Please click on the below links, to take you to the relevant section :
Failed or Collapsed Pipe Replacement,
Interceptor Trap Removal & Pipe-Through,
Manhole Installation / Rectify Poorly Installed Manholes,
Manhole Repairs & Cover Replacement,
Pavers & Patio Installations / Patio Cleaning,
SVP Repair / Installation & Associated Surface Change / Access Ramp Installations
Pukka Drains specialise in new Drainage installations. These include Foul and Surface Water installations. These can include the following examples :
Soakaways
The typical lifespan of an old rubble-filled Soakaway is 60-70 years. They are not usually accessible, due to the Vitrified Clay gullies (that take the rainwater downpipes from the gutter) having tight U-bends at the base (commonly referred to as a P-trap). They work fine until they get filled with years of silt / moss from your roof. At this point they block and can usually be cleared via HPW Jetting. In the instance that they can't, then a new Soakaway has to be installed.
First an initial percolation test has to be performed, before a Soakaway installation. This is vital to check the existing ground conditions can drain water at the correct rate / depth. This is also to ascertain what lies beneath the ground. For example, in Worthing (West Sussex); you usually come across solid clay around 2' (600mm) or so beneath the top soil. This means the Soakaway ideally has to be relocated to an area with a more permeable sub-base. If this is not possible, we would have to install it deeper, which can cause other issues; eg. closer to the ground water level.
Pukka Drains use the modern modular crate system, with a permeable membrane wrap. Once in the ground, it then has 150mm of 20mm shingle side-fill. The top of the Soakaway then has to be 600mm below ground level (2'). Also the Soakaway has to be a minimum of 5m from a property boundary, as well as from the external property wall; unless circumstances prevent this.This is all stipulated in the latest Building Regulations. The modular crate Soakaway has a typical lifespan of 80-90 years. Pukka Drains usually install roddable bottle gullies. They are essentially a bucket with an outlet, with a removable trap in the centre. This means that access can be gained to the pipe, by removing the trap; to clear any built-up silt / debris, as well as for HPW Jetting or CCTV to assess the condition of the Soakaway.
The following examples show Pukka Drains Soakaway installations. The roddable bottle gullies can be seen at the head (start) of the systems :
Contact us now for a no-obligation Quote.
Call us on 07730 751 943,
01903 531 241, email us at info@pukkadrains.com, or by using the form on the Contact Us page.
Gully Replacement
The majority of failed gullies we replace at residential properties, are of the Vitrified Clay (VC) type. These are traditionally a 6" square that goes down to a trap (U-bend). The outlet then joins to a 4" (100mm) pipe. Over time, the trap usually drops and breaks. This is usually down to the cement benching surrounding the top of the gully, getting worn away over time, causing water ingress to wear away the material surrounding the gully. This then in turn, causes damp ingress in a property / mould internally; due to the gullies usually being installed against an external wall. Eg. to take Kitchen sink waste, Bathroom waste, etc. Pukka Drains can repair the benching, the majority of the time. We would replace the old with new waterproofed cement, to prevent any further water ingress.
In the instance that the gully is beyond economical repair, Pukka Drains will replace the gully (as mentioned above) with the modern uPVC equivalent. There are two main types of uPVC gullies : the direct replacement for the original VC gully, which has a P-trap (U-bend); and the roddable bottle gully. Pukka Drains use the roddable bottle gully if possible. This is due to the ease of removal of the trap for cleaning and removal of silt / debris from the base of the "bucket", as well as for easy access to the outlet for future maintenance / to assess the condition of what is downstream (eg. a Soakaway). The following picture illustrates the above :
The following pictures illustrate Gully replacement, and what it involves. Pukka Drains re-instate all surfaces as found :
Aco Gullies
The other type of Gully is an Aco Gully. These are designed to take Surface Water from the edge of paving, usually to stop it flowing towards a property. There are many different types of Aco Gully. Pukka Drains prefer using the resin-moulded type, with a stainless or galvanised steel grid. This is due to the cheaper uPVC type changing colour from sunlight, as well as warping / changing shape easily. There are many cheaper copies, but Aco is the preferred make.
We attend a lot of properties that have poorly designed existing installations, usually where patios have been installed poorly; or sloping the wrong way, causing flooding by properties / internal damp issues. We often have to rectify these, the majority of requiring new installations. We will connect to the existing Soakaway or Surface Water installations IF a flow test and / or CCTV confirms the installation to be in good working order.
