sewager problem....

giesha

Hi all, .
how you doing.?
hope im on the thread page this time.

sorry for not a nice topic to talk about, but i need a bit of help please.

i brought a bungalow that was built in 1900's ,( when not sure,) i buy it 10 - 13 years ago, & it was sold / on estate agency sale for as - 3bed, kit' , main elec' , main water, & ...main sewage.

we have been here for above years, & no problems with any blockages...nothing of this nature. ...till now......
so....

in our area we have some homes with septic tanks & some main line.

a old-ish guy down the road said to me that our home may be on septic tank & but he's not sure.

i have not noticed any tell-tale signs of tank, we have main line sewage in the area..next door is on it.

i have screw rod -rodded (chimney rod) the line from our home & it seems like it goes into a septic tank, but...big but , i dont no were the tank is....totaly no idea.

pre 1970's reg specify 60 feet from home. (which im told) & when i rod, the rod seems to come to a blockage or solid at around give or take this distance.

i have tried to find a concrete / stone (lid)..(taking into consideration my time here that the lid may be under ground now with growth) so i got a steel rod & stabbed the ground till the rod goes upto about 1 foot in.. & i have tried the screw rod length ( which is 60-ish feet) & i have tried below & above this 60-ish feet stabbing the grass ground & no luck in finding a lid of any kind, & from what i can think of is this lid / tank should be about about 6 x 3 foot in size.

any ideas PLEASE.........

also,,//

if i call the county council will they know if im on main line.?

& ..&

will the solicitors that dealt with the sale / perchase of home have plans of the home that show sewer pipes.?

.im trying to get my head around this before i call in the dyno rod lads or council lads.

thanks for any help...ideas...info... thanks.

the_pen_turner

have you a pic of the site.

is there any one in your area with a ferret finder. you can use it to follow the path of the pipe by taping it to the rods

Bullocks

You could get a camera survey done of the sewers and it should tell you where the pipes are running and any problems you might have . I got one done last year and it cost less than £100 ,thought it was good value

giesha

Hi..

thanks both for reply .. it means im in correct place.

ferret finder, i just seen it for sale on ebay, dont no about that, im using 20 rods @ 3foot each in a 4'' pipe full of ...dont like to think of... haha,,,,,, good idea, i do see what your idea is.

a camera survey, i see dyno rod does this kind of work, i phoned them today, & spoke to 1 of the engineers to ask what length to connect these rods together is safe before they start un-screwing, & he said 20-ish. hence i used this length & got to my solid / no further forward.
but i no idea if they bend in any direction or keep going straight, so i stabbed the ground to find a lid at this straight line distance.

any idea how they did this camera survey for you. bullocks.?
did it do the job you wanted. (did you have blockages ..)

thanks .

listermint

Would you not just open the sewer covers and follow the directions of the outflows whichever what they go either road or septic tank

the_pen_turner

put ferret finder in a bag.

what part of the country are you in

60 feet in a housing estate is a lot. what area is behind the house

the_pen_turner

listermint wrote: »

Would you not just open the sewer covers and follow the directions of the outflows whichever what they go either road or septic tank

there wont be those kind of luguries around back then

Bullocks

giesha wrote: »

Hi..

thanks both for reply .. it means im in correct place.

ferret finder, i just seen it for sale on ebay, dont no about that, im using 20 rods @ 3foot each in a 4'' pipe full of ...dont like to think of... haha,,,,,, good idea, i do see what your idea is.

a camera survey, i see dyno rod does this kind of work, i phoned them today, & spoke to 1 of the engineers to ask what length to connect these rods together is safe before they start un-screwing, & he said 20-ish. hence i used this length & got to my solid / no further forward.
but i no idea if they bend in any direction or keep going straight, so i stabbed the ground to find a lid at this straight line distance.

any idea how they did this camera survey for you. bullocks.?
did it do the job you wanted. (did you have blockages ..)

thanks .

Yup I was there when he did it . The camera is part of a reel that he fed into the sewer pipe and he had a handheld screen showing where it was so we could see any cracks , other pipes coming into it and where it ended up . It also measures the distance travelled .
He drew out a sketch of the pipe layout and sent on the video again through email .
I didnt have blockages but wanted to know where I was digging for an extension so it did the job ,if I had a blockage he could have rodded it though

listermint

the_pen_turner wrote: »

there wont be those kind of luguries around back then

I'm really not sure what you mean by this.

