I'm so so proud of my hole

[Ed]

I have a beautiful hole, so big and beautiful that I want the world to admire it:D It leads to my back passage;)

I'm connecting the drain pipe from our new bathroom to the existing soil pipe. The first challenge was to find the soil pipe. I thought it would be 1 - 1,5m away from the house, and about 0,75m deep. So I started digging for New Zealand, no dice. It must be further out:rolleyes:

I eventually struck gold, nearly 3m from the house and 1.2m deep:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a127/Sythree/16102010351.jpg

I was expecting a glazed yellow ceramic pipe, not a black plastic thing. Hey ho.

Bit more work to expose the pipe a bit more so I can build a manhole cover over the new join. Have left the pick and the shovel in so you can see the scale of this major feat of civil engineering:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a127/Sythree/16102010352.jpg

Here's a view back towards the house. The orange thing is an old drawer from the old kitchen, I was collecting rocks to avoid having to shovel them. What you are looking at is the boulder clay left by the ice sheet that 10,000 years ago covered Shropshire:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a127/Sythree/16102010353.jpg

And in this pic is the next problem:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a127/Sythree/16102010354.jpg

That far scaffold upright is part sat on a paving slab that's right in the way of the pipe lay. Can I move the slab without compromising the integrity of the scaffold - it will be 75% on the adjoining slab - or do I need to get out the angle grinder? Genuine quezzie peeps, I dunno, and I don't want to get crushed.

***

I know that this is small beer for some on here. But you got to remember that I have sat behind a ****ty desk for the best part of 30 years, and I have never done anything like this:cool: It's all dug by my own fair (well, rather calloused) hand, Ian gave me a bit of help when I was flagging last Friday, but nearly all of it is me.

What it has done is to give me the confidence that I can do things like this. I was petrified of a cable strike or sommat, but I found the pipe and I dug it out, now to dig back a bit to the house (I need an answer on that scaffold question please), drill through the foundation to connect wth the hole I've already dug in the floor, connect up the pipes, instal the manhole, and away we go:cool::cool::cool:

Simples:cool::cool::cool::cool:

[minimorecambe]

Wooo go Ed and his hole :D:D:D:D:D

[Shellywoozle]

Can I come and finger your hole?

[andrewsmith]

the grounds opening up

how big your hole and can I fill it?

[mjc]

Hmm. In the second picture it seems that you have left your hole unguarded, and two men have come along and put their tools in it.

[tigersaw]

I'd just give the slab a whack with a bolster and cut it in two?

[Bluepete]

The local Police have had several complaints about your hole. They're sending someone 'round to look into it.

Pete ;)

[Shellywoozle]

The local Police have had several complaints about your hole. They're sending someone 'round to look into it.

Pete ;)

Me is going to take a sneaky peek, not seen such a big hole for so long ..... hope it don't rain may get a bit wet in there

[MisterTommyH]

If you're really quick you can slide the the flag out and a scaff board in - just like the tablecloth trick!

Seriously though are you going to be able to get the flag out with the weight of the scaffold on it? I'd cut it in two.

What's the soil like? Cos it doesn't look like your boarding is 45 degrees from the trench base. Should be ok short term of the clays good, but be careful of any sudden downpours.

[Richie]

It's not properly marked out...

You need to put peRIMeter TAPE around your hole...

[Berlin]

That Sir, is a very nice hole! A damn fine hole indeed!

[-Ralph-]

My initial thoughts seeing the first pic was "that's not your soil pipe", because it looks like the pipe is ribbed, like a section of flexible field drain pipe, but the second two pictures look like a smooth pipe so assuming that's OK and you've got the right one.

I take it you are going to cut that and put a T piece in, running to the soil pipe from your new bathroom? Make sure you use an elbowed or angled T piece that points down the existing pipe in the direction of flow, not a straight 90 degree. From a bathroom it's not just drainage water, it's soap, poo, hair, toilet paper, everything going down there so you need to make the internal path as smooth as possible to avoid blockages and give waste nothing to build up and catch on, and you want to be able to get rodding down there in case it ever blocks, you don't want to be digging it up again in six months time to clear it. Flush the loo with clean water a few times before you cut that pipe, it will stink to high heaven, but you can minimise the damage to your nose!