The following pictures illustrate installations utilising Aco Gullies that Pukka Drains have installed :
Contact us now for a no-obligation Quote.
Call us on 07730 751 943, 01903 531 241, email us at info@pukkadrains.com, or by using the form on the Contact Us page.
PLEASE NOTE : All excavations can lead to unforeseen complications. This is why the majority of Drainage work is an estimation at the Quoting stage. However after many years of experience in Drainage, Pukka Drains are confident that we rarely go above our Quoted prices. Our reviews are testament to this.
Failed or Collapsed Pipe Replacement
Failed / collapsed / broken / sunken pipework beneath the ground causes all kinds of issues. This is why a CCTV Survey of drains is recommended if a defect beneath the ground is suspected. If the defect is not possible to repair with CIPP Lining or Patch Lining, then that is when we would excavate and replace with a new installation.
What can a failed underground pipe cause? As well as the obvious water / damp ingress, the main issue is subsidence. Obviously this can be expensive to rectify, especially if under a new driveway or patio installation. If this was the case, it would usually be down to poor re-instatement of the sub-base when the driveway or patio was installed. Pukka Drains come across this kind of issue often, where the installation has not been done to Building Regulations; corners have been cut, or the correct processes have not been followed.
When an excavation goes beneath 4' (1.2m) depth, adequate support has to be instated; to prevent any collapse or danger. This includes shuttering, props, wailers. Pukka Drains is unfortunately unable to perform works deeper than 3m. This is due to the company size, as well as for insurance (Public Liability reasons. We have however, performed replacement works up to this 3m limit.
We take Health and Safety seriously, with any excavations having a safe site surrounding / being barried or fenced off (with Heras fencing where possible). If we have to leave an excavation open over night, we make provisions to support and cover the excavations. Where trenching is involved, we try to achieve re-instatement within the same day. This would mean for example, where a 30m section of pipe is being replaced 2-3m underground; we would NOT excavate the entire length, we would work in sections, so this would involve excavating 3-6m daily. This allows for re-instatement within the day, eliminating the chances of any collapse or danger to eg. pedestrians, etc.
With all excavations, we endeavour to obtain utility maps where available. If they are not obtainable, we will scan the ground using a Cat scanner. This can be combined with a Genny if required - this is to locate eg. a buried manhole or metal pipe beneath the ground (eg. a water or gas main). Newer services obviously are installed with PVC based pipes, so are harder to locate. The Cat will pick up electrical supplies without the need for a Genny.
Pipework beneath the ground can require replacement for a lot of different reasons. The main issues we rectify are :
- Emergency replacement of broken or collapsed sections of Vitrified Clay pipe,
- Deformed / blistered Pitch Fibre pipe, to the point that nothing can flow through,
- Obstructions that can't be removed mechanically, requiring replacement of the pipe,
- Root intrusions that have physically broken the pipe to the point of collapse,
- Rodent infestations,
- General wear and tear / lack of maintenance.
Again, CIPP Lining or Patch Lining is always a preferred method of rectifying some of the above issues; as is non-invasive (no surface change or alteration required). Excavation is a last resort, although CAN be cheaper / more cost-effective if the drains are shallow (under 4' / 1.2m deep).
The following pictures illustrate the above :
Manhole Installation / Rectify Poorly Installed Manholes
Manhole installation will involve installing either a traditional twin-wall engineering brick design, or the more modern pre-fab concrete or even PVC Inspection Chambers.
When installing a twin-wall engineering brick MH, the first step is to install a suitable sub-base, then the concrete base / pad. We would then install the pipe or channel at the base. The twin-wall engineering bricks are installed a course at a time, with any lateral joining connections being added at the same invert (depth from ground level) as the channel in the base. The sides are built up a course at a time, with the benching at the base being installed. Repeating the brickwork until the top is reached. Due to the humid conditions within a Manhole, we tend to only install two courses maximum at a time, then leaving it to set. Once set, the brickwork can be rendered if required. This is when the cover and frame are installed. All internal cement is waterproofed.
A lot of Pukka Drains jobs are rectifying poorly installed Manholes / Inspection Chambers. The majority of which are the PVC type. This is down to poor building installations, with the installer not using the correct processes; let alone conforming with Building Regulations.