It took me 10 minutes to locate a septic tank using nothing more than eye and lifting the sewers covers around the outside of the house and walking the outflows direction of the pipes in each drain

giesha

hi listermint, how you doing?

yes, the sink, took ages to go down / empty the other day, so i went out side & seen the drain full, so i plunge it, got it going (took time but all ok) so,

few days later same again, i checked the drain & full.

so, our 1st cover is 30 feet away from the building, i moved the concrete cover & found blockage, i got my rods & more new rods & started rodding.
then i went next door , 20 -30 feet away & checked under there covers, they seem to run a different way to me, but i & the guy down the road seem to think that because i was told that our home is on main line sewer by the estate agents & that the pipe that im rodding is bending onto next doors main line or something like this.

i know that from the home is ok & not blocked but from the inspection / rodding area to the either tank or main line is blocked/full.

i just need to find the tank, if i am on a tank that is,. im getting mixed answers from a phone call i made today to a drain expert & explained what i have done & been told ..he said main line .... estate agent that sold me the home 10+ yr ago sold it as main line. but from the way the rods go tells me different unless it turns and goes towards the main line (which next doors does), i dont no.

the nearest main line cover (i think it is) is 30 - 40 feet from us & in middle of road, i dont want to lift it & start rodding it. ...my luck il get run over..haha...... never mind fined or something messing around with council workings.

listermint

giesha wrote: »

hi listermint, how you doing?

yes, the sink, took ages to go down / empty the other day, so i went out side & seen the drain full, so i plunge it, got it going (took time but all ok) so,

few days later same again, i checked the drain & full.

so, our 1st cover is 30 feet away from the building, i moved the concrete cover & found blockage, i got my rods & more new rods & started rodding.
then i went next door , 20 -30 feet away & checked under there covers, they seem to run a different way to me, but i & the guy down the road seem to think that because i was told that our home is on main line sewer by the estate agents & that the pipe that im rodding is bending onto next doors main line or something like this.

i know that from the home is ok & not blocked but from the inspection / rodding area to the either tank or main line is blocked/full.

i just need to find the tank, if i am on a tank that is,. im getting mixed answers from a phone call i made today to a drain expert & explained what i have done & been told ..he said main line .... estate agent that sold me the home 10+ yr ago sold it as main line. but from the way the rods go tells me different unless it turns and goes towards the main line (which next doors does), i dont no.

the nearest main line cover (i think it is) is 30 - 40 feet from us & in middle of road, i dont want to lift it & start rodding it. ...my luck il get run over..haha...... never mind fined or something messing around with council workings.

At this point I'd fork out for a camera inspection.youll not for sure then and won't have to do one again.

Short price to pay for knowledge

the_pen_turner

listermint wrote: »

I'm really not sure what you mean by this.

It took me 10 minutes to locate a septic tank using nothing more than eye and lifting the sewers covers around the outside of the house and walking the outflows direction of the pipes in each drain

how dos this work if there are no AJs
your only quessing

listermint

the_pen_turner wrote: »

how dos this work if there are no AJs
your only quessing

Guessing? What ?

Opening all sewers and following outflows to a direction walking that direction and locating a septic tank head is guessing.

What are you on about fella , ever heard of gravity no ?

elperello

You could go to the local authority planning department and get the planning file for the house.
They will have a map on which you will be able to locate your house individually or as part of a development.
There will be a reference number on the map.
There may be a charge to access the file if it is in storage.
That should clear up whether you are on mains or st.

When you got your bill from Irish Water were you charged for waste water?

the_pen_turner

listermint wrote: »

Guessing? What ?

Opening all sewers and following outflows to a direction walking that direction and locating a septic tank head is guessing.

What are you on about fella , ever heard of gravity no ?

ok listen to me.

do you know what an AJ is
its that box with a lid that you opened. you have them . years ago nobody had them or bothered to fit them.

all that is there is a pipe gound into the ground, nothing else
often there is no way of looking at what way the fall is or where the pipes are going.
you are basically guessing.
you can use your gut instinct and try to work it out but god only knows what the original installers were thinking or allowing for under the ground.


im assuming the OP s pipes just go into the ground and they dont know where they go. they could go any direction, especially years ago when nobody cared as much.

i have seen pipes ran in all sorts of unusual directions . mostly to allow for garages , shed, extensions etc

ideally you can follow these things but most of the time you cant
my father fitted sewer pipes to his house 35 years go. he knew where it roughly was and we could see loads but we still failed to drop down on top of a pipe that was blocked solid. we ended up with a 6 foot x 6 foot hole before we found it.
OP hasnt a clue where the pipes are

listermint

the_pen_turner wrote: »

ok listen to me.

do you know what an AJ is
its that box with a lid that you opened. you have them . years ago nobody had them or bothered to fit them.

all that is there is a pipe gound into the ground, nothing else
often there is no way of looking at what way the fall is or where the pipes are going.
you are basically guessing.
you can use your gut instinct and try to work it out but god only knows what the original installers were thinking or allowing for under the ground.


