Hi, rummaging around the side of the house last week and lifted a small bit of broken paving slab to reveal a clay drainpipe that had been broken. It looks like whoever put up the original fence when the house was built (mid ’90’s) drove one of the fence posts onto the drain pipe breaking off the top half of the pipe over a length of about 6 to 10 inches. the bottom half of the pipe remain intact and un-cracked from what I can tell. About 6 years ago the neighbours replaced the fence and whoever was replacing the fence obviously saw this, moved the new fencepost to the side and just covered it up with a bit of broken paving slab, and there it has been since.

One of those things that I’ve never noticed an issue at all with it and knew noting about it until last week, but now I know its there I have the dilemma of do I do anything about it?

The neighbours who replaced the fence have long since moved so don’t blame them, just shoddy workmen covering up things they find…not the first time that’s happened. Why can’t these people be professional?!

Anyway its not a sewer pipe so seems like a drainage pipe for roof gutters and can’t see any evidence of anything untoward so not sure wether to leave it or fix it.

What would you do?

Leave it unless/until you (and/or your neighbours) see unacceptably wet ground. If you’ve got through the winter and noticed it by chance after lifting a slab, I’d put it to the back of your mind.

Your to-do list may be different to mine, though. If I’d discovered that at my place, resolving it would be into next year/never!

It’d be tempting to leave it as is, but it’s something that would play on my mind forcing me to repair it. Effective drainage is a fine example of ‘out of sight, out of mind’, until it ceases to be effective and problem-free. I’d certainly establish where the pipe is running from and to, and thus what’s running through it. Problems that could arise from an open pipe include damp and under heavy flow the pipe may surcharge, soaking the area. A broken pipe would give easy access to local rodents, especially if its connected at some pipe to a foul sewer/main. Smells could become an issue. Over time, soil/silt could enter the system, and also plant roots could ingress after easy water access during very dry spells.

Going forward I would try and establish it’s source and destination and from this you may find who’s responsibility it is (if your really lucky it MAY be the local water and sewer authorities….)

As to repair, what material and size is it, and how about access?

Good luck

Topper

MUCH better advice than mine! 😀

I’d repair it – shouldnt be hard to replace the damaged section and a leaking rainwater pipe underground can cause a significant increase in groundwater during heavy rainfall – not what you want under your house foundations especially if you live somewhere with clay soil (heave), or fine silt (can wash away but rarely).

Thanks all. It’s right on the fence line so slap bang between our houses. Seems to have not caused a problem for over 20 years hence the reason for pondering also some buildings and structures don’t havre a proper drainage system and just have a soakaway but my logic in this area is probably not very well informed.

Think I’ll keep an eye on it and peg it down for repair at a convenient time. Just will be a bit of a faff to repair by the time I’ve taken down one section of the fence, dug down and around the pipe and replaced the damaged section. Definitely wait until the summer at least.

As it’s clay you will have to replace the whole piece of pipe, probably about 6 feet long in old money. Maybe more if it’s the old socketed type of pipe. If it runs along the boundary it may be shared and therefore the responsibility of your water/sewerage authority (in England). But only the section downstream from the point where the drain becomes shared. And probably wouldn’t apply if it runs to a soakaway. Might be worth checking out whether it’s shared, then approaching them.

So the rubber boot and plastic pipe repair is not a permanent one?

There’s various concrete and similar tanking products which rapid set and can be used to repair pipes insitu even under water or pressure.

From the sounds of it just a small trench and replacing the clay pipe would be easiest/most cost effective in this situation.

Try looking at brands like Sika, Feb, Flexcrete.

I had similar problem.

Small amount of damage to a clay pipe was covered with a clay saddle branch/mortar and then added a rodding eye for good measure.

If you’ve got socketed sections of clay pipe, it’ll be tricky to replace one section. You can smash the broken one out, but you won’t be able to get another in.

If I’ve understood correctly and it’s just the top that’s broken and the bottom is intact, that’s probably why it’s not causing a problem. If you’re right and it’s rainwater from downpipes, it won’t be under pressure and filling the pipe, it’ll just be running along the bottom. You’ve just got a very shallow inspection chamber!

clay saddle and mortar sounds like the way to go. That’s what I’ve seen in our garden drainage. won’t deal with pressure, but not a problem if it doesn’t need to.

If I’ve understood correctly and it’s just the top that’s broken and the bottom is intact, that’s probably why it’s not causing a problem.

yep, that’s right and its definitely rainwater…too shallow for sewer and there is a big manhole cover where all the sewer pipes run about 5 feet away from it which is substantially deeper.

Sounds like clay saddle and mortar repair is the way to go at some point.

Ta all.