A PVC chamber should be installed on a suitable sub-base. This involves hardcore and / or compacted type 1 (MOT). Then a concrete base (or pad) is installed. The base of the chamber is then installed. Whilst installing the risers, they should be haunched in with concrete; and a shingle side-fill. We use 20mm shingle for this. The haunching is to provide invaluable support for the risers. We can usually tell by sight when this hasn't been done correctly - the weight of the surrounding ground has pushed in for example.
Again, the following pictures illustrate the above :
Contact us now for a no-obligation Quote.
Call us on 07730 751 943, 01903 531 241, email us at info@pukkadrains.com, or by using the form on the Contact Us page.
Manhole Repairs & Cover Replacement
Manhole repairs usually involve fixing failed benching, loose internal brickwork / render, etc. Benching repairs are vital when the flow of sewage over the years has worn away the benching, to the point that damp ingress causes subsidence or even damp issues within properties.
The main reason that the cement benching fails in especially older chambers, is that the cement wasn't waterproofed initially. This causes cracks in the cement, in the humid conditions inside a Manhole. We do come across a lot of root damage in MH's too.
A broken manhole cover is luckily quite a straightforward fix. If left to deteriorate, they can obviously be dangerous. The majority of MH cover replacement jobs are within £2-300, including the new replacement cover. We will do any benching repairs if required, at the same time. Pukka Drains do come across quite a few incorrectly installed replacement covers. This is usually on driveways, where the cheapest cover has been installed - a "pedestrian" galvanised cover and frame. These are NOT suitable for vehicles. There are many different weight ratings of covers.
The main types of covers are the traditional cast iron covers and frames, the more recent galvanised covers and frames; and then PVC covers and frames. As well as standard MH covers, you can also get recessed tray covers. These are ideal for paving, as you can then match the surface type. They are called recessed screed trays. There are different types of these too, with the double-sealed type ideal for internal chambers. Pukka Drains ONLY use the Galvanised covers and frames for paving. A lot of paving companies seem to use galvanised covers with plastic frames. This inevitably leads to issues when the drains block in the future. This is due to plastic goes brittle in the sunlight over time, so when you need to lever or open this type, the plastic breaks..
PVC covers are usually used in mass building projects, such as new-build estates. They are usually installed due to cost reasons. There are of course different sizes. The most common size of PVC cover is the 450mm round type.
When installing a replacement cover, we usually have to cut out the original failed cover. This can sometimes require a change of height to the original (especially if replacing cast iron for galvanised steel), due to the height difference. The correct process is to use engineering bricks and to waterproof any cement used internally.
French & Land Drains
French Drains were traditionally designed to take Surface Water away from the base of stone walled properties. They were basic shingle filled trenches, with an outlet flowing to usually a drainage ditch / trench away from the property.
Modern Land Drains have a permeable membrane-lined trench, with a perforated (slotted) pipe at the base. Then a shingle fill to 6" / 150mm below ground level (in the most common application), with top soil / turf covering; concealing the trench from view. These are ideal to take water from water-logged lawns, as well as lawns with a high clay content beneath the top soil. The slotted pipes lead to ideally a Soakaway in a different location, or to a drainage ditch.
The traditional French Drain is still a viable option if a property has issues with rising damp especially. Pukka Drains have had to come up with solutions in the past, where previous companies have failed. One job we performed in West Sussex had massive issues on a development where a previous company had installed perforated pipe on top of 2' (600mm) of 10mm pea shingle; with the top of the perforated pipe barely 2" below the lawn (see pictures below) !
Pavers & Patio Installations / Patio Cleaning
Pukka Drains often have to install new Pavers & Patios, after the installation of below-ground drainage. We are able to quote for all types of pavers / block pavers. The most important stage of any paver installation is the sub-base. This is often overlooked, causing subsidence / sunken pavers, etc. We often find previous installations sitting on plain sand on top of soil..
The sub base needs to be dug out usually 1' (300mm) deep, with a decent membrane laid on a compacted hardcore base. Then a decent 6" of type 1 (MOT), also compacted. Then the pavers used dictate the top layer. For block pavers, it is usually a sharp (marine) sand & cement base. For pavers such as porcelain, it is a wet cement base (sharp sand & cement), with a slurry brushed onto the base of the slabs before laying.