im assuming the OP s pipes just go into the ground and they dont know where they go. they could go any direction, especially years ago when nobody cared as much.

i have seen pipes ran in all sorts of unusual directions . mostly to allow for garages , shed, extensions etc

ideally you can follow these things but most of the time you cant
my father fitted sewer pipes to his house 35 years go. he knew where it roughly was and we could see loads but we still failed to drop down on top of a pipe that was blocked solid. we ended up with a 6 foot x 6 foot hole before we found it.
OP hasnt a clue where the pipes are

You may have missed my post to his follow up post then if you jumped right in with the guessing jibe.

the_pen_turner

listermint wrote: »

You may have missed my post to his follow up post then if you jumped right in with the guessing jibe.

yes i missed that post but all my posts still stand, (except the part where the op has no AJs)

the_pen_turner

OP when you lift that lid are you rodding towards the boundry that is 30 feet away.

what layout is the estate. is it end of line , does it back up to a row of houses on the back


iv seen some wierd things done

i think your only hope is to get in a camera and see whats happening.

you could get some dye and see if it passes next door or the mains AJ

giesha

how ya... im a bit slow key board writing. sorry people's...

we'r in a village but not in a housing estate. the main main line is at road front (which is on our door step..) the cover that im rodding is in the back garden 40 feet + from the road.

i think the home was built in the 1900's mid 1900's . the solictor had the paper works, spose the bank / morgage company as them now, i dont know how the estate agency as come to think the home is on main line, but they must of been told by the last owner or ..i dont no how the estate agency work.
but i was told pre 1970 regs' was, septic tank was 60 foot min away from any home wall.

the home as about 1/2 acre of back garden but.... the area in area problem is about 30 feet wide & ..dont no,.about 100 feet long +. so if you can see a letter L & the long part of the L is 100feet long & 30 feet wide , .. & the short part of the L is 100 feet wide & 40 feet wide. this would be good way to discribe the home ground.

bullocks, did the person that did the camera work for you have big machineary that he needed to get in to your place.? i ask because we have gate' but not very wide.
did it take him long.?

im fairly stumped listermint mate, i have no idea which way the pipe is going, only guessing to a tank but im told & hoping to main line.
when i moved in there was no need to check anything (i didnt think of checking) for a sewer line. the back dog leg (thats what ive heard it called) was over grown & i cut it down with a petrol strimer & followed it with my lawn mower, & seen no tell tale signs of pipes..wet patches..or..

giesha

the-pen-turner hi, im about 30 -ish feet away from the home, at the only lid i found in 10 + yrs of living here, rodding away from the home.
i didnt rod towards the home, cuz i think its blocked were the water/+ runs away from home & its blocked away from the home, than its not blocked at the home. (if you see my what im try to say,... its blocked 30+ feet from the home)


from what i understand with tank's is ..that you have a loo going to solid holding tank , in this tank is water which comes out the other end of entry & goes into a soakage pit, which the in return is good for drinking. ..haha..dont quote me..just my idea of how it works.

if im on a tank & im full , wouldn't this mean that the ground around the area be soaked / boggy / marshy.. i no 1 or 2 people that this as happened to.

giesha

lads, i have just put a picture of what an aj is... & its a like drain top with 2 or more inlet / outlet feeds were the water / solids run around.

http://www.septictankservices.ie/p/4_inch_sewer_access_junction_aj_


i did not check next door for this fiting.

dout it very much that id have this like thing.

the_pen_turner

giesha wrote: »

the-pen-turner hi, im about 30 -ish feet away from the home, at the only lid i found in 10 + yrs of living here, rodding away from the home.
i didnt rod towards the home, cuz i think its blocked were the water/+ runs away from home & its blocked away from the home, than its not blocked at the home. (if you see my what im try to say,... its blocked 30+ feet from the home)


from what i understand with tank's is ..that you have a loo going to solid holding tank , in this tank is water which comes out the other end of entry & goes into a soakage pit, which the in return is good for drinking. ..haha..dont quote me..just my idea of how it works.

if im on a tank & im full , wouldn't this mean that the ground around the area be soaked / boggy / marshy.. i no 1 or 2 people that this as happened to.

first off dont drink it unless you want a stay in hospital. its far from drinking water

you have the rough idea on how it works.
i dought your full . its probably a root of a tree after getting into the pipe or some kind of heavy machinery squashed it. sometimes the ground moves a bit and can change falls slightly
there could be (probably is) a skin of solids around the pipe that are falling off and creating a blockage
it could be a really bad blockage. over that distance it could block and set at the far end.


