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Damp Proofing

Downpipe blocked with sediment terminates straight down 10" below ground. Is this how it should end?

Anonymous user 23/02/2024 - 3.25 PM

I excavated the ground around the downpipe with a trowel and found a bunch of rocks, a lot of soil, worms and plant bulbs. I am shocked. I thought there would be a bottleneck gully or p-trap or even an elbow connection to more horizontal drainage to take the water away from the foundations. The nearby cellar gets puddles after heavy rainfall. This particular downpipe was solid with earth up to about 2 feet from where it terminates in the ground - there were plants growing out of the gap between the socket and spigot two feet from its end in the ground. What should I do? Thanks for any help. The downpipe system dates from about 1915. Surely it is bad to just put the rocks and earth back? Thanks for your reply. The roof area is about 6' x 7' at most, the gutter length being about 7' long.

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4 Answers

R T Raynsford Carpentry & Building LTD

No reviews yet

Weymouth

Hi, how big an area was this downpipe taking water from? In an ideal situation and to todays standards it would have been connected to a soak away. But for that area the person who built it years ago opted for a quick solution. You could add an elbow and attach another pipe sending the water further from your cellar. Although I would tend to say this is not the causing your damp issues... Unless the damp is appearing right next to where this pipe is discharging. 6ft square is not a huge amount of water going into soil. Kind Regards

Answered2 August 2019

Creative Construction and Design (CCD )

Rating: 4.7 out of 5

Norwich

The top water can be piped to the main drain as this is a old property and this is ok Cut the down pipes just above ground level . Install chamber pots with grate cover then pipe to the main drain 4inch pipe

Answered11 August 2019

Brickwork Structures

Rating: 4.9 out of 5

Southampton

I would change position of downpipe .to go into a gully if there is a gully somewhere else. If not dig another soak away further down garden.the problem with cellar is back in the day they didn't put membrane under the concrete.thats why your getting water rising through the concrete.solution dig up floor put 1000 gauge membrane down reconcrete

Answered12 August 2019

Anonymous user

This is most defiantly the cause of damp fix the pipe allow to dry problem solved

Answered7 August 2019