Hello Everyone ! This winter was brutal here in SW PA ( 20 mins south of Pittsburgh). One morning, I looked outside, and there as a weird black line on the left side of my rear property. I have been told it is a pipe of some sort. I have called the building inspector, town engineer, every utility company possible, "call before you dig" services, etc. It is an uncharted pipe; there is no evidence of it on town maps. I assume it has some warmth in it, since it melted the snow. I must remove it from my yard, because there is subsidence surrounding it. It will continue to sink, and I am concerned about someone catching their foot in the pot holes the pipe has generated, or the teen that mows my lawn hitting it with his mower and becoming injured No one knows what the pipe carries, and I am unable to find anyone to identify contents. Ground penetrating radar experts can simply track the pipe's path, they cant determine contents. The situation gets worse. Across the back of my property going from left to right, there is a ten foot easement that contains public utility lines, with a line pedestal in the left corner. This pipe actually crosses over utility lines. I was told if I remove the pipe and damage utility lines , I may be liable for thousands in damages. The pipe seems to split towards the lower part, with one branch going under my patio, and the other continuing along side my home. I can't figure out why one portion of the pipe drains into the corner of my patio. The pipe curves in the rear, and goes under my fence. I need to know how to clog this pipe so it does not decimate my home's foundation. Any and all suggestions are tremendously appreciated. Thanks so much! Lisa
How to clog an unidentified exterior pipe
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Hi, Reach! Thanks so much for responding. I know it is difficult to tell by my poor quality pictures, but the property drains downwards, into my house, and continues to slope downwards, into the street. My neighbor ( in the back ) is much higher. It could indeed be any of those things, but they would be HIS run off ( and definitely illegal). He has a bathroom in the basement on that side, and I am now wondering if that isnt a sneaky toilet evacuation pipe
. I hate to think of having to take a sample of those contents for analysis ...sigh. Would a french drain generate heat? Thank you for taking the time to respond. LisaI suspect it was put there to try to intercept water flowing on the ground, probably rain water, and move it to a different place.
Rain water in PA flowing downhill to a neighbors yard in PA is probably not illegal as long as the terrain was like that previously, unlike AZ. In AZ, the property owner is required to deal with the water that lands on his property.
Rain water in PA flowing downhill to a neighbors yard in PA is probably not illegal as long as the terrain was like that previously, unlike AZ. In AZ, the property owner is required to deal with the water that lands on his property.
Stuff
Well-Known Member
Whatever it is, it is not very deep if it can melt snow. That split is strange as a wye normally combines drains but your yard slopes up to the back.
How old is the property? Used to be able to dump rainwater in the sewer but then rules changed. So when selling house people had to separate their downspouts and sometimes got overly creative.
Frankly easier to cover in topsoil and ignore. Otherwise you will be digging and causing all kinds of problems. Rat's nest/Pandora's Box come to mind.
How old is the property? Used to be able to dump rainwater in the sewer but then rules changed. So when selling house people had to separate their downspouts and sometimes got overly creative.
Frankly easier to cover in topsoil and ignore. Otherwise you will be digging and causing all kinds of problems. Rat's nest/Pandora's Box come to mind.
WorthFlorida
Clinical Trail on a Cancer Drug Started 1/31/24. ☹
How long have you own this home and is it the first time you ever seen this?
Reach and Stuff all have valid possibilities. But have you ever dug around it in one area to determine the type of pipe. If so what is it color, and size. I would guess its black plastic flexible pipe sometime called funny pipe. Do you have a sump pump for a french drain? If yes where does it drain too? My first guess is what Reach stated, a drain line from a sump pump and it was put all the way in the back of the property to try to drain away from the house. If it dumped right outside the the basement wall, in the winter months with a frozen ground it would flow on top of the frozen ground and work itself to the sidewalk, driveway or road and ice over. Past about 2-3 feet below groundwater does not freeze. Any water even at 32 degrees holds heat. I once had a neighbor who did do this but it dumped down hill near the sidewalk from the house.
Since there seems to be a wye it could be connected to the gutters just as Reach suggested. A connection to your neighbors toilet is doubtful. You would have had evidence of the odors in the warmer months. With a frozen ground any affluent would be bubbling up to the surface when a pump would run at the basement floor of your neighbors.
Reach and Stuff all have valid possibilities. But have you ever dug around it in one area to determine the type of pipe. If so what is it color, and size. I would guess its black plastic flexible pipe sometime called funny pipe. Do you have a sump pump for a french drain? If yes where does it drain too? My first guess is what Reach stated, a drain line from a sump pump and it was put all the way in the back of the property to try to drain away from the house. If it dumped right outside the the basement wall, in the winter months with a frozen ground it would flow on top of the frozen ground and work itself to the sidewalk, driveway or road and ice over. Past about 2-3 feet below groundwater does not freeze. Any water even at 32 degrees holds heat. I once had a neighbor who did do this but it dumped down hill near the sidewalk from the house.
Since there seems to be a wye it could be connected to the gutters just as Reach suggested. A connection to your neighbors toilet is doubtful. You would have had evidence of the odors in the warmer months. With a frozen ground any affluent would be bubbling up to the surface when a pump would run at the basement floor of your neighbors.
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So surface water runs from the back of your lot towards the house.
I would mark the location of the Wye, where the line splits and runs to the patio and dig to see what type of line it is. Since this line appears to be shallow it follows the grade of the yard. If it is carrying run off water I would remove the Wye so water is not running in the pipe to your patio.
Also need to verify sump pump, gutters and other devices are not using the line that is by the patio.
I would mark the location of the Wye, where the line splits and runs to the patio and dig to see what type of line it is. Since this line appears to be shallow it follows the grade of the yard. If it is carrying run off water I would remove the Wye so water is not running in the pipe to your patio.
Also need to verify sump pump, gutters and other devices are not using the line that is by the patio.
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Reach, Stuff, MKS, Worth..You are all so generous with your time and wealth of information. You have helped me to finalize the decision to cover the main portion of the pipe with dirt, and pay to cap the part of the pipe that curves along the fence. I was able to purchase the home for a very low price. The family was in the throes of an extremely bitter divorce, and the wife was determined that her husband would not see a penny from the sale. She had 8 offers on the home, and never replied to the brokers. Oftentimes, they would arrange a viewing, and she would not open the door. When I took over, there were no screens ( a bat was in one bedroom), all the bathrooms leaked, the carpeting was saturated with dog urine, there were 2 wet mattresses in the basement, roof leaks, cracked tile etc, etc. I have installed all new windows, 3 Pella triple pane sliding doors, new wood flooring throughout, all new bathrooms, scraped 14 rooms of wallpaper, replaced the heating, AC, water heater, removed 28 red maples...the list is endless, the project is about 50% complete. This pipe is simply another stumbling block. I will certainly think twice before considering a preforeclosue property again. Thank you all, once again, for your kindness. Lisa
WorthFlorida
Clinical Trail on a Cancer Drug Started 1/31/24. ☹
I would not cap it off. Somthing is feeding water to it and if you do it may back up to your house and maybe the basement. If the pipe worked up to the ground surface it means it was never very deep. Does hurt anything. Just cover it for now with a little dirt or dig under it to bury it a little. Getting your home in order is a higher priority.
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