You could also check your manholes to see if they are carrying this waste water). If it backs up you have a problem, if not your trap was blocked. Thanks Arkwright Unfortunately we have no soakaways because they have all collapsed due to age/extremely high water table (we are on a flood plain although have never flooded) and have never been re-instated because they simply won't work. All our surface water goes into the pipes that were fitted a few years ago and finish up in a gully at the bottom of the orchard. Due to the slope of the land, the grey water from the klargester also ends up here, in a muddy pool. Not ideal but everywhere round here is waterlogged for most of the year I've already got someone to empty the bath whilst I watched and the water did go into the drains and I followed it down the orchard, lifting up the manhole covers as I went, so that all seems ok but I still can't figure out why it is smelling I think there is more debris down there than I have dislodged so I may have to try to fashion some rods from long garden canes and see if this will dislodge any blockages? I may have simply moved the debris along with my jet washer? Water is definitely coming into the big drainpipes but is it all of the water I wonder? I will have another go tomorrow. I thought I had cleared the problem the other day but it has come back worse than ever Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twobears Posted January 23, 2015 Author Share Posted January 23, 2015 Thanks Atak for that link. I have just read Severn Trent's blurb and a right riveting read it was Because we have no mains drainage I think I am on my own with this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twobears Posted January 23, 2015 Author Share Posted January 23, 2015 Thanks Keyser If I move to Dorset please can your mate be my mate too? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twobears Posted January 23, 2015 Author Share Posted January 23, 2015 If stuff is getting stuck in the pipes, then the pipe has possibly/probably sunk, and leaving a ridge at the join, allowing things to get caught there and build up. Possibly but the pipes are only 4 years old so shouldn't fail so soon? I had them done by another farming friend who owns a drainage company but he is away at the moment so I can't get hold of him Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twobears Posted January 23, 2015 Author Share Posted January 23, 2015 Ekona, I don't think they are putting fat down the sink because I have always dinned it into them that they must never do that but I will have another word with them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twobears Posted January 23, 2015 Author Share Posted January 23, 2015 Just to clarify,when you say you had: " we had new pipes installed from the downpipes at the front of the house which run all the way down to the end of the property via larger drainpipes with two inspection covers en route." are you talking about the rainwater downpipes and the smell solely from them, and/or the soil pipe(s) serving the batthroom(s) and kitchen? Or are you saying they link and both empty into the klargester, as Arkwright queries? (Whilst surface water normally goes into soakaways in some areas that goes into separate drainage, usually maintained by the local water company btw). When you lifted the manholes where the smell was coming from, did it contain human waste, as opposed to just rainwater? And I presume both your rainwater and and soil waste are not shared with the neighbouring cottage and are completely independent - if they are I presume they are 'upstream' in the drainage runs given you have the cesspit? If you are finding the smell is coming from gullies where the kitchen waste flows, then as Ekona suggest and what you say about the tenants, be suspicious of fat blockages. Or it just might be a build up of debris that can often be shifted by a few bucketfulls of water thrown down or use the power washer to give it a good flush. Also, kinda supicious whether the new 'downpipes' you had fitted may not have been properly connected underground, but hopefully that is not the case. Ebized, the drainage pipes at the front are solely for the rainwater coming off the front of the house and I have checked that the soil pipe, one of which is also at the front, doesn't run into these drains but is is the 'rainwater drains' that smell and not the soil pipe one. That is why I am so confused really There is one drainpipe at the back of the house that definitely goes into the klargester but the ones from the front go straight forward and into the new drain pipes and the bath water etc goes though different pipes (another manhole cover that I checked) into the klargester chamber. I have the septic tank emptied regularly and it never gets full because it has the pump to pump out the water whilst the effluent sinks to the bottom. The septic tank people always tell me that there is nothing much in the tank to empty so I don't think that is a problem. I had to have a new pump fitted a while back but I've checked and it is still working ok. Definitely no waste matter in the 'rainwater drains' just mud which smells horrid but is not sewage (and I've unblocked the sewers many times now when visitors have put things into them) so I'm certain of that. Drainage is not shared with anyone.Hopefully the drainage was done correctly, fingers crossed The firm normally does massive drainage projects on commercial and industrial sites so I think they are trustworthy. Hope so anyway or it will be awkward confronting them as they are my near neighbours in this tiny hamlet I will rod the drains at the weekend and give them another good blast with my jet wash and see if things improve next week. I'm only here for another few days so I really need to get this problem sorted! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhackyWill Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 They could well be just frozen.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrt Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 I regularly have the same sort of problem. I rammed a long garden cane first then stuck the jet wash in as far as possible. Usually clears any debris. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ioneabee Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 please DON'T cobble together some garden canes - if they come apart down there - the only way of getting them out again (most likely is to dig the drains up) - left there will eventually lead to more problems - invest in some proper drain rods that screw together just a quick google http://www.screwfix.com/p/bailey-steel-jointed-black-drain-rod-set-12-pieces/78472?kpid=78472&cm_mmc=Google-_-Product%20Listing%20Ads-_-Sales%20Tracking-_-sales%20tracking%20url&kpid=78472&cm_mmc=Google-_-Shopping%20-%20Hand%20Tools-_-Shopping%20-%20Hand%20Tools&gclid=CKyopMrGqsMCFafLtAodP1QA-Q - so not particularly expensive 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ioneabee Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 Thanks Andy. House isn't actually empty - just got two twenty somethings living in it who aren't very keen on house maintenance it would seem or possibly washing 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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