how is the ground inrelation to the house height wise. is it level or rising / falling away. if its falling the tank should be high. if its rising the tank could be down a bit


its odd thow. they went out a long way from the house. your taking 90 feet when they only had to go 60 . why go to the extra work.

the_pen_turner

giesha wrote: »

lads, i have just put a picture of what an aj is... & its a like drain top with 2 or more inlet / outlet feeds were the water / solids run around.

http://www.septictankservices.ie/p/4_inch_sewer_access_junction_aj_


i did not check next door for this fiting.

dout it very much that id have this like thing.

yours a probably built in place with blocks and a conrete lid

its an odd situation.

another option is get one of those hand held detectors for cables.
i think they can detect ducting .im not sure about that though . you could hire one out.

Jack the Stripper

A good cat should work alright.

giesha

the home .. say is road level , the back garden were the hole that in rodding is ..say few feet above the road, (but the garden is not by the building due to drive way & a 3 foot wall.) the hole in the pipe that im rodding is 4 foot-ish + down from the top of the garden.. (now i said that seems to me to be same hight as the road...if you see me..) ..

so am i reading you right now,.... if loo hole is at road hight & garden grass were the cover sits is 3 ish feet higher than the road / loo hole, this means water / solids cant run up hill.... so hence the hole in the pipe that im rodding is 4 feet +ish down from the grass hight / lid hight (in the middle of the garden), the main tank lid must be sitting on the grass or very close to be seen.

.. haha, i was going to start bottling the run off water & calling h2pee... hahaha,..

but from what a friend or 2 have had happen is the ground as gone really marshy, so..i dont understand, unless, my rods at 20 rods lengh have come to a inspection hole wall & the main tank is further on again, ..dont no, il walk down the garden even further & see if it becomes more than should marshy, but it is a slope & with rain, but there again the ground i must say is fairly hard to what ive felt of a few of my friends/family (not solid but id be able to put a petrol mower around with out much problems, only problem id have with that would be long grass due to no cut in winter.


we'r going out tomorow to family.. so monday, il phone county council see if on main line, & solicitor see if them got maps or were they have sent them. & if no job with them then il have another look past the 1970's regs - 60feet- go further 70 - 80 see if any thing over wet / marshy. if not then all i can do is camera work.,... dont really want to..but.. what else..



il get back to any replies tomorow.
thanks all for your -time- help- idea's.

giesha

we have a good cat, mice .. birds .. no job to small, really, the big black crows she'l attack but they do get there revenge & send the cat running...funny to watch tho.


il look into that tomorow about the stud wall finder / metal pipe finder . which i have, dint think you could get them for this kind of problem work.


thanks lads, must get some shut eye. later mate's.

Bullocks

The camera/reel is small enough to bring through the house if you had to . I would get one done rather than rely on maps or the council
Are you sure you have a septic tank ? Could your pipe be out to the main sewer ?

athtrasna

Moved to plumbing and heating from A&P

giesha

how you's doing.?

i not sure if we on main line or tank, no idea.. (i know i sound a bit stupid or a bit of a thick-o,) but the estate agency advertised the property as main line, so i always thought that it is, never needed to do any un-blocking work.
& when i rod the pipe that is in the back garden the pipe / rods seem to run away from the road were the main line runs.. but my pipe / rods could bend back towards the main line. no idea..

im going ringing the council tomorow & see if they can see of any records or something, the only part i see thats going to be awkward is as you know theres no house number in the country village's so how they will find records of our place is ..this i dont no,

who done the camera work for you bullocks.?

the_pen_turner

what part of the country are you in


your not stupid OP it is hard to know where the pipes go

giesha

thanks for saying that mate.

in county limerick.

im looking at the dyno-rod web page now, they do a lot of drain work, including camera.. + lot more. may just go for them & call them out for tuesday & see what they do.

was at family's house today so we'v had a shower haha....nice n clean for short while. haha....

Bullocks

It was Walshe Waste in Galway I used but I'm sure a search will find someone local to you if you google cctv drain surveys

giesha

hi all,

i got dyno rod in on tuesday, & they was here 1hr 30mins. took them 2mins to unblock pipe, & they found my tank, so im not on main line. & they said the tank is only half full. & in good condition. .

lads if you reading this ..thanks.. (brian, the guys name, i didnt get the other guy's name..) cost was 300e but they put camera down, found the tank, which is under 4 foot of earth due to farmer cleaning out his ditches & putting it on the boundary edging & it sliding down.

i not moaning about that, ..if only i knew the tank was there or even if i was told by the estate agent that i was on a tank.

thanks to you all for your info & help & to brian & his mate for there work... thanks.

laters.