Roof drain is flooding inside our kitchen everytime there is heavy rain.

[Jaime C]

So, we’ve been having a problem with our rooftop drainage the last few months. When we get hujan deras, of longer than 20 minutes, it starts to flood our first floor kitchen/first floor area.

We have lived in the house for 8-9 years, did a huge 6 month remodel in 2016. Never had any problems with rain drainage before. Other than a neighbor redirecting their roof drainage onto our top back patio, which we put a quick stop to, a few years back.

A couple of weeks ago we had a plumber come, while my wife was in the US. They had a confident pitch, 300k for the service. Guaranteed. They get to the house, and then try to upsell to a 700k snake or auguring service. We opt for the 300k service. Which seems like it’s just blasting air/water down the pipe to unclog it.

Our house is in Bandung. A street level carport, and the two higher residential floors. My wife's cousin who acts as our driver, and general problem solver decided that the solution to flooding was to cover the patio, rooftop drain with a rubber mat. He just did this on his own.

My wife comes home after flying into Jakarta, goes on the patio, and water is not draining because of the blockage. My wife gets very upset, and just removes the rubber mat, meaning a large amount of water is suddenly draining all at once, resulting in another kitchen/first floor flood.

Tonight it rained again, and more flooding.

Another plumber wants to run an auger down the pipe, at the cost of 70k per meter. I suggested some sort of video inspection borescope or endoscope so we can see what is causing the problem. That doesn’t seem like an option in Bandung with the plumbers we talk to.

We want a quick solution to have the problem fixed correctly. Anyone have a solution they have used here?

 

[Shadrach]

So, we’ve been having a problem with our rooftop drainage the last few months. When we get hujan deras, of longer than 20 minutes, it starts to flood our first floor kitchen/first floor area.

We have lived in the house for 8-9 years, did a huge 6 month remodel in 2016. Never had any problems with rain drainage before. Other than a neighbor redirecting their roof drainage onto our top back patio, which we put a quick stop to, a few years back.

A couple of weeks ago we had a plumber come, while my wife was in the US. They had a confident pitch, 300k for the service. Guaranteed. They get to the house, and then try to upsell to a 700k snake or auguring service. We opt for the 300k service. Which seems like it’s just blasting air/water down the pipe to unclog it.

Our house is in Bandung. A street level carport, and the two higher residential floors. My wife's cousin who acts as our driver, and general problem solver decided that the solution to flooding was to cover the patio, rooftop drain with a rubber mat. He just did this on his own.

My wife comes home after flying into Jakarta, goes on the patio, and water is not draining because of the blockage. My wife gets very upset, and just removes the rubber mat, meaning a large amount of water is suddenly draining all at once, resulting in another kitchen/first floor flood.

Tonight it rained again, and more flooding.

Another plumber wants to run an auger down the pipe, at the cost of 70k per meter. I suggested some sort of video inspection borescope or endoscope so we can see what is causing the problem. That doesn’t seem like an option in Bandung with the plumbers we talk to.

We want a quick solution to have the problem fixed correctly. Anyone have a solution they have used here?

Are there any trees, plants or something growing that might have it's roots clogging the pipe? Good luck!

 

[Jaime C]

Are there any trees, plants or something growing that might have it's roots clogging the pipe? Good luck!

Well, there are no plants anywhere except on the ground floor, which is our carport.

It’s a vertical drain pipe from the roof. The water is coming out of a connector in the kitchen, which is one story lower. The carport, is at street level, one story lower, which is where I think the drainage exits the house.

We tried to get the original plans showing where the drainage pipe goes to the street, but the owner doesn’t have those for the drainage pipe.

 

[Mohammad Yusuf]

Honestly, this sounds like a classic case of partial blockage lower in the vertical drain, probably at or near the exit to the street. Since the water’s backing up and leaking at the kitchen connector, it’s likely hitting resistance below that point. If a video inspection isn’t available, I’d still go with the auger, but ask the plumber to start from the bottom (carport/street exit) and go upward if possible. Gravity will help clear things better that way, especially if the clog is sludge or debris. Also, maybe ask if anyone locally rents or imports borescopes, even a cheap USB endoscope might give a rough visual. Last resort? Temporarily reroute runoff away from the main pipe until it’s resolved, or add a leaf/debris trap up top to minimize build-up.

