Opening up a burst drain

[valtraman]

i have got a digger for cleaning ditches and repairing burst field tile drains, question is where would u do the first dig to open it up ? Right on top of where bubbling up? Just below it or above it? I've had mixed results digging them up

 

[phillipe]

i have got a digger for cleaning ditches and repairing burst field tile drains, question is where would u do the first dig to open it up ? Right on top of where bubbling up? Just below it or above it? I've had mixed results digging them up

i would try to dig a trench to get the water away or you will be in mud slurry heaven

 

[multi power]

Start just above where it's bubbling up

 

[Lofty1984]

@BAC

 

[kill]

i have got a digger for cleaning ditches and repairing burst field tile drains, question is where would u do the first dig to open it up ? Right on top of where bubbling up? Just below it or above it? I've had mixed results digging them up

Just a little further down the hill from the broken drain but only by a couple of feet and rod up onto it so and pressured water can still run away and you work in a dry area rather than a bleady pond but water will help wash the pipe clean
And also you have a chance of grabbing what's blocked the drain to start with as it's pushed by water or pulled by suction or rods out of the pipe.

 

[Kevtherev]

Just slightly above

 

[Zetor]

Yes just delve straight in ideally with a 2ft bucket with no teeth, once you find the pipe (without damaging it) dig a sump down the side of it to let the water drain into

 

[DrWazzock]

You need to be downstream of the burst by at least a few metres where it's dry then dig down to the drain and rod up to the blockage.

Dont dig anywhere at the burst or upstream of it or will turn into a pissmire very quickly.

 

[Kevtherev]

Usually is a pissmire where ever you dig [emoji85]

 

[parker]

I have just repaired a drain bubbling today, as dr wazzock says dig a couple of metres down stream , then rod down stream first to make sure the drain is clear, then rod upstream to clear the blockage or repair the break

 

[multi power]

Usually is a pissmire where ever you dig [emoji85]

If it wasn't you wouldn't need to be digging there at all

 

[BAC]

You need to be digging down from where the drain is boiling up so you can give yourself an outlet. If you don't have a clear outlet then you will end up with a lot of water in your hole

 

[organicguy]

the problem with digging below the wet patch is that you dont know where the pipe is there because the water will flood with gravity but the pipe may not run the same line.
Dig above where bubbling, find pipe, dig sump, insert rods with ferret finder, locate fault, dig down in quagmire and repair.
Most of my wet patches are drains carrying springs so they move.

 

[BAC]

the problem with digging below the wet patch is that you dont know where the pipe is there because the water will flood with gravity but the pipe may not run the same line.
Dig above where bubbling, find pipe, dig sump, insert rods with ferret finder, locate fault, dig down in quagmire and repair.
Most of my wet patches are drains carrying springs so they move.

That is why you locate the drain with a sonde and tracer.... no point guessing at locations

 

[Matt L]

Dig downstream. Not very common to have a sharp bend or chamber on the drain line. If it's blowing then also look at ground further up stream to see if there are wet spots.
As usual a copy of the drainage plans makes all the difference.

 

[Jon]

I like to go as deep as possible when I find a wet spot.




Sorry.

 

[BAC]

Dig downstream. Not very common to have a sharp bend or chamber on the drain line. If it's blowing then also look at ground further up stream to see if there are wet spots.
As usual a copy of the drainage plans makes all the difference.

Not everyone is as fortunate to have drainage plans and you have to use your brain. You stick to sitting on your gravel cart because if you don't look for a man hole first then your a fool

 

[Matt L]

How much do you actually know about me? Your answer is most likely to be nothing as I'm actually a drainage engineer. I'm one of a team who go out and survey the fields, take soil samples, discuss the problems with our clients and then go back to the office and draw up the scheme to be installed.

I never said there wasn't a manhole, I said it was unlikely and seeing as 90% of the manholes we install are subsurface I suppose you suggest digging up the whole of his field to find it at 800 below GS.

Next time you think your being clever and cutting someone down to size as is your way on this forum instead of agreeing or putting another point across just take a minute and think.

 

[Zetor]

You need to be downstream of the burst by at least a few metres where it's dry then dig down to the drain and rod up to the blockage.

Dont dig anywhere at the burst or upstream of it or will turn into a pissmire very quickly.

Yes that's what I used to do and in an ideal world where you know exactly what's there it works but more often than not I tend to find the problem isn't just as simple as rodding a blocked pipe, it can be a crushed pipe, blocked lateral at the joint, cundy to pipe joint blocked, 2-3 different systems in a field where the old joins the new, or just the pipe running a completely different way than you thought it was, but every area has different systems, different problems.
That's why I prefer to dig directly into the problem [emoji106]

 

[joe soapy]

Looks usefull, also the personel cleaning station