Sounds like a fatberg. It's surprising how solid they become. At some point in the U bend there can be a restriction of some sort, a connection or so which catches the fats. If that's the dase then you'll need a machanical device to shift the block of fat.

The flats are leasehold so we both have a joint responsibility. Although the possible blockage is under his patio and immediately next to his wall, it is the kitchen drain from my property.

Yes, I can jet from both sides, and a few days ago, I emptied a couple of buckets of water down. The water just flowed away with no issue; the drain did not even build up with water. But due to the U bend, I am unable to get a drain shake round the bend to ensure there is no blockage, and hence, I do wonder if a CCTV camera can navigate the bend.

If buckets of water flow freely are you sure there's a blockage and things aren't backing up from further downstream??

You say above "it's not my pipe so not my problem". If that's the case then shouldn't someone else be sorting out the problem?

That division makes sense

.With clear access from the IC back up rex's pipe it doesn't seem that problematic to clear that short length of pipe that's happily flowing buckets of water

No, the stones are from the g/f maisonette pebble patio. Apparently, a few days ago, Thames Water swung by to inspect the sewer pipes and I assume they dislodged the pebbles when reinstalling the very heavy cover.

I could have removed them but the house owner is such a 'expletive' deleted' about dotting the i's and crossing the t's, that I left them in his pipe as I 'did not have permission' to interfere with or open the cover.

I did send him that photo and told him that his professional experts (TW) had manage to dislodge them, and that they would flush into the main sewer line where they would not flush away and could cause future blockage.

I have now reluctantly agreed to getting a CCTV survey of my 1 meter long pipe. If it shows no mechanical failure (which I suspect is the case) I will tell him that any future blockages are caused by most likely fat, and that he can take up the issue with my tenants. My responsibility is to ensure the pipe runs freely.

The real problem is that he does not consider me to be 'professional' even though the recently TW guys (professional?) where apparently Romanian and their professional etiquette allowed them to empty their ashtrays in the road.

As for allowing him to sort it out, it is kinda written in the lease that we are both equally responsible for 'shared' bits and bobs. It is my outflow and if I was the g/f flat, I would probably be pissed off. But I would be prepared to talk and find a mutually agreed solution. His response is everything has to be by e-mail to keep a complete record, I must make a fixed date commitment to when I come and flush, etc etc. And he will not have a face-to-face meeting until I have had a survey done.

So get a survey, if it is all clear (as I suspect) get him off my back and tell him that all future issues are for him to resolve.

You can buy a 1 metre inspection camera from screwfix.com for £100. Likely cheaper than a professional survey??

Not sure about getting into further conflict over this. I might be mistaken but I think Rex has made a number of posts about the same/similar drain issues dating quite a while?? If the GF occupier has had kitchen waste and washing machine waste spilling over their garden for quite some time, I could see them being pretty peed off by now.

As its a no cost option, I'd be tempted to remove the stones and have a look up both drains whilst I was in the IC.

Thanks for the replies. I do have a 3m Bluetooth camera thing for my phone but frankly, have found it to be useless. Gravity ensures that it sits at the bottom of the pipe, where all the grunge lies, and pushing it forward, just builds up a blob a grunge around the lens.

I do appreciate your suggestions, and my guess is that you know I have been been on this forum for many years. Having built a t/f house and done a lot of the work myself, I have in the past both asked and occasionally responded to threads.

So in the interest of informing you what a wally I am dealing with, and give you a laugh, the following is my acquiesce to his 'demand' that I have a survey, and his response, received this morning. Bear in mind, this is a 1m long, 4" diameter pipe, around 30cms below ground with a P trap at the upstream end.

Please provide the times the surveyor has in mind and we will advise if they are convenient. As they will be accessing our property, please also provide the name and contact information of the company in question.
I assume that as well as CCTV footage, the surveyor will also provide a written assessment of the condition of the drain (which, in addition to potential blockages will explore other issues which may be causing the high frequency of the drain blockage, such as scale build-up, fractured or warped piping etc) and, where an issue is discovered, the surveyor will include recommendations to resolve them. I assume that, as well as the CCTV footage, this assessment will also be shared with us. Please advise on this aspect.

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I will arrange for a drain survey of my section of the pipe and P-trap using a CCTV camera, to check for any blockage. He will supply me with an mpg file that I will share with you.
I do need your permission to enter your garden via your path and gate and to raise the inspection chamber cover beside your back door. The camera can only check the pipe and P-trap from downstream, it is not possible to access from the gully itself.
I will inform you when the surveyor has an available time slot.


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Please provide the times the surveyor has in mind and we will advise if they are convenient. As they will be accessing our property, please also provide the name and contact information of the company in question.
I assume that as well as CCTV footage, the surveyor will also provide a written assessment of the condition of the drain (which, in addition to potential blockages will explore other issues which may be causing the high frequency of the drain blockage, such as scale build-up, fractured or warped piping etc) and, where an issue is discovered, the surveyor will include recommendations to resolve them. I assume that, as well as the CCTV footage, this assessment will also be shared with us. Please advise on this aspect.



Enjoy!!!

DJH. I did not know about that act, but I have had a look at the lease and I do have right of access for maintenance purposes., as the wording in the act also stipulates.

As a thought to resolving the P trap blockage, the trap is there to block sewerage smells. The toilet obviously has a trap next to the toilet, but after that, the waste is directed to the sewer main.

Both the kitchen sink and the washing machine have traps on their respective outlets. It it therefore necessary to have an external P trap like this? Could I take the discharged kitchen sink and washing machine water directly into the main sewerage pipe line using a 30mm flexible pipe?

Wot Mike1 said +1
No need for a trap. See
https://www.labc.co.uk/news/oops%25E2%2580%25A6-don%25E2%2580%2599t-do-or-when-not-use-p-traps
do you have a good vent pipe to the system? In any event the manhole should break and suction from downstream and so prevent any sucking out of the internal traps.

IIRC the waste from the sink and washing machine go into a pipe which discharges into an open gully in the back yard? The U-bend in the gully is there to stop smells in the sewer coming backwards into the yard. AFAIK there's no need to have an open gully there. The waste pipe could discharge straight into the sewer through a sealed connection with a normal rest bend instead of a U-bend. But I think it's normal for there to be at least one connection open to atmosphere in a washing machine waste. A standpipe or suchlike. I'm not sure about that though; maybe somebody knows for sure?

I see PiH's link says much the same.

Sent an e-mail this evening saying that I will engage a gentlemen to conduct a CCTV drain survey ans as both the Act and lease state, I do not need him permission but am asking as a matter of courtesy. He does not get ot choose who I engage and the result of the CCTV footage will determine the next step. If there is no physical blockage (roots; unlikely or collapse) them future blockages he can handle with my tenants. I await his response.

This really quite silly; normal 'neighbors' would handle this by face-to-face chatting. By email, he has refuse until he has a full written survey in his hand!!!!

In the interest of clarity, I am attaching two photos to show what is actually what. Obviously, the read arrow is the kitchen / washing machine gully in question. As I say, around one meter to the inspection chamber and most of that is a straight pipe.

If that gully has a grate over it theres a fair chance you'll get some splashing back up through the grate with that copper pipe coming in horizontally. Is a wet grate what you neighbour is assuming is a blocked drain?

"If that gully has a grate over it there's a fair chance you'll get some splashing back up through the grate with that copper pipe coming in horizontally. Is a wet grate what you neighbour is assuming is a blocked drain? "

There is a metal grate over the gully and the g/f put a plastic mesh square held down with a brick to prevent leaves entering. The outlet is below the grating.

There is no dish washer, just a clothes washing machine.