Information of use/interest to residents is included under the headings below. To view the relevant section, click on the appropriate section heading arranged in alphabetical order.
Ruston Mews has a mains sewer that carries both storm water and effluent in one system that runs up the centre of the mews. The old Victorian sewer was replaced entirely in 1992 by Thames Water with a modern concrete version so the mews has a good main system that is unlikely to need any work for the foreseeable future. Rainwater from the road and the old house down pipes is collected into the central drains of which there are around 6 down the centre of the mews and these empty via traps into the main sewer. A photo of the sewer inspection hatch and main water drain is shown below:
The newer houses have a twin pipe system for rainwater and sewerage that empties into an inspection chamber at the front of the houses in the mews. Two houses share this chamber and there are 10 of these on the north side of the mews for all 20 houses. See a photo of the inspection chamber below:
Most of these chambers are currently rusted shut and need replacing. If access is necessary, the brass holding down bolts can be drilled out and the cover levered off using a crowbar. RMA are looking at getting these inspection hatches replaced at some future date pending discussions with Thames Water who are believed to be responsible for their maintenance and repair.
There are a number of rainwater drains located in front of the new houses that always cause problems because they have for some reason been placed at a high point rather than a low point as is normal. See photo below:
This rainwater drain joins to the main rainwater drain serving the new houses before it enters into the inspection chamber shared between each of the houses. If for any reason this drain becomes blocked, water can back up into the ground floor of the house via the main rainwater drainpipe, so it is imperative that it is kept clear. Builders tend to have a habit of emptying all sorts of rubbish into this drain so if you can stop them from doing this it might save you problems later.
All drainage from the new houses is collected into a small number of final chambers where it then empties via a trap into the main sewer. This inspection hatch for one of these chambers is shown below:
For the old houses on the south side of the mews, rainwater and sewerage is usually collected from within the house at a central chamber under the ground floor and then runs via a single 6 inch pipe out to the sewer. A photo of typical pipe layout is shown below. This was from recent work that was done to one of the old houses. Note that the main sewer was around 2.5 m below the surface.
As with all drains in the mews, please don’t allow anyone to put anything down them that might cause blockages, such as builders waste, soil or other material. RMA is responsible for getting them cleared and it is everyone’s interest that we keep unnecessary charges for this service to a minimum.
Water stop cocks are located on the frontages of the houses. Photos of these are below:
