Unearthed pipe

Having my ASHP installed this week and the pump is unwrapped and standing on my 1970’s patio. Installers happy to simply connect it there but I have a better idea….

I want to pull up 2 old patio flags, whizz a bit off another 2 then fashion a concrete plinth for it to sit on. Surround with nice stones then when I replace my patio I wont be looking at remnants of the old patio. No worries they said, you do that and we wont be connecting until Thursday. Take flags up this pm and found this pipe……. There is no debris in the hole I havent damaged another part of it and other than some soil/clay in the end of the pipe, no smell or water backing up. Toilets working fine, drains etc etc.

I would prefer to remove it as it will impact the depth of the concrete pad I was putting in but I am nervous….. WWSTWD?

WWSTW do?

Smash it up and crack on – if it were live you’d find a lot more than a dry old soil pipe.

Does it look like it goes to where an old outside loo may have been.

…and I hope they are steel toecap crocs! 🤣

Looks like an old soil pipe. Abandoned as it’s not attached to anything. I’d just smash it up into a bit of hardcore.

Edit, few seconds too slow!

It isn’t connected to anything at that end so that bit isn’t doing anything. Smash it up and take it out or if you are feeling super cautious you could cut it square with an angle grinder.

Running out of time to pour a slab that you want to take a load on Thursday…

Does it look like it goes to where an old outside loo may have been.

…and I hope they are steel toecap crocs! 🤣

No I don’t think there was a loo there. Was in my post work, reflection phase when I put my Crocs on 🙂

does the ASHP need a drain in the slab?

Ours was specc’d with a tiny soak away in the middle with a slight fall toward it. I assume it will drip at times, especially if it has to defrost itself.

You may not want that running across the new patio…

/\ is a good shout, they do have a tendency to dribble out more water than you’d imagine …

I’d 2nd what madeupname says above
The ASHP will produce drips of condensate that’ll need to drain somewhere. Make an allowance for that to drain  so it doesn’t run across your new patio when that’s laid
& yes that pipe looks redundant, so smash out to get your pad to your required depth.

That kind of pipe is is used a lot for highway drains, land drains and rainwater round our way. Might be part of an old run from gutters to a soakaway?

Remember to block the section on the edge of the excavation when you remove the bit  in the main dig or you could be forever adding concrete as it flows away down the old pipe!

Remember to block the section on the edge of the excavation when you remove the bit in the main dig or you could be forever adding concrete as it flows away down the old pipe!

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/apr/18/concreteberg-weighing-105-tonnes-blocks-london-sewer-concrete-drain