Pukka Drains usually has to rectify patios sloping the wrong way, or where lawns are higher than the patio itself. We often find patios installed right up to the vent bricks on a property's external wall. This is incorrect. Vent bricks should be a minimum of two brick courses above the ground level. Where this is not possible to achieve (where a lawn is higher than a patio, but can not be changed due to the vent brick height), then the only solution to stop water / damp ingress to the property is to install Aco Gullies between the property and the pavers. Normally Aco's would be installed between the pavers and the lawn ideally, to prevent flooding during heavy rainfall.
We also can do all types of Paver cleaning, from Patios to Driveways to algae removal.
The following pictures once again illustrate the above :
Contact us now for a no-obligation Quote.
Call us on 07730 751 943, 01903 531 241, email us at info@pukkadrains.com, or by using the form on the Contact Us page.
Interceptor Trap Removal & Pipe-Through
When private drains were first installed, the Interceptor Trap was invented to primarily prevent people throwing rubbish away down these drains. Please see the Information Page for a detailed description of the Interceptor Trap.
Eventually the trap fails / drops causing water ingress to the surrounding areas. This results in collapse and a blocked drain. The Interceptor Trap can be replaced like-for-like, but this can be costly (the trap itself can be between £200-400 depending on the type. The most common method is to remove the failed trap (and rodding access) and to pipe-through. This literally means to replace the trap with a straight section of pipe.
The cost of performing this depends on the depth and obviously pipe size. It is easily do-able within a day. If it is shallow enough, it can be done within a couple of hours.
Once the trap is removed, the outlet is usually in good enough condition (if care is taken on the trap removal) to attach a new piece of pipe to. Firstly a decent concrete base is instated, usually with rapid-set cement. If uPVC pipe is being used, then a rubber coupler (band seal) is used to join the uPVC pipe to the VC pipe. For example, if it is 4" (100mm) pipe, an AC4000 is used. Once this pipe is installed, the benching is gradually rebuilt up in layers, until finished. Again, all cement used in a chamber is waterproofed.
Pictures of Pukka Drains Interceptor Trap removals and pipe-through :
SVP Repair / Installation & Associated Surface Change / Access Ramp Installations
Pukka Drains often have to repair or install new SVP's (Soil Vent Pipe). They can be both external and internal. This can involve excavating beneath ground, to either install a new connection for a new SVP; OR to repair mostly failed 90º rest bends at the base of the old SVP being removed and replaced. The latter is due to eg. an old cast iron SVP that has been there for 80 years - the weight of the cast SVP has made it drop over time, pushing on the Vitrified Clay rest bend beneath; until it drops, causing a severely displaced joint. This inevitably causes major issues with repeat blockages, and damp ingress to the property.
We come across different types of SVP for removal. These can include cast iron, and the less common asbestos cement pipes. These have to be removed by a specialist - you can not remove these yourself. The asbestos cement especially, due to the obvious hazard the asbestos creates.
Obviously with any excavation, it will eventually involve the surface re-instatement. An SVP is obviously against a property, so the surface/s have to be re-instated correctly, to avoid any damp ingress issues in the future. This is also a good time to get the surface replaced with new pavers.
Pukka Drains has experience installing disabled access ramps, both residential and commercial. We install strengthened concrete ramps, which are obviously permanent compared to the often installed wooden type. We can install hand rails if required.
With all surface installation / re-instatement, we can not stress enough how important the re-instatement of the sub base is. The infill of material must be done gradually, with the most important aspect being the correct compaction of these layers. We come across a lot of sunken surfaces, that are clearly down to rushed or incorrect re-instatement of the trenches below.
Contact us now for a no-obligation Quote.
Call us on 07730 751 943, 01903 531 241, email us at info@pukkadrains.com, or by using the form on the Contact Us page.
Below are pictures illustrating the above :
Please click on the below links, to take you to the relevant section :
Failed or Collapsed Pipe Replacement,
Interceptor Trap Removal & Pipe-Through,
Manhole Installation / Rectify Poorly Installed Manholes,
Manhole Repairs & Cover Replacement,
Pavers & Patio Installations / Patio Cleaning,
SVP Repair / Installation & Associated Surface Change / Access Ramp Installations
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To see the area covered by Pukka Drains, please see the Area Map
