Drainage pipe damage... how to repair?

[108pb]

Hi all

Having just joined the forum, I am hoping this is the right place to ask for help...

We have hired a gardener for some landscaping work. Yesterday while he was using his kango to remove some concrete on the floor where we want a gravel path instead he damaged a drainage pipe. I am not sure what pipe it is exactly, but it looks like a major one, being around 4.5" diameter. The hole, which you can see below (the grey stone on the left is the bottom of our outside kitchen/utlity room/bathroom wall), is about 1.5" long and .7" at its widest.



I have 2 questions:

1. The gardener himself claims that the hole was already there. This seems extremely unlikely to me, since there was a layer of concrete right on top of it (which, when it was poured, would surely have gone into the pipe through the hole), and we haven't had any problems with the drainage in the 2 years we've lived here. Also, the standard of his work in general has generally left a few things to be desired, so I am just not sure he really knows what he's doing. Is there any way that a qualified plumber would be able to assess whether the damage is recent or has been there for a long time? The reason I am asking this is that if a repair is costly, I will try to get some compensation from the gardener if an expert can tell me that the damage is recent.

2. What sort of repair is likely to be needed? Can this sort of thing be patched up or will we need a new pipe?

Thanks very much in advance for your advice!

 

[Dj2]

From the picture, I tend to believe this hole is a result of a sharp object hitting the clay (?) pipe. A close inspection is needed. Call 2-3 plumbers for estimates.

If indeed it was caused by the gardener, don't accept a band aid repair job. If the gardener refuses or doesn't response, sue him.

I would want to replace the pipe. To do that, the pipe has to be exposed all around.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Reach4]

Should the gardener reasonably expect that there might be such a shallow pipe there?

 

[hj]

Unless you, or someone else, told him the pipe was there HOW could he know about it. And, since the pipe is "softer" than the ground he would have punctured it before he even knew it was there. "Sue him"? It would cost a lot more to do that than to just fix the pipe.It is probably a "surface water" drain line and a "band aid" repair will be all that is needed.

 

[Kreemoweet]

Holding a gardener responsible for that damage is ridiculous. The pipe is far too shallow, and should not
have been directly embedded in concrete. Both those practices are prohibited by building codes in the U.S.
The pipe looks like it may be clay, which was once used extensively in this country also, and I can tell you
from direct experience that it is extremely fragile and subject to breakage as shown. Either have it repaired
or better yet, have it replaced with more modern and durable materials.