As a CCTV Drain Survey Specialist in the Birmingham and surrounding areas, we are frequently asked to survey the drains of new build properties. Our clients want peace of mind that the drains are all working as they are designed to, and that there are no sinister issues which could cost them thousands of pounds to put right once the property is out of warranty with either the home developer, or NHBC.
Why should you have a CCTV Drain Survey carried out if the home is brand new?
There are many advantages to buying a new build from not having to worry about any DIY to knowing that for the first couple of years at least, the developer is responsible for fixing anything that goes wrong. While you will get to see your new home at various stages of its build such as first fix, second fix and the new home demo just before you move in, you rarely get to see what's happening underground and do not get a detailed explanation or information in any manuals about how your drainage system works, beyond a warning not to put wet wipes down your toilet. As you can't see it, you cannot satisfy yourself that the drains have been installed correctly and sometimes you won't know if there is a problem until you are out of warranty. While we would all like to believe that the drains have been installed correctly, and to the right standards, as you will see below, this is not always the case.
All private drains are down to the homeowner to maintain until they are shared with neighbours, go out of property boundaries, or join the main public sewers. A CCTV Drain Survey can help you understand your drainage system; from where the drains run, what facilities they are serving in your property and where your inspection chambers are.
As well as helping you to understand how your drainage system works and how you can maintain it yourself, one of the main reasons to have a CCTV Drain Survey carried out is to check if the drains have any defects which could have been there right from the moment they were installed, or that have arisen as a result of the groundwork around the property settling, causing some movement. You may find that either the drains start to lose gradient which leads to drain blockages as waste cannot flow correctly, or joints in the drains start to become displaced or open leading to waste leaking into the surrounding foundations as well as causing groundwork to fall into the drains.
Your initial warranty with the developer only lasts 2 years and after that all claims have to be made via your warranty provider such as NHBC. As they will only usually cover any work that is going to cost above a certain value, It is better to get a survey completed in the first 2 years when it is easier for it to be rectified. Our engineers will provide you with on-site information and can take screenshots and videos of the defects whilst also compiling a report and plan of the drainage system to assist you. This information can then help you get your drainage system fixed whilst your home is still under warranty.
Example of an investigation our team carried out on a New Build Property
Our team were contacted by an unhappy owner of a new build property as they were experiencing smells coming from the kitchen and a waste gully in the garden area. They were now out of their 2 year warranty with the property developers and contacted us to see if the drains required cleaning to get rid of the smell.
On inspecting the drains we found the lines were clear leading upstream from the inspection chamber on the property, but we could not locate the underground drainage system supporting the kitchen or the waste gully. After excavating the area where the waste gully was located, we found that the underground pipework for the kitchen sink, dishwasher and the waste gully were all discharging foul waste into the groundwork right by the foundations of the property and were not connected to the main drainage system to lead foul waste to the main sewer.
If this went unnoticed, overtime this could have caused:
Environment health issues to the homeowners;
Further damage to the foundations of the property such as subsidence;
Extreme costs to resolve the issue if out of warranty with the property developers and NHBC.
The results of our CCTV Drain Survey and subsequent investigations provided the homeowners with the evidence they needed to successfully lodge a claim with NHBC that the drainage system had not been properly installed when their house was built. NHBC then covered the cost for the work required to resolve the issues with the underground drainage.
The homeowner was very happy with the outcome and that the issue was resolved at no cost to her. You can read their review of the work we completed for them on our Facebook page:
“A massive thank you to Craig and team for their thorough investigation work and persistence in finding the horrendous smells coming from our kitchen and patio area. Without them, we could in the future have been left with a house that was unsaleable and unsafe.
Due to their professionalism, the major error in our 6 year old house, would not have been found.
Once again we are eternally grateful for your excellent work
Do not hesitate to use this professional company”
For more reviews from our happy clients please follow links to:
and Checkatrade.
If you want us to provide you with a CCTV Drain survey on your underground drainage system in the Birmingham and surrounding areas then pick up the phone today and give us a call.
Thanks for reading from all of us at the Cofton Drainage & Jetting Services Team