Create New Inspection Chamber to Access Previous Junction for Rodding

HI, I have a kitchen extension built over an inspection chamber. Looking into this chamber, there is a junction where two pipes (from kitchen and upstairs bathroom) drain into a bigger pipe that then carries on outside of the extension (no neighbouring houses are using the bigger pipe - just me). If I cover over the existing chamber and create a new inspection chamber just outside of the extension (i.e. accessing the bigger pipe) in order to create a new rodding point for the junction upstream, is this sufficient to cover any blocked drain issues? In other words, is it possible to rod a junction point (i.e. with branch pipes) from a point further down? How would you control which pipe you rod (kitchen or bathroom) if you were accessing the junction remotely? Just trying to see whether this is a viable solution. The objective is to seal off the old inspection chamber and tile over it completely. At the moment there is a raised and sealed inspection chamber at scree level inside the extension. Thank you.

 

Thanks. Any idea how much it would cost to re-align the pipes (ballpark figure)? And is it not too late to do that after concrete and scree floor is already in? We are at scree level now, before tiling happens. Our options are to tile over it completely (meaning we'd ruin the floor if we ever had to get to the inspection chamber, which would remain accessible from just under the tiles), or tile in such a way that the inspection cover remains visible and you can easily access it. We very much don't want it to be visible as it is would be smack in the middle of our new showroom kitchen!

 

Thanks, the problem originates with the project manager for our extension, who told me that the inspection cover was smaller than it turned out to be. I thought I could hide it under a tile but when it arrived (after the concrete had been laid), it turned out to be a large, rectangular tray-like shape which no tile will cover!

 

Indeed. The only saving factor is that nobody else's stuff is going into that pipe - just ours. When we opened the drain it was very clean and we have been living here for 6 years. It's a gamble though - I understand that.

 

Thanks Joe. That's the first idea of cost that anyone's given me. It's quite expensive! Any clues about rodding from further down the line instead? I imagine it would be cheaper to create a new inspection chamber just outside the extension, but I haven't been able to get an answer to my rodding question, i.e. can you rod a junction point further up from a new inspection chamber? Do the drain cleaning companies have ways of accessing different branches higher up? Thanks.

 

The rodding would happen from what used to be the patio (now the extension) towards the back of the house where the pipes are coming out from. Not sure whether this is back to front or front to back! To be honest, if it is at all possible to clear the blockage from a new inspection chamber further on down the line, I will absolutely consider this as a solution to my problems. Surely this would be cheaper than moving/re-aligning the drains themselves (remembering that my extension is already built)?

 

Back of the house. But how, for example, would they ensure that their corkscrew drain rod attachment goes up the bathroom pipe (if that is blocked) rather than the kitchen pipe (if that is clear)? When the drain rod is inserted in the new (outside) inspection chamber and makes its way up the pipe to the old inspection chamber with the different branch pipes flowing into it, how do they control where the rod will go then? Thanks.

 

Sorry, thinking about it, the main pipe comes out of the back of the house and then makes a left turn. It then carries on to the neighbour next to us.

 

Joe, do you know the type of tradesman I need to speak to give me advice on this? I called Dynorod but they are only interested in either doing a camera survey or dealing with a drain blockage. Many thanks.

 

Thanks.