I am in the process of buying a 1970s detached bungalow and have just
received the surveyors report.
The surveyor assesses the condition of the house by classifying the
condition of various parts of the house as:

Category 1 -- No immediate repair or replacement necessary
Category 2 -- Repair or replacement requiring future attention
Category 3 -- Urgent repair or replacement needed now

The survey shows the bungalow is pretty sound -- mainly Category 1,
with a few Category 2 classifications ("ridge tiles will need
repointing at some stage", "Artex type finish on ceiling may contain
asbestos").

None of these are show stoppers which will halt the sale.

But one Category 2 classification has got me slightly worried.
"Drainage -- There is some backed up waste visible in the inspection
chamber located in the rear yard, which should be removed"

I am going to phone the surveyor tomorrow to ask him about this, but
first I'd like to check for advice here.

* Does waste = "human waste" here?
* How could it be backed up -- a blockage somewhere?

I take it the solution is to lift the manhole cover and scoop the
offending crap out?

Thanks
Bruce

In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
bruce phipps wrote:

I am in the process of buying a 1970s detached bungalow and have just
received the surveyors report.
The surveyor assesses the condition of the house by classifying the
condition of various parts of the house as:

Category 1 -- No immediate repair or replacement necessary
Category 2 -- Repair or replacement requiring future attention
Category 3 -- Urgent repair or replacement needed now

The survey shows the bungalow is pretty sound -- mainly Category 1,
with a few Category 2 classifications ("ridge tiles will need
repointing at some stage", "Artex type finish on ceiling may contain
asbestos").

None of these are show stoppers which will halt the sale.

But one Category 2 classification has got me slightly worried.
"Drainage -- There is some backed up waste visible in the inspection
chamber located in the rear yard, which should be removed"

I am going to phone the surveyor tomorrow to ask him about this, but
first I'd like to check for advice here.

* Does waste = "human waste" here?
* How could it be backed up -- a blockage somewhere?

I take it the solution is to lift the manhole cover and scoop the
offending crap out?

Thanks
Bruce

It doesn't sound too serious - unless it's a frequent occurrence.

What it means is that, at some time, there has been a blockage downstream
which has caused the chamber to fill with sewage. When the blockage was
cleared, some of the solid matter settled on the ledge at the bottom of the
chamber rather than flowing away.

All it needs is a pressure washer to clean out the chamber, and wash the
debris away down the outlet pipe. No need for a shovel!

Sewers can get blocked at any time by people putting disposible nappies or
pans full of chip fat down them. If a sewer gets blocked frequently, it is
usually a sign of broken or mis-aligned pipes, or of tree roots penetrating
the pipe - all of which need to be dealt with.

If the particular manhole did get backed up to the extent that it surcharged
(overflowed) how much of a problem would it be? Would the effluent run
towards or away from the house? Would it be likely to damage any flower
beds, gravel paths, fish-ponds etc.?

As I said at the beginning, there's probably nothing to worry about. If your
surveyor thinks that it needs further investigation, he could recommend
having the sewer surveyed by robotic camera to determine its condition. It's
unlikely to be a show stopper - but it's good to know what you're buying!
--
Cheers,
Set Square
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It doesn't sound too serious - unless it's a frequent occurrence.

What it means is that, at some time, there has been a blockage downstream
which has caused the chamber to fill with sewage. When the blockage was
cleared, some of the solid matter settled on the ledge at the bottom of the
chamber rather than flowing away.

Thanks, SS. Sounds like I can flush it away with a bucket of water.
Surveyors do seem to err on the cautious side. Understandably, I
suppose.

Sewers can get blocked at any time by people putting disposible nappies or
pans full of chip fat down them.

Disposable nappies? Surely these absorb water and expand?

Bruce

Disposable nappies? Surely these absorb water and expand?

Which is a good reason not to flush them down the toilet.

Christian.

"bruce phipps" wrote
| "Drainage -- There is some backed up waste visible in the
| inspection chamber located in the rear yard, which should
| be removed"
| * Does waste = "human waste" here?

Hopefully it means ****, used nappies etc. If it really is "human waste" ie
bones and saponified fats, you might want to temper your enthusiasm.

Owain