Council sewer manhole in backyard?

[Homeslice]

Hi people,

I'm newly registered but have been monitoring the chat in here recently and I would appreciate your wisdom on this matter. I haven't been able to find much info elsewhere so I was wondering if anyone here has had experience with council manholes (connecting to the sewer) in the backyard?

I've checked with the council and gave me a map (just for the property) revealing that it cuts across the backyard (as opposed to running under the house), it is 11 meters away from the house, and I am permitted to build anywhere but on top of it. I also asked them is this kind of thing common and they said yes, they're all around the town.

There is enough room to build another dwelling in the remaining land on the other side of the manhole (which is something I might consider further on down the line).

Is this something people generally steer clear of by any means? The worst case scenario I can see is the property I've just bought getting flooded by doodoo, kids trying to lift up the lid and get down there, or bad smells when trying to cook a BBQ.

Any advice much appreciated.

Peace

[AlexL]

If its a public sewer, the council is allowed to access it and do maintenance to it

[learningInProgress]

it will definitely impact you in term of planning to build another building. It will reduce what is possible to be build on your empty land as you need to keep some distance from that pipe or any other requirement.

Potentially it may be a bit complicated to subdivide your land but that depends on the location of that pipe. best to check with surveyors on this.

[Don't believe the Hype]

The rules about building over sewers/storm water will vary by council. There will be someone at council who will be able to provide you with their rules for your specific council. If you don't get any love from council you could talk to a surveyor who works with your local council as they'll know what can/can't be done and what the local council will approve.

We recently looked at building over storm water main and the council was happy for us to do so if we sleeved the pipe (to protect it/increase longevity) and as long as our piles were no closer than 1m (i think) to the pipe and they had to be set deeper than the pipe (to take the load).

We assessed this option and the option to divert the mains which we ended up doing as it was better (and cheaper).

[Davo36]

We assessed this option and the option to divert the mains which we ended up doing as it was better (and cheaper).

So how do you divert a sewer main?

[north shore]

as a safety precaution

I would tell the council you are concerned about the manhole being accessed by kids. One of our properties has a main stormwater pipe with a manhole access, the lid of which every now and again would lift up. They came and fitted a special locking cover to it to prevent it happening again.

[Don't believe the Hype]

So how do you divert a sewer main?

We diverted a storm water, not that hard really. Sewer would be no different as a pipe is a pipe only the contents changes a little.

[Homeslice]

Thanks for the tips people, much appreciated.

I suppose I don't know enough about sewer engineering to go in and buy this place with confidence.

My fear is that something like what is described in the stuff article "Sewage pours into backyards", would happen to me. This guy has had raw sewage pouring out into his backyard from an overflowing manhole, periodically, for more than 20 years! (Sorry I can't post the link until I make at 10 posts).

Council data also indicates that the pipes under this property and four or so adjacent properties have "surface damage", whatever that may be.

So as a newbie to all of this I think I'll steer clear this time.

Cheers

[AlexL]

I think it has its positives and minuses. It is ideal to have a main running across your property if you are looking to subdivide and develop as you need to be able to plumb into these lines to be able to building your house, you just dont want it to be running under your new house. Keep in mind that Since there are hundreds if not thousands of man holes and mains on properties in Auckland/New Zealand, you will be cutting out a significant portion of properties from your search criteria if you were to avoid these completely.

[John the builder]

So as a newbie to all of this I think I'll steer clear this time.

well you have just eliminated 50% of your possible purchases. I agree with the above it is more of an asset than a liability. You can build over a drain it just needs consideration. Try and subdivide where you have to cross a neighbors to get to the same drain (and they wont let you) and you will appreciate the value.

if the sewer blocks then it will come out of your gully traps anyway

[Button]

Any chance you can give a ball park idea of what diverting the pipe cost (1k? 10k? 50k? I have no idea)? I'm facing a similar issue.