Also dig right round it with a hand trowel so you have plenty of space to work, you want everything to slide on nice and easy and seal properly, and the last thing you want to do is crack that pipe along it's length, they are really brittle. The buildings inspector may pressure test it before giving your your habitation certificate, and if it's not right he'll make you dig it all up again so he can see it, then he'll fail it and make you replace it all. My experience of buildings inspectors and DIY drainage jobs is not good, although there was nothing wrong with what I had done and it eventually passed, he was immediately suspicious of a botch job, just 'cos it wasn't a builder who'd done it, and it took three visits of me lifting my newly laid patio and digging things up to let him see them before he eventually passed it. BTW, kiss the buildings inspectors ar$e! They can be right ar$eholes if they want to be!

Have fun and see how many innuendo's you can make out of this post! :)

[Specialone]

That pipe does like a weeper pipe not a soil pipe.
Are you putting pipe straight from bathroom into a tee on that run?
IMO you should put a mini stack in with an air admittance valve in otherwise it might not drain very fast.
Air behind water will make it drain correctly.

The mini stack can just be in a box inside or outside on wall, the air admittance valve stop any bad smells coming out but allows air in, it also means you havent gotta have the stack higher than your windows upstairs.
DO NOT close anything in until the BCO has inspected it, cos if they cant see it, they cant pass it.
I cant comment on the scaffolding without seeing it, but if you are unsure, either put an additional leg further away before you move that one, or dont touch it at all.
In reality, one leg support on a job that big shouldnt affect it, but im not gonna say do it ;)

[-Ralph-]

The mini stack can just be in a box inside or outside on wall, the air admittance valve stop any bad smells coming out but allows air in, it also means you havent gotta have the stack higher than your windows upstairs.
DO NOT close anything in until the BCO has inspected it, cos if they cant see it, they cant pass it.

Mini stack would also give you another rodding point for dealing with blockages too. Phil, would he need to ensure the valve was above the highest flooding point in his bathroom? If he stuck in a box outside, wouldn't it be susceptible to frost?

The builders in Scotland close in everything before the buildings inspector has seen it, and usually get away with it, but that's Scotland and lots of things are different, and I think the inspector has to know the builder. I've seen a new house go on sale and be moved into our estate in Scotland where the soil on the outside of the house had been built up above the level of the damp proof course!

[MisterTommyH]

Ralph, I've never known an inspector in Scotland actually turn up to one of my sites when invited. They seem more concerned with sorting the paperwork later and just turning ip randomly when there is nothing for them to see.

[Ed]

It better be the right pipe else Ian the builder is going to get buried in there!!!!!

I've no idea about all the technical stuff:confused: Ian's the brains, I'm the brawn:D or is that the prawn:p

I finished digging it just now, this is what it looks like. I decided not to disturb the scaffold, Ian can sort that. The tools show the length of the trench, and the wooden thing (previous owner's clothes line support) show the angle of the pipe travel.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a127/Sythree/16102010356.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a127/Sythree/16102010357.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a127/Sythree/16102010358.jpg

And this is why the scafold is such a problem:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a127/Sythree/16102010359.jpg

The building inspector has already had a say-so about the roof, so lots of strengthening gone in up there:rolleyes: If he wants me to uncover my hole for a close up inspection - well I'm up for anything;)

The next project is to get rid of this hideous coal bunker. As you can see, I've already started:cool:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a127/Sythree/16102010360.jpg

[Specialone]

Ed, do you know about the pea shingle to cover pipe when connected?
The pipe has to be completely exposed, top and bottom so that you can at least get your hands all the way round it, 3" below is ok.
This will need to be covered in pea shingle then so its about 6" above the pipe, BCO will advise what he wants im sure.
So thats 3" below pipe, 4" of pipe and 6" above pipe, so thats approx 13 inches of pea shingle on everything exposed (not taking out the volume of the 4" pipe i know).
From my experience, i allow 1 ton to 0.6 cubic metres.
So for you to work out how much approx you need, L (m) X W (m) x 0.330 m and whatever that comes too, didvide that into multiples of 0.6 cubic metres and you shouldnt be far off, if all that makes sense ;)

[Ed]

Thanks Phil. I dug out loads of the stuff... I've dug around, but not under the pipe yet, as I didn't want to leave it unsupported.