 

[Jaime C]

Honestly, this sounds like a classic case of partial blockage lower in the vertical drain, probably at or near the exit to the street. Since the water’s backing up and leaking at the kitchen connector, it’s likely hitting resistance below that point. If a video inspection isn’t available, I’d still go with the auger, but ask the plumber to start from the bottom (carport/street exit) and go upward if possible. Gravity will help clear things better that way, especially if the clog is sludge or debris. Also, maybe ask if anyone locally rents or imports borescopes, even a cheap USB endoscope might give a rough visual. Last resort? Temporarily reroute runoff away from the main pipe until it’s resolved, or add a leaf/debris trap up top to minimize build-up.

We were considering buying a boroscope/edoscope and checking it out ourselves. Looking for a 15 meter or longer one, but the price jumps quite a bit after you get above 10m.

I’m not sure how easy it will be to access it from the street entry, but probably that’s the best plan. I know we did have some sort of strainer on the rooftop drain, but not sure if it’s still there.

My wife says the drain tubing is under concrete at the street, so sounds like it’s going to involve some serious labor.

Since our summer vacation is coming up, I want to get this solved.

 

[Jaime C]

Here‘s a picture of the kitchen, where a supplemental connection of the sink connects into the main drain. The water is coming from this pipe and flooding the kitchen after heavy rains.

 

[Shadrach]

Here‘s a picture of the kitchen, where a supplemental connection of the sink connects into the main drain. The water is coming from this pipe and flooding the kitchen after heavy rains.

View attachment 4946

It's probably tree roots affecting the pipes under the concrete! That's the problem with modern plumbing. Everything is put in, then covered up by concrete, stone, drywall, etc! So it's best to do a super good job, before you cover it all up!

 

[Jaime C]

Well the house was originally built about 16 years ago. We’ve only owned it for the last 9 years. Never had a problem before.

The only trees are on the street level.

 

[Shadrach]

Well the house was originally built about 16 years ago. We’ve only owned it for the last 9 years. Never had a problem before.

The only trees are on the street level.

That's where tree roots usually are! Below the trees! The pipes from the kitchen go down to the street level, not up to the roof!. Maybe your pipes are clogged from all your hair, fats, soaps, detergents, rubbish that shouldn't have washed down the drain!

 

[centurion]

So, we’ve been having a problem with our rooftop drainage the last few months. When we get hujan deras, of longer than 20 minutes, it starts to flood our first floor kitchen/first floor area.

The rain drain pipe should be separated from house sewerage system, and has to go directly outside the house, via house walls. Pipes for rain drainage should not go trough any walls.

 

[jstar]

Ya that separation of rain and waste water is very basic stuff that we even discussed on a previous forum over 10 years ago.

Amazing that you still see that because even in Indonesia that should be well known. And it’s a building regulation in most western countries. And if there are exceptions, it’s the other way around; the rain water enters into pipes of the household system.

Of course over here the rainwater is practically never re-used in the household. And there are no grease traps and they throw everything like cooking oil in the kitchen sink.

Anyway, you could use sodium hydroxide (NaOH) on that horizontal pipe, but it could damage the pipe, PVC doesn’t like the chemical reaction and heat very much. They call it soda api over here.

 

[Shadrach]

Ya that separation of rain and waste water is very basic stuff that we even discussed on a previous forum over 10 years ago.

Amazing that you still see that because even in Indonesia that should be well known. And it’s a building regulation in most western countries. And if there are exceptions, it’s the other way around; the rain water enters into pipes of the household system.

Of course over here the rainwater is practically never re-used in the household. And there are no grease traps and they throw everything like cooking oil in the kitchen sink.

Anyway, you could use sodium hydroxide (NaOH) on that horizontal pipe, but it could damage the pipe, PVC doesn’t like the chemical reaction and heat very much. They call it soda api over here.

Common sense is not in the language here!

 

[macvert]

Jamie, I can't see the whole of that flexi pipe but it looks as though it hasn't got an S trap, if so I would suggest using electrical tape or the like to form 1. I know this has nothing to do with your original problem, just saying. Also when you get the original problem sorted, stuff something in the pipe & around the flexi pipe to stop cockroaches or whatever, same as the function of an S trap. Good luck.

 

[macvert]

We rented a house a few years ago & straight off the neighbour told us the septic tank in the house we rented was leaking & making their side of the wall mouldy, the previous tenants had someone dig up the pit & fix it but apparently it was still leaking.

I day the old father next door abused my wife about crapping in the gutter & sure enough, there it was in the gutter right below the outlet of the stormwater pipe.

Some will remember the story I related of baby cobras & a decent sized Javanese Keelback entering the house through the bathroom floor waste due to there obviously being no S or P trap under the floor & the grate just sitting looselyin the recess with no way to lock it, that problem had been rectified with a decent sized river stone.

