Am I Being Mugged Off?

[tandh]

i have a policy with homeserve which covers me for all problems to do with pipes, drainage and leeks. today I had a plumber/ drainage expert come to have a look at a blocked outside drain for rain water. initially he said that he can't do anything abut it as my policy doesn't cover me for it and it's up to me to keep my drain free from mud and gravel ect. But then changed his mind when i said i would check my policy documents and tried to unblock it for me. All he did was use a utility bar to take a small amount of gunk out (i'd already got most of what i could reach out) and then said there was nothing he could do as it was too blocked up, and i would have to pay to have a new drain put in and connect up to the existing pipe work. I suggested using the rods but he said my drain pipe was too old and small for them. This to me sounds like a load of bullocks as it has the same circumference of a pringles pot, and surely if the pipe is already blocked you wouldn't then reconnect new pipe work to it. any advice regarding what i should do what be very much appreciated, i would especially like to know if what he said about not being able to use the rods is true.

[woofgang]

I have no idea of the technicalities but I have got zero opinion of Homeserve as a company.

[Baldric]

I would not trust Homeserve one iota!

[Bathsheba]

Myself and next door had a problem like this a couple of years ago, and it vaguely rang a bell with me. I searched through past bills, and found out that it was actually the water board's responsibility! Got it sorted after much digging....didn't cost us a penny!

Baths
x x

[tandh]

lol @ woofgang and boldric, i've already had three different people come out that work for them and they have all slagged them off too. I got a special deal of it only being £1 a month for the first year, and since i've already had two problems sorted i think i've defo got my money's worth.
Thank you so much baths, i'll get onto them in the morning

[Bathsheba]

Good luck tandh :)

Baths
x x

[Old_Geezer]

No expert, but that sounds absolute balderdash to me. Are they saying in ye olden days no one ever unblocked pipes but continually replaced them ? Why don't they have piping to push/break up the blockage, or a vacuum to suck it out ? Probably just leaf debris anyway. Check the contract or get someone knowledgeable to do so, then if you know you are entitled to service threaten them with the ombudsman and/or small claims court, or something. Maybe ask Citizens' Advice ?

[Old_Geezer]

If you can get the waterboard to sort it so much the better. But I'm astounded. The suppliers even expect the pipes from boundry to house to be your responsibility, I'd have expected the waste water removers to be pulling the same trick.

[EDDIE51]

Your description of the size of the pipe ( the same circumference as a Pringles pot) seems way too small for any drain I have seen. If it is that small it is little wonder it is blocked. 5 or 6 inchs is more like the diameter it should be.
I would say the workman is correct in that you need a new drain of the correct size.

[EDDIE51]

Responsibility for drains and sewers here
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/water/water-supply/sewerage/who-is-responsible-for-repairing-drains-and-sewers/
From you property boundary to the house is your responsibility.

[cowgal]

tandth maybe this link will help you decide if your pipes are too narrow

http://www.plasticdrainage.co.uk/underground-drainage/pipe-and-fittings?gclid=COPny7eRtM8CFXYo0wodticJ4A

[EDDIE51]

^^ Yes the smallest size pipe is 110cm which is 4 & 1/2 inches as I said.
Your 'Pringle Pot' size drain is far too small !

[Old_Geezer]

I can't measure my underground pipework but the downpipe from the porch is around 68mm which is close to a Pringle tube if I recall them correctly. Even if underground pipes for garden/patio rainwater are usually larger I'd have thought that clearing them shouldn't be such an impossibility. One gets flexible prodders with barbs. I've even used a jet hose on my woman's patio drainage pipes and that clear a blockage.

[EDDIE51]

^ That as you say is just a downpipe not a drain.

[alavahalf]

Having been called out to many a blocked drain I can assure you 99 percent of them were unblocked using a drain rods with a 4 1/2" plunger attached. I can assure you I have used it on Victorian drains so don't be told your drain is too old'...using the rods if I couldn't push the plunger, then I would remove it and push the rods through on their own to break up the blockage. Then re-attach the plunger and try again.
These days when a drain is blocked they will try rods first and then they send a jet along the pipe that is driven by a pump. If it is a simple blockage then the rods or jet will deal with it. But if the drain has collapsed .. sometimes caused by roots, then a section may need replacing or relining depending on the damage. The way they would examine the damage without digging, is with a recording camera on the end of a long flexible rod.
I often come across customers who have a similar insurance policy to yours and they are not worth the paper they are written on. The first thing the Insurance try to do is get out of fixing the problem ( the worst ones are the ones sold by the water companies). Most people pay for these policies by direct debit and never had need to use the services they thing they are paying for. It is only when they have a problem and put it too the test that they find out they are not covered.
Personally I would approach your water supplier first and quiz them first.

[EDDIE51]

^^ The drain is the size of a Pringles tub, about 2 1/2 inches dia according to tandh.
You are not going to get a 4 1/2 inch plunger down that!

[tandh]

thanks for all your help guys, although i am starting to wonder if i've mis-estimated the size of a pringles pot now, i'll measure the radius of the pipe and get back to you guys tomorrow. Sorry for causing any confusion/ wasting your time