Overflowing rainwater shore - unrelated to rain

Hippodrome Song Owl

One of 4 rainwater shores at the side of my house is overflowing occasionally. Two of these shores are under gutter downpipes, but this one is not. The issue is unrelated to rain. It actually seems to cope ok with rain.

Every so often I notice the concrete around the shore is wet on an otherwise dry day, and it has flowed under side gate into back garden. I have never actually seen it happen - just the wet patch afterwards.

I think it seems to be related to the kitchen sink and/or washing machine. I first noticed it a month ago, then a couple of weeks later again, and it is now happening around twice a week from what I notice. There are no signs of any blockages in the house.

What could the issue be here? I am awaiting contact back from a drain company, but would like to have some idea what to expect.

Thanks.

10-10-20

Hi, you have - or should have, at least - two drain systems from any property: a foul water drain for sink, shower, toilet water or dishwasher/washing-machine, and then a rainwater drain from downpipes and path runoff. These are different systems and the foul water drains off to the sewer system while the rainwater one runs into the local water-courses.

If a single open drain is blocked like you describe then it's likely to be a kitchen drain and this commonly happens if there is solidified oil and food within the drain. You often see food residues around the drain in that case and often the water will drain away, just very slowly. Try testing it by completely filling the nearest sink and then releasing the water and see if you get a back-log. To clear it you can often use a rubber plunger as it's going to get expensive having to call out drain experts each time.

If it is oil which has caused it, to prevent the issue in future, use kitchen roll to wipe-up oil and pop it into the brown (food-waste) bin. Problem hopefully solved into the future!

magicbastarder

you could also try feeding a garden hose into the drain; it can be hit or miss as it can hit something legit which you can't see, as well as something which is causing a blockage. do you have any other drain covers nearby which would allow you see further along the pipe? as 10-10-20 mentioned above, if you do that could help you diagnose it.

Hippodrome Song Owl

Thanks for the comments.

This shore is open with just a grid covering it - that's what made me think it's rainwater. But it seems to overflow when a full sink of water is emptied in the kitchen, or when washing machine runs - not every time, just occasionally. But there is no sign of blockage in the kitchen - the sink seems to drain normally. I'm not much of a cook so don't really use any oil at all, and I have a drain cover in the sink to collect any food bits.

Here's a photo of the drain with the wet patch after it must have overflowed. There's another drain just like it a few meters closer to the front of the house too, but only this one seems to overflow.

10-10-20

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121072067#Comment_121072067

A local handy-man should be able to sort that out for you in quick-time.

Hippodrome Song Owl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121072083#Comment_121072083

OK thanks. I have the drain company coming on Friday to sort it. I hope it is an easy fix. I have been concerned that somehow sewage may end up spilling out, and was confused by the fact it was open when it seems to be connected to the kitchen sink. I didn't realise a kitchen sink might drain to an open shore.

Hippodrome Song Owl

The drain company came today to sort this. I have a much better understanding of the whole setup now - the fella very patiently explained it all, and showed me how it's all connected up.

The overflowing drain was the one connected to the kitchen sink and washing machine. It was blocked with grease and detergent residue that he said was probably built up over years. But there was no blockage in the actual pipe from the sink itself.

He had a look at the other drains and cleared another similar one, and also cleared out the shore under the gutter which was blocked with leaves. All done in around 25 minutes. Thankfully nothing too serious.

Thanks for the advice here.

eurokev

Great,

Would you mind sharing the ballpark cost for something like this

Hippodrome Song Owl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121087213#Comment_121087213

It was €150. I've no idea if that's good or bad. Hopefully it's a one-off for several more years to come, but I'm glad to have peace of mind that it's all sorted now

magicbastarder

to have someone simply darken your door these days is probably €60 to €100 anyway...