Anyway, I asked the wife to watch the stormwater outlet while I went around the house flushing toilets & turning taps on & off 1 at a time, it turned out the upstairs toilet, downstairs basin, kitchen sink & downstairs bathroom floor waste were all connected to an unused stormwater pipe & flowing into the gutter out front.

The builders had put stormwater pipes on both sides of the house but had not used the one in question because there were no roof gutters, downpipes or any external access to it on that side of the house & whoever had connected the plumbing had picked up that unused stormwater pipe instead of the sewer pipe. Fixing it could have meant ripping up the concrete floor of the downstairs bathroom so we simply asked the girls whose bedrooms were upstairs to stop using it for no. 2's but letting them use it of a night for no.1's

I went next door & spoke to the son with whom we were on quite friendly terms & told him my wife wasn't exactly in raptures over what his father had implied to which he said he would speak to him. I then told him what I had discovered about the pipes but he went quiet & didn't really want to know, seemed he was rather attached to his theory about why there had been crap in the gutter & why their wall was mouldy.

 

[jstar]

seemed he was rather attached his theory about why there had been crap in the gutter & why their wall was mouldy.

He will tell that for years at family parties and dinners; tetanga saya jorok.

 

[Shadrach]

We rented a house a few years ago & straight off the neighbour told us the septic tank in the house we rented was leaking & making their side of the wall mouldy, the previous tenants had someone dig up the pit & fix it but apparently it was still leaking.

I day the old father next door abused my wife about crapping in the gutter & sure enough, there it was in the gutter right below the outlet of the stormwater pipe.

Some will remember the story I related of baby cobras & a decent sized Javanese Keelback entering the house through the bathroom floor waste due to there obviously being no S or P trap under the floor & the grate just sitting looselyin the recess with no way to lock it, that problem had been rectified with a decent sized river stone.

Anyway, I asked the wife to watch the stormwater outlet while I went around the house flushing toilets & turning taps on & off 1 at a time, it turned out the upstairs toilet, downstairs basin, kitchen sink & downstairs bathroom floor waste were all connected to an unused stormwater pipe & flowing into the gutter out front.

The builders had put stormwater pipes on both sides of the house but had not used the one in question because there were no roof gutters, downpipes or any external access to it on that side of the house & whoever had connected the plumbing had picked up that unused stormwater pipe instead of the sewer pipe. Fixing it could have meant ripping up the concrete floor of the downstairs bathroom so we simply asked the girls whose bedrooms were upstairs to stop using it for no. 2's but letting them use it of a night for no.1's

I went next door & spoke to the son with whom we were on quite friendly terms & told him my wife wasn't exactly in raptures over what his father had implied to which he said he would speak to him. I then told him what I had discovered about the pipes but he went quiet & didn't really want to know, seemed he was rather attached his theory about why there had been crap in the gutter & why their wall was mouldy.

This is where Government regulations come in. Before anything can be approved. It must be inspected! Just look at the steps in Indonesia. They are all different heights! Some almost half a meter high! At my place, all the walls painted with regular house paint directly on the concrete walls. So without being painted with a waterproof paint sealer first. All the paint in every room is bubbling off and falling to the floor!
Is this Stupidity, or Laziness, or being cheap, or all the above? And what's with houses built with only maybe two tiny windows, high up on the wall, of a room? And they don't open, so there's absolutely no ventilation in the room? Don't People like a view? Or a nice breeze coming in the room? I guess the smell of mold must be no problem here!

 

[Jaime C]

The rain drain pipe should be separated from house sewerage system, and has to go directly outside the house, via house walls. Pipes for rain drainage should not go trough any walls.

Unfortunately we didn’t build or design the house. The septic system is separate from roof/kitchen sink drainage.

We do have S traps in the new bathroom sinks we put in during the remodeling. We did very little remodeling in the kitchen. Certainly looks like a straight pipe offshoot of the roof drain.

At the time the house was originally built (2009/2010), there were empty lots on both sides. When we purchased/remodeled in 2016, there was one adjacent house totally built, and another had just started building.

 

[Nicho]

This is where Government regulations come in. Before anything can be approved. It must be inspected! Just look at the steps in Indonesia. They are all different heights! Some almost half a meter high! At my place, all the walls painted with regular house paint directly on the concrete walls. So without being painted with a waterproof paint sealer first. All the paint in every room is bubbling off and falling to the floor!
Is this Stupidity, or Laziness, or being cheap, or all the above? And what's with houses built with only maybe two tiny windows, high up on the wall, of a room? And they don't open, so there's absolutely no ventilation in the room? Don't People like a view? Or a nice breeze coming in the room? I guess the smell of mold must be no problem here!

