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| Accidental Damage To Underground
Services - Your questions answered |
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How do I know when there
is a problem with my drains? |
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Often the first sign of a problem
is when the lavatory has been flushed but the waste does not
clear. Sometimes, the water can also build up within the pan
to a much higher than normal level and then slowly subsides.
There will often be a smell of effluent from the overflow of
the bath and wash hand- basin. |
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What causes damage to drains? |
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There are several potential
causes. |
| 1. |
Pipes run underground
and are, therefore, susceptible to movement in the surrounding
ground. Many drains are of the salt glazed type. These
are rigid in construction and, sometimes, the ground movement
is sufficient to fracture the pipes or, at the very least,
to cause the joints to open. More modern drains are often
of a plastic type material which copes better with ground
movement. |
| 2. |
Once there is a crack in the
pipe, or joints have opened, nutrient rich effluent escapes
into the surrounding ground. This moisture and source
of food is sought after by plants and it is very common
for fibrous roots to not only surround the broken/open
pipe but actually to penetrate into the pipe run resulting
in blockages. |
| 3. |
Direct accidental damage,
such as occurs when a large load travels over pipe runs
close to the surface causing compression and fracturing.
Similarly, fence posts can be driven into the ground and,
unwittingly, the drains can be punctured. Chemicals can
also be wrongly utilised resulting in erosion of the salt
glazed inner surface and eventual failure. |
| 4. |
Pitch fibre pipes can delaminate
over a period of time due to the very nature of their
construction with the result that, eventually, the pipe
run loses it's round shape and is compressed resulting
in a varying degrees of blockage. The above list is not
intended to be comprehensive but gives a guide as to some
potential causes. |
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Am I able to claim for repairs under
my building's insurance policy? |
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The building's policy will provide
cover in respect of accidental damage to underground services.
It is, therefore, necessary for you, as the policyholder, to
prove that the damage is accidental in origin rather than as
a result of fair wear and tear/age. Failures which occur gradually
and over a period of time are usually specifically excluded
under most building's policies. |
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How can I prove that the damage is accidental
in origin when the pipe is below ground? |
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It will usually be necessary for
some form of exploratory work to be carried out in order to
prove that the damage is accidental. Often this can take the
form of a television survey, which is recorded on video tape.
This reveals the condition of the interior of the pipe and often
indicates why the failure has occurred. If it is determined
that the problem is accidental in origin, the insurer will meet
the costs of drain clearance, the cost of the survey and the
cost of repair. In the case of the service being shared by a
number of properties, other owners/users may be required to
contribute depending on where their service enters the main
service, i.e. up stream or down stream of the problem. Very
occasionally, it is necessary for exploratory pits to be dug
and, again, the costs will be refunded if it is proven that
the damage is accidental rather than due to any other cause. |
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If my insurers accept the claim as valid,
what happens next? |
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Generally, repairs to underground
drains and services should be undertaken by specialist contractors
rather than general builders. This is not because builders lack
the expertise but because the specialist contractors have specific
equipment available to them. They will be able to provide alternative
repair solutions which may not necessarily involve digging up
and replacement of the original defective service. It may be
that a new drain run can be put in place using a mole or other
burrowing device or that the original drain can be lined within
a inner sleeve thus restoring it's integrity. |
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Where does my responsibility end? |
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In almost all cases, the responsibility
of the house owner extends up to and including the saddle. This
is the particular connecting device which allows the underground
drain to connect to the main public sewer. Sometimes, it may
be necessary for the local by-laws to be examined as, occasionally,
the Local Authority will accept responsibility for the saddle
itself. Because public sewers often run below public highways,
the costs of repair can be considerable since a road opening
licence will be required to excavate the public highway. Traffic
lights and traffic management will often have to be put in place.
Because of the depth of most public sewers, it will also be
necessary for the pit to be sunk in stages with proper pit props
and the like installed. Very strict health and safety precautions
apply in such instances. What may at first be appear to be a
relatively minor problem can, therefore, sometimes prove to
be extremely costly to rectify. |
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