Drainage and septic tanks
The pitch-fibre pipe at the chamber collar gives under a thumb and was not camera-surveyed. What shape of pipe further along the run was not seen?
The shape of the pipe further along the run was not seen. At the chamber collar the pitch-fibre gives under a thumb, which is a local softness the survey could feel. Beyond that collar the bore was not camera-surveyed, so ovality, flat spots or a sound round pipe are all unseen. The inspection has recorded a soft collar. It has not mapped the run, not declared a collapse, and not cleared the length it could not see. Softness at the start is not a section through the rest.
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.
What is the fuller explanation?
Pitch fibre is a pipe material that can deform as it ages, especially where it is wet or poorly bedded. A thumb at the collar tells you that short piece yields. It does not tell you whether the deformation continues, recovers, or never started further along. Only a camera, or an excavation, would show the shape. The survey did neither. The honest limit is the collar. Everything downstream of it is a guess if you try to describe its shape.
Ask a drainage contractor for a camera survey if you need the shape of the run, and show them the soft collar as the reason, not as the whole answer. Tell the solicitor the survey did not film the pipe. Do not describe the drain as collapsed along its length, or as fine beyond the chamber. The report only records what was seen, and beyond the collar it saw nothing.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Did the pitch fibre give under your thumb only at the collar you could reach?
- Was the run beyond that collar left without a camera survey?
- Have you refused to describe the unseen shape?
What are the typical next steps?
- Treat softness as a collar finding, not a map of the run.
- Do not claim the hidden pipe is round or collapsed.
- Ask for a camera survey if the shape further along must be known.
Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.
Also asked about this
If the chamber is dry, is the rest of the pitch fibre sound?
A dry chamber is a dry chamber. It is not a view of the pipe's shape further along, and there was no camera survey. The collar still gave under a thumb. Dryness does not stiffen the unseen length. The thumb was only at the collar.
Does a soft collar mean every pitch-fibre house has the same defect?
No. This collar gave under a thumb. Another house was not inspected. The survey has not seen the shape further along this run, let alone anyone else's. The finding stays on this collar until a camera shows more. This run is the only subject.