What do Leicester CCTV Drain Surveys check for? Misaligned drain joints.
Blockages in your drains can be caused by a variety of things. Misaligned pipe joints are one common problem and these can cause periodic slow flow or blockages in your drains. Fortunately, a CCTV drain survey can help identify any problems underground.
Summary
A CCTV drain survey shows a misaligned joint. The step or lip is visible within the pipe. Occasionally there is a gap, where the pipe has pulled away from the joint. In Leicester joints shift for a variety of reasons. These include cracked jointing in old Victorian clay drains. Other reasons include ground movement, tree roots and settlement. The degree of pipe movement is graded by the surveyor and may require re-sealing or a patch liner. Alternatively it may be necessary to excavate and re-align the affected section of pipe.
How a Misaligned Joint Looks on Camera
The misaligned joint appears as a step on the drain footage. This step is a visible lip or even a ridge within the pipe. There may even be a slight gap between the pipe and the joint on one side of the step, as the pipe has pulled apart from the joint.
Why Leicester’s Drains Move Out of True
The reasons that a drain surveyor in Leicester would identify a misaligned joint can vary from street to street. Victorian clay drains were jointed using shrinkable materials that over time have cracked allowing movement into the joint. Modern pipes made from PVCU, ductile iron and other materials can also suffer from ground movement, nearby tree roots and settlement of a building over time.
How Surveyors Grade the Damage
Surveys will also grade a misaligned joint depending on how much the pipe has moved and therefore how much it may cause a blockage. Typically a surveyor would class a slight lip in a pipe as no problem at all as it will just catch the odd bit of debris, but a major displacement could restrict half of the pipe’s bore or more.
Why It Matters Before It Blocks
While a misaligned joint is not currently blocking, such a step in the pipe can collect and cause problems with items such as wet wipes, grease and silt to build up gradually. However, before long this can cause a full blockage.
Who Deals With the Repair
On older streets, it is important to know whether a drain is shared between properties and who is responsible for maintaining the shared drain. The liability for a misaligned joint will generally lie with the property in whose boundary the joint sits.
What Gets Recommended Next
A minor offset may require the re-sealing of the joint, or the installation of a patch liner. A badly displaced joint would require localised excavation to allow the section of pipe in question to be removed and re-aligned properly. A useful reference for CCTV Drain Survey Leicester is www.wilkinson-env.co.uk/drainage-services-cctv-surveys-midlands/cctv-drain-surveys/leicester/.
Either way, early detection of misaligned joints means a small repair is needed at a lower cost to that of a complete drain failure.
FAQs
Will a misaligned joint fix itself?
No, a displaced length of pipe will not return to its original position. As the step in the pipe catches more debris over time, you may notice water draining more slowly than normal, gurgling sounds coming from your plugholes and unpleasant smells near outside drains or gullies.
Can tree roots get in through a misaligned joint?
Yes. Roots entering a misaligned joint can create a problem: fine roots enter the pipe to find water and nutrients and keep growing, further opening the gap at the joint and potentially trapping further waste. Root ingress is often found alongside misaligned joints on surveys.
Is it worth having a CCTV drain survey before buying a house?
It can be worth getting a CCTV drain survey before you buy a house. A standard building survey does not usually include the drains, so a pre-purchase CCTV drain survey can pick up problems such as displaced joints, giving you a clearer picture of any repair work before you commit.
What steps can I take between surveys to try and stop my drains getting blocked?
Wet wipes, fat and grease should be kept out of the drains as they are the items that cause blockages at step joints in the pipes below. See our guide on how to prevent blocked drains for more on these sorts of items and other ways to stop blockages.