Repair clay gullies / groundworks / patio

[Ben Lawers]

Hello all,

I’m looking to sort out the self-inflicted mess outside my back door and lay a patio. I haven’t done groundworks before but I think I’m handy enough to do this with a bit of expert guidance.

I lifted about 24 sq m of concrete from outside our back door with a view to levelling and laying stone slabs. In lifting the concrete, I uncovered a broken salt glaze gully – and I slightly damaged another myself. The first one carries grey waste water (from two bathrooms and also downpipe from gutter) and it is currently flowing straight into the earth. There are a couple of other gullies and a rodding eye (I think) from which I haven’t yet removed the surrounding concrete. The gullies aren’t all at the same level (the concrete I’ve removed was not level).

So, I think the first thing I need to do is repair the gullies - to the same level. What’s the best way to go about this? Do I excavate them all, sever them and replace the upper sections with PVC hoppers and plastic couplings? What kinds of these do I need for the gullies I have? (See pics.)

Many thanks in advance,
Ben

 

[blup]

I would dig down to see what waste goes where, and check out the levels. Then design the new system from scratch so that surface water goes to a soakaway and grey water and soil to the main sewer.

 

[Ben Lawers]

Thanks very much for the quick reply, blup. What’s the benefit of segregating the surface water from the grey water if the original configuration is still working well (apart from the damaged gullies)?