Surface drain blocked

But you don't know categorically whether it is a soakaway or not. The OP needs to investigate further ....

Only thing I can do now is await uniited utilities and keep excavating or call in a drain company

You can still give it a rod, see if that disturbs things, someone suggested adding a jetting fitting for a pressure washer, speak to the neighbours? BTW if you ring up UU they will likely tell you over the phone if their maps show anything if you can find the number for building over agreements etc. If the pipe's fairly shallow and your not too precious about your lawn then digging could be the way to go, if it is a blocked soakaway then it will need replacing anyway. Whatever you do, don't employ Dynorod, they're just rip-of merchants. Find a good local independent drain guy.

noseall said:

private soakaway drains.

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That has not yet, been established..

The Maps wont/dont show everything, especially the smaller 4" stuff on domestic properties. Probably be better off spending your time doing your own detective work.

For sure they probably won't but just one thing to try in an array of others as has now been mentioned several times.

Well let's see what they say. I'm edging it's a drain that's collapsed due to root ingress, given next door have alot of bushes on the edge of the property. I'll post a pic tomorrow. I'm assuming that the soil and roots found in the drain so far are secondary to this. I may also be completely off the mark

On another note, as this has been like it for likely at least a decade with no apparent I'll effects, now I've cleared at least a foot and a half down the 'drain' I assume there is no pressure in getting this sorted. Would hot water with the drain rods help, or would I just be making things worse. Now it's dry the soil in there is drying out a bit

Nothing will make anything worse at this stage, really no need for any trepidation.

Still awaiting United Utilities to send me any maps they have...... On another note, it rained quite hard Sunday night. Got up Monday morning and the drain was full of water to the top of the grate. It wasn't pouring out, just level with the grate top. It remained dry all day Monday, and when I got back from work, all the water had gone, so its obviously draining somewhere. Will await United Utilities replies, and take it from there.

chumley0312 said:

the drain was full of water to the top of the grate. It wasn't pouring out, just level with the grate top.

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It should not fill. As I have said, the lot is knackered.

Well if it shouldn't fill what's wrong with it, as it was obviously full.

chumley0312 said:

Well if it shouldn't fill what's wrong with it, as it was obviously full.

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A properly functioning drain, of any sort, will empty immediately. The fact that it did not means it is blocked. However the fact that the water eventually went away means that it is not totally blocked. As you say you can see soil in it, it is most likely that the water has gradually percolated through the soil.

As was said earlier a soakaway (traditionally) was a large hole filled with large bits of rubble with the drain discharging in to this. The rubble takes up c. 2/3 of the volume and stops the hole from collapsing. The water goes into the other 1/3 and gradually drains into the ground.

There would have been little if anything to stop rubbish (soil, leaves, basically anything in the garden) from getting carried in to this and eventually filling up the 1/3, leaving no room for the water. As more rubbish gets washed down, the drain leading to the soakaway also starts to fill up. This takes decades, from 1974 to now is plausible.

If you have a soakaway then it has reached the end of its life and needs to be replaced.

Ordinary surface water drains also get rubbish washed into them and can be blocked. Once a partial blockage happens, for whatever reason, then other rubbish will catch on that and gradually obstruct the whole drain.

If it only serves your house then it is your responsibility, so waiting for maps will not help to resolve the problem. In post 10 you do not show the direction the drain runs. If it runs toward the road then it may be a surface water drain, it it goes in any other direction that is less likely.

In your position, my next step would be to take the advice of @freddiemercurystwin and use some drain rods to clear more of it. A set of them will have a sort of corkscrew head and you can use that dig into whatever is in there and pull it out. This should give you more information about where it goes and what it is.

The other option is to get a drain cleaning company to investigate. They will have high-pressure jetting equipment to force rubbish out of the drain and an inspection camera to go down there and see what is going on.

I am unsure as to what direction the drain goes to be honest. The distance I have dug down it's still a vertical pipe. When weather a bit better I'll dig down further to see if I can get to the bottom of the drain. The garden isn't that big so unsure if it's a soakaway. I'll post a pic of the garden in more detail when I get home. If all else fails then it's a local drain company to investigate

Ok some pics. I have no idea of the direction of the run, but garden small so could this still be a soakaway.... Last pic trys to show next door surface water gutter in relation to mine.
Also why is there a hole next to gutter