Help identifying this strange shaft

condord

Hello,

I recently moved into a house in Dublin 7.
On the outer wall, there is a shaft built in, leading a short way under the back yard.

I can't post pictures here directly, because I don't have 50 posts yet.
However, pictures are on imgur with this url: imgur_dot_com/a/6e32Y
(Replace _dot_com with .com)

I'm not sure whether it's some kind of drain, or whether it was historically used to store something. Has anyone seen one of these before?

The sloping part at the top of the shaft sticks into my small backyard, so I'd like to demolish it and fill in the hole.

Anyone see any reason why I shouldn't do this?

There is a drain cover in my yard. I removed the cover to have a look yesterday, and there's a fairy big opening that looks down on an open ceramic pipe with water flowing along it. I'm wondering if the shaft was for people to throw buckets of waste-water down back in the day. Any advice greatly appreciated.

If anyone could repost the URL for me, that would be great.

**Update** I just spoke to the original owner, and he said there used to be an iron grate covering the hole, but someone stole it. Someone from the council drainage board came and took a look, but said that it wasn't the council's responsibility because it wasn't a drain or a gully! So, I'm guessing it may be some form of ventilation for the drain that runs under the yard. Leads me back to whether filling it in is advisable or not...

Thanks,
Cd

Mech1

https://imgur.com/a/6e32Y

Calahonda52

imgur.com/a/6e32Y

Is this the outer wall of the house with it going under house or is it boundary wall with it going off your property

its difficult to get a context as they are very close up

Metric Tensor

I would like to see more context like CH - doesn't look like something I've seen before - very interesting.

Also massive kudos on the excellent thread title - I was almost afraid to click!

condord

Hi Calahonda52,

These photos are from street looking at the wall that bounds my backyard.
I've added a new picture to the album showing the view from the street.

cd

Used for coal delivery i bet,
or as you say maybe slop buckets !
i donno

condord

BrownFinger wrote: »

Used for coal delivery i bet

That's what my Da thinks too!

I'm hoping that's the case, then I can just fill it in.
I was worried that it might be some kind of emergency overflow drain designed to protect the house in case of flood. Doesn't look like there's been much water down there anytime recently though!

vicwatson

You should post in the Dublin thread too.

Metric Tensor

My guess would be coal delivery too - but that opens up the question of the basement it should feed into.

Do you have a basement OP?

condord

Metric Tensor wrote: »

My guess would be coal delivery too - but that opens up the question of the basement it should feed into.

Do you have a basement OP?

Nope, no basement. Now that you say it though, the cover in the backyard opens into a big enough area. I'd say it measures 1m X 1m X 1.5m (W x L x Depth). There is a drainpipe running along the bottom, but maybe that was newly added and back in the day the coal was stored there and was filled from the chute.

I think I'll have to clear the rubbish out of the chute and get my headtorch on for a closer inspection when I get home...

degrassinoel

BrownFinger wrote: »

Used for coal delivery i bet,
or as you say maybe slop buckets !
i donno

I was thinking dumb waiter, but if it's on the exterior you're probably right about it being for coal.

Metric Tensor

Don't go down OP - there's special requirements for doing things like that in confined spaces - particularly when you are unsure of the structure or shape of what's down there.

Put a camera on a stick!

condord

Metric Tensor wrote: »

Don't go down OP - there's special requirements for doing things like that in confined spaces - particularly when you are unsure of the structure or shape of what's down there.

Put a camera on a stick!

Good call. I'll get a torch and a GoPro to have a look for me!

Updated main post. Looks like a coal chute is out of the equation anyway...

Calahonda52

if u could run a garden hose down there and have the cover off the manhole u might see water flowing into the sewer.
I would use a bucket of water as you might dislodge some stuff into the sewer.

Markcheese

If you cant find what else its for , clear it out and stick a (plastic) grill on it and leave it alone... :-)

condord

Last night I did some more investigating...

I was poking around at the rubbish in the hole, and it disappeared down the back of the shaft. I heard it fall into a hollow sounding area that I assumed was the sewer drain that runs under my yard. I lifted the cover in my yard and sure enough, there were 2 bottles, a can of Tuborg and a takeaway tray down in the drain. Not wanting to block the sewer for everyone, I spent 30 smelly minutes extricating the rubbish with two long handles. There was no actual sewage down there that I could see. Just a white open pipe that looked like porcelain. Presumably the sewage from the row of terraced house I'm on flows down there and into the main system. I spoke to the previous owner and he said that sometimes when there's a blockage in one of the other house on the row, that Dynorod access the grate in my yard and clear the blockage from there.

So, the shaft empties directly into the sewer drain. It also used to have a grate on it.
This leads me to believe that it was for people to pour waste down. Either that, or it was to provide ventilation for the sewer.

Would a single open sewer pipe need that much ventilation though? The opening is about 1m X .4m. Seems very large for ventilation.

Anyone got any experience with sewers and ventilation?!

cd

Metric Tensor

In this case I'd definitely follow markcheese's advice above.

Put a grate on it, make it safe, and leave it alone.

If it's not broken don't fix it!

Calahonda52

As above
+
what exactly is 1m X .4m. ?

In passing, the terminology is important so the item in your yard is called a manhole, with a manhole cover:)

condord

Calahonda52 wrote: »

As above
+
what exactly is 1m X .4m. ?

In passing, the terminology is important so the item in your yard is called a manhole, with a manhole cover:)

Haha, I didn't think of it as a manhole, but now that you say it, of course it is!

My 1m X .4m was an approx Length X Width of the front face of the hole.

Markcheese

It Could be what stops your back yard flooding,from storm water run off... someone went to a lot of trouble to put it there...

ted1

If it's a sewer I'd be worried about rodents

Calahonda52

Markcheese wrote: »

It Could be what stops your back yard flooding,from storm water run off... someone went to a lot of trouble to put it there...

Is it not on the road?
If so could be useful after concerts in Croke Park