Underground drains service every property with plumbing services. They service the sink waste pipes as well as toilets and showers etc. How can you tell if theses drains are leaking or damaged?
- Foul smells in your home
- Cracked / dropped pavements or landscaping above underground drains.
- Cracks in house or garden walls above underground drains
- All of the above could also be caused by the incoming water mains leaking.
The good news is that most of these problems are covered by Insurance. All policies have the wording that they will cover ‘accidental’ damage to underground pipes and cables extending to the public mains. So if your pipes are damaged by tree roots, or an overweight vehicle pulling into your driveway, rodding of drains can sometimes also cause damage. In these situations, it would be best to seek professional help before contacting your insurance company. In Property Claims Loss Assessors Ltd we are Engineers and Building surveyors with 20 years of experience in dealing with these issues. Our first survey is free and we are a no win no fee company.
We will survey the property and try and identify the potential pipework causing the problem. If we think it’s the incoming water mains we will ask that you engage a plumber to test the pipe. They can do this by turning off all water services in the house and then putting a listening devise to the pipe at the kitchen sink. If it is leaking, any damage caused by it is covered. If it’s one of the underground drains, then a CCTV survey will be required. Most of the drain repair companies have cameras. The CCTV survey is generally witnessed by the insurance company Engineer or Loss Adjuster or both. In general, if the pipe is in bad condition along its entire length it could be a problem however in 99% of cases there is one location where the pipe was accidentally damaged or collapsed. Repair of the pipe in these situations as well as any damage is covered.