All the above . Did major renovations 9 years ago , all the new walls were painted within a day or two of rendering , not allowed to cure/dry and weren't sealed before painting . Yes the paint all bubbled , cracked etc . And they have a habit of mixing calcium powder with the plaster when finishing new cement walls . The calcium reacts with any moisture in the cement causing the plaster to swell and fall away from the wall . No sarking . weather proof sheeting under the new section of tiled roof , leaked like a sieve . Even had to show them how to hang guttering and explain why it needed to be lower at the drain end !! As for government regulations , no such thing in most of the outlying villages . Not even a visit from the Kepala Desa' s office . Most of the builders are self taught ex fisherman who all call themselves architects . The guy I had couldn't even understand the detailed plans I had drawn up .

 

[merahputih]

At my place, all the walls painted with regular house paint directly on the concrete walls. So without being painted with a waterproof paint sealer first. All the paint in every room is bubbling off and falling to the floor!
Is this Stupidity, or Laziness, or being cheap, or all the above? And what's with houses built with only maybe two tiny windows, high up on the wall, of a room? And they don't open, so there's absolutely no ventilation in the room? Don't People like a view? Or a nice breeze coming in the room? I guess the smell of mold must be no problem here!

It's poverty.
Maybe there are more than 4 people in the family and they need bigger/more rooms. Combine that with small budget, they do what they think is (momentarily) acceptable in a hope they can renovate it in the future.
Poor quality on cement mixture of building structure & wall and no damp proof course can also cause bubble on wall paint.
People choose to save budget on cement and paint the wall because their neighbour will say that the house is "not finished yet" if they let the wall bare, the same comment from people that don't get what Industrial style is.
Why tiny fixed window? In short, limited budget.

• the bigger the window, the thicker/double/triple glass, the more expensive.
• if it's a bedroom, no opening on the side, the room facing the street, privacy. Indonesian people are curious about their neighbour and owner of the house want to avoid any peeping occasion, even it's actually just a glance. If the window is somewhat bigger, they also need to buy curtain, more expenses. Either they have something nice or ugly in their room, they don't want to show it. If it's nice, they are afraid of thief and burglar. If it's ugly neighbour will gossip.
• the street is so busy & polluted, they want to keep the dust outside.
• they are afraid that cat, mouse, rat, snake come inside easily from lower bigger window.

 

[Shadrach]

It's poverty.
Maybe there are more than 4 people in the family and they need bigger/more rooms. Combine that with small budget, they do what they think is (momentarily) acceptable in a hope they can renovate it in the future.
Poor quality on cement mixture of building structure & wall and no damp proof course can also cause bubble on wall paint.
People choose to save budget on cement and paint the wall because their neighbour will say that the house is "not finished yet" if they let the wall bare, the same comment from people that don't get what Industrial style is.
Why tiny fixed window? In short, limited budget.

• the bigger the window, the thicker/double/triple glass, the more expensive.
• if it's a bedroom, no opening on the side, the room facing the street, privacy. Indonesian people are curious about their neighbour and owner of the house want to avoid any peeping occasion, even it's actually just a glance. If the window is somewhat bigger, they also need to buy curtain, more expenses. Either they have something nice or ugly in their room, they don't want to show it. If it's nice, they are afraid of thief and burglar. If it's ugly neighbour will gossip.
• the street is so busy & polluted, they want to keep the dust outside.
• they are afraid that cat, mouse, rat, snake come inside easily from lower bigger window.

I understand all of this, but it's so sad to live in constant fear of your own neighbors, and gossip! And to have an, I'm bankrupt attitude all their lives The People I know here spend so much time, not working, going to ceremonies, and all day preparing offerings for ceremonies they don't have time to work! They even pass up work! This is not how People are supposed to worship their God, by neglecting their own wellbeing over what someone has decided that all of this is for God!
People should not have to live in poverty, while they give so time, labor, and money to their Churches, Temples, Mosques! It's not right children go hungry, receive poor education, and People always buy poor quality food, equipment, while priests wear huge Gold rings, and Temple have Gold painted alters, and doors! Or like Catholic churches, full of Golden statues!
I think its wrong to tell People they will have bad luck, or Karma, and live in Fear, and poverty, if they don't follow this Dogma.
A loving God would want the People to be Happy and take care of their families First!