Browse Forums DIY, Home Maintenance & Repair 1 Jun 01, 2013 11:50 am Hi, With all the heavy rain last night one of the downpipes couldnt handle all the water and it blocked. We have recently moved into this house so wasnt aware it was like this. Any idea how i would fix this. The water is coming from that hole in the pic and also behind the pipe just above the bracket. The downpipe just goes straight in the ground. There is no connector or anything above it. I assume i would have to carefully dig around it and see what i find. thoughts? Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Blocked downpipe. How to fix?? 2Jun 01, 2013 6:34 pm I am wondering why the hole is there? There are a few different things wrong: If the water only comes out of the hole in very heavy rain it might be the main drain hasn't enough capacity. If water always comes out of the whole its likely that the underground drain is blocked. Generally its unlikely that the downpipe is blocked unless a restriction has been placed in it to take rainwater to a tank which has since been removed. The Harder You Try - the Luckier You Get ! Web site http://www.anewhouse.com.au Informative, Amusing, and Opinionated Blog - Over 600 posts on all aspects of building a new house. Re: Blocked downpipe. How to fix?? 3Jun 01, 2013 7:04 pm Hi, THanks for your reply. I think the hole is there as there was an old aircon back in the day near the downpipe and i assume this is where they put the hose. i looked into this further in the arvo and downpipe is block at the ground and is full of dirt/mud. I then put water in the hole and the water wasnt moving anywhere. Also the downpipe goes into one of those terracotta pipes which is also full of mud and dirt. tried to clean it out with my hand but there isnt a lot of room to move with the downpipe there. Thinking it might be best for a plumber to do. Any idea how much this would set me back? Re: Blocked downpipe. How to fix?? 4Jun 01, 2013 7:05 pm As a first step I would pour in some "Drano" if there is any organic matter it will chemically dissolve it and that could solve your problem.If not you will have to remove down pipe and try drain deblocking. If that is no good you will have to dig up and relay section of drain. Good luck Foremost Building Expert in Australia,assisting with building problems/disputes, building stage inspections,pre-contract review advice for peace of mind 200 blogs http://www.buildingexpert.net.au/blog Re: Blocked downpipe. How to fix?? 5Jun 01, 2013 7:09 pm Thanks. Will see how it goes and let you know Re: Blocked downpipe. How to fix?? 6Jun 01, 2013 8:54 pm A stormwater pipe would have to be collapsed or root invaded for quite a while to fill with detritus from the roof wash. You should also have the downpipe replaced. A plumber would load a quote as there are too many unknowns. If you know a good honest plumber, you are better to discuss the hourly rate. Do you know one? It might be possible to use a camera from a downstream access point. Not all plumbers have a camera. Finding the terracotta pipe blocked at the downpipe is good as you know where to start. If you can uncover the pipework, you will know when you find the problem area if it is root invaded or collapsed plus you will reduce the plumbing costs. It is also possible for a stormwater pipe to block if it has been a dry period and there has been a lot of debris flushed off the roof but it takes time. If this is the case, then an outside inspection will not reveal anything. Any trees nearby? 3in1 Supadiverta. Rainwater Harvesting Best Practice using syphonic drainage. Cleaner Neater Smarter Cheaper Supa Gutter Pumper. A low cost syphonic eaves gutter overflow solution. Re: Blocked downpipe. How to fix?? 7Jun 02, 2013 1:26 pm Quote: I think the hole is there as there was an old aircon back in the day near the downpipe and i assume this is where they put the hose. It seems to be an awfully big hole for an aircon tube. Perhaps the hole was used before in attempting to clear a blockage, suggesting this has been an on-going problem. Good luck Arfur Re: Blocked downpipe. How to fix?? 8Jun 16, 2013 9:48 pm Thanks for everyone's input. We ended redoing all downpipe a except one and rerouting them via a different spot where it wasn't blocked. Under the house was very wet and the pipes previously were overflowing into a small drain. This is no longer the case as they are going via a different path now. Thanks again Agreed. I just found out today the certifier has not given the final sign off. 2 4091 Building Standards; Getting It Right! It's all good. You can get both wye piece and the coupling with or without thread. The cost difference is negligible and means the plumber only has to carry the single… 1 4928 |