Miller Won't Issue Any Plans To Homeowners

[caravanj]

We moved into our new Miller home on the Brooklands development in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire & we've had a couple of minor problems that were rectified quickly. We're now out of the 2 year warranty period.

A few days ago our downstairs cloak toilet started to struggle to flush so we checked both drainage inspection chambers & they both had about a foot of water. We had a similar problem just after we moved in & the groundworkers found that the blockage was in another property.
Therefore yesterday we asked Millers for a plan of the drain layout but they refused & said they don't issue any plans.
Miller said that we'd have to get a drain survey & inform them of the findings.
Yeah, right, I don't think there's any danger of us paying Dyno Rod to do a drain survey.

FFS Miller, we only want to know where the drains run, not the password to the companies bank accounts!!!

 

[New Build Inspector]

builders wont give you plans

Builders are all the same in not wanting to release plans for houses or drains

It should not be difficult to work out the runs ...have a go yourself , draw it on paper , lift off covers if you have to ( where its not obvious )

There should not be any water at that kind of depth sitting in the pipe

Theres clearly a blockage somewhere

 

[caravanj]

Thanks for your quick reply.

The inspection chambers were full to above the level of the incoming pipes so I initially contacted our local building control & it was they who advised me to contact Miller.
Anyway the good news is that the blockage must have been further along the site because our neighbour heard the sound of sloshing water & saw the water level rise & then disappear in their downstairs cloaks so I've rechecked our inspection chambers & they're completely empty.

I've run water from every point in the house & noted which pipe empties into which of the two inspection chambers & where it exits the chambers & goes in the direction of the main road to the rear of the house.

I assume that the neighbouring houses are interlinked in some way as there are pipes into the inspection chambers that don't carry water from any of the rooms in our house.

Now that the inspection chambers are empty I'll stick the rods down what I think are the interlinking pipes & see if they go into our neighbour's inspection chamber.

 

[Dez]

Yes Persimmons are no different coming up with useless excuses about confidential and copyrights etc its more about just how small your prospective rabbit hutch size is and how much baggage one has to shed getting into the doll houses. Key drainage and utility plans should all be issued and whilst they may not want their layout plans issued they could at least have better details and measurements available in their brochures so customers can work out exactly what fits etc. I find paying quarter of million for a rabbit hutch without any plans is totally out of order and a disgrace. It is probably more defensive when one finds it has not been built to spec for whatever reason that benefits them and not the customer.

 

[caravanj]

Hi Dez,

We can understand Miller not wanting to issue the architect's drawings but we wouldn't have expected the simple question "which way do our drains run to the main sewer?" to be shrouded in any degree of secrecy.

Anyway I've just spent 15 minutes rechecking the inspection chambers & have found that one inlet in one chamber & two inlets in another chamber are blanked off so now we know where each tap, toilet bath & shower drains & the run towards the main sewer, at least until the main pipe exits our boundary.

In the meantime our neighbours heard a gurgling sound & saw the water in their downstairs cloak toilet rising & falling & then disappearing so it seems the blockage was at another property & that they were having it unblocked.

If we'd called out Dyno Rod we'd have spent maybe a couple of hundred quid to sort out a blockage that wasn't on our property.

Hi Makebetterhomes,

I did reply to your post but it hasn't shown up yet.

 

[caravanj]

I do like my 'boys' toys' gadgets so not wanting to miss a golden opportunity I suggeted to my wife that it would be a good idea to purchase a Karcher drain & gutter cleaning kit for our jet washer in case of any future blockages that were within our boundaries & she was all for it & told me to go out & buy one.

It just goes to show that even a blocked drain can have its uses if you have a positive attitude