*Wanders off to find a calculator*

[darylB]

That's a very impressive hole Ed, when you've finished could you pop round and give me a quoteto dig one for me, just a little larger than yours, as you know we sometimes get flooded by our brook, would you consider digging a hole off the side of it with gates to control the flow into and out of it. the maximum size would only be about 50 metres square by 5 metres deep. How much would this cost and could you finish it before christmas?

Daryl.

[collis]

Have fun and see how many innuendo's you can make out of this post! :)

I must say, that is a rather large erection you have over that hole.
I'd also make sure that you cover what goes in that gaping hole, looks rather dirty.

[454697819]

fess up this is where your burying your accounts from the last 2 years isnt it?

[-Ralph-]

I must say, that is a rather large erection you have over that hole.
I'd also make sure that you cover what goes in that gaping hole, looks rather dirty.

My post says nothing like that!

It was expressions like ribbed pipes, and things sliding on nice and easy you were supposed to pick up on.

[skeetly]

Hard to be sure in the picture but if that pipe looks like black shiny plastic and has ribs then it might be pitch fibre. It's easy to cut but you have to watch the bloody thing doesn't change shape. They used them a lot in 60's, probably early 1970's as well.
They deform sometimes in the ground; we've dug up some that have been squashed nearly flat :(
Ring up the scaffolders and they will sort out the standard for you.
You should have an inspection point at a drain junction lie that. 1.2m would mean a proper manhole in this neck of the woods.
I'd be putting one of those 600mm diameter plastic types there with some rubber band seal connectors to hook up the manhole base to the pitch fibre.
More digging methinks :)

[Ed]

fess up this is where your burying your accounts from the last 2 years isnt it?

No, just my former partners:cheers:

Stuff....... More digging methinks :)

Aaaaarrrrrrgggggghhhhhhhhh:smt019

[Jayneflakes]

I have very little to add to this thread, but I do hope that you are using appropriate protection while pounding away in your hole? Also did I notice that there is a slight rise to your land there?

Again, great care should be taken when uphill gardening like that, because if you are too aggressive with your activities you can cause all sorts of damage. I would hate to see that walls of your hole collapse.

Do be careful when entering a soil pipe, there are all sorts of germs in a place like that, one should maybe ensure that a soil pipe is flushed out with plenty of fresh water first before entering. I certainly found this to be a fun and pleasurable thing to do, if slightly wasteful of water. Good rubber protection should prevent nasty germs getting to you, they may not be always provide the best of sensation when wearing them, but wellingtons will keep you clean and dry while entering your soil pipe in your hole.

I would also be tempted to ensure that the area is taped off, after all, you would hate for local Vicar to wander in, should you have to hire a man to enter your soil pipe for you. I do wonder how many men you could get in your hole, but suspect that it would be rather cramped and more than a little smelly once you have access to the soil pipe?

Make sure that you have a nice shower afterwards. You would hate to smell like you have been busy with the soil pipe with other chaps I suspect? Your dear wife may never go near you again if she caught a whiff of that! :smt006

[Bri w]

aye lad there's nowt so dangerous as messing about up the back passage.

Our binmen used to have all sorts of problems up there

[andrewsmith]

hahaha

Janye that is a peach of smut :mrgreen: :smt044

[Jayneflakes]

hahaha

Janye that is a peach of smut :mrgreen: :smt044

What? I don't understand what you mean! I am a good girl... :smt059

[andrewsmith]

What? I don't understand what you mean! I am a good girl... :smt059

Haha good girl in a gothic sense? :smt084
:D