Author Topic: Drainage tracing (Read 548 times)

Christian · « **on:** February 19, 2024, 06:54:43 pm »

Hi Folks,

hope you're having a great start into Spring! With all the lovely rain in the Borders our land has started to leak onto the road and now we need to find drains. Does nobody keep maps with drains anymore...

? Anyway, I have found a few firms that offer drain tracing - but it looks expensive.... Can I just buy one of them things (https://www.subtech.co.uk/collections/sondes-plastic-pipe-drainage-detection) and do it myself? Are they coming 'used'? Ebayed?

Any other suggestions before I call in the digger?

Thanks

Christian

doganjo · « **Reply #1 on:** February 19, 2024, 08:11:47 pm »

I feel your pain! I had that problem when I moved here four years ago - I got a diviner and paid for drains - the council even put in a new roadside drain (free) to take the run off. Whole thing cost me £2000

Unfortunately with all the recent rain another spring has come through and a section at the bottom of the slope has become soggy. I'm looking online for plants that like boggy ground right now

Kiran · « **Reply #2 on:** February 24, 2024, 06:11:33 am »

A sonde is only part of the kit unfortunately, that sends a signal but you need a CAT (Cable Avoidance Tool) to follow and trace. Service location is not difficult but you need to practice a bit. I was trained in service location by work and have to think about it when I haven't done it for a while.

Are you sure your drainage isn't blocked? I only ask this as I've had to unblock 2 culverts last week which were causing flooding on my land. I just used rods on the end and pushed through the line and got it flowing. Water level dropped dramatically and the next day was running much lower and clear

chrismahon · « **Reply #3 on:** February 24, 2024, 09:39:52 am »

From what I have read on your link the sonde is pushed into the pipe using drain rods and then the signal from it is detected on the surface using the CAT. But if you can push a drain rod up the pipe you can use a scraper tool to clean it out. The scraper tool is a hinged semi-circle of metal which folds up as you push the pipe in and opens out as you pull it back. The pipe is cleaned in short sections, which can be a time consuming job if you haven't room behind to take the assembled rods out and is then better done with a high pressure hose. If the pipes are longer than perhaps 20 metres, cleaning them out with drain rods probably won't work because of the flex of the rods dragging them on the pipe (16 metres is the longest I've cleared).

Kiran · « **Reply #4 on:** March 02, 2024, 06:05:17 am »

If you know where the outfall of your drainage is and you can get a vehicle nearby it is possible to tanker jet the line clear. The jetting rigs can also flail the inside of a pipe to break up stubborn blockages

Penninehillbilly · « **Reply #5 on:** March 02, 2024, 03:03:18 pm »

We are constantly looking for drains under our land, old stone drains, not designed for modern machinery, driven over and collapsed. we bought a CAT off ebay, run a wire off the genny tied to first drain rod. It's very good at locating the pipe, (if you know where to get into the pipe).
I wish we could afford the camera though.