Drainage and septic tanks
A rodding eye for the extension drain sits inside a cupboard and was not lifted. What of that run was not proved clear?
The extension run served by that rodding eye was not proved clear. The eye sits in a cupboard and the cover was not lifted, so nothing was rodded through it and no camera was put down that branch. The survey records the access point. It does not show that the pipe beyond the eye is open, connected or free of silt. Clearance of that run is unproved. Other drains, if any were seen, are a different length of pipe from this one.
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?
A rodding eye is a capped opening so a drain can be cleared. Leaving the cap down means the bore, the flow and any standing water at that point were not seen. An extension drain can be a branch that joins the older run out of sight. Without lifting the eye, the survey cannot say the branch falls the right way, meets the main drain, or simply stops. The cupboard location explains the limit. It is not a test.
Ask the solicitor for any drain guarantee, CCTV report or building-control note for the extension, and keep those papers separate from this visit. A drainage contractor can lift the eye and rod or camera the branch if you want that run proved. The survey has not done that work and has not called the unseen pipe blocked or clear. Do not tell a lender the extension drain passed.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Was any other access on the extension branch opened?
- Where is that run thought to join the older drain?
- What would a camera need to see before the branch is called clear?
What are the typical next steps?
- Ask the solicitor for any drain report on the extension.
- Have a contractor lift the rodding eye and test that branch.
- Do not describe the unseen run as clear in papers to the lender.
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
Does an indoor rodding eye mean the drain was laid unlawfully?
No. The survey has not judged the legal status of the extension drain. An eye inside a cupboard is an access detail, and this visit did not even lift it. Building-regulations questions about the extension sit with the paperwork your solicitor asks for. The inspection only records that this run was not proved clear.
Can an old receipt for jetting replace the missed test?
No. A receipt shows someone was paid to jet a drain on a date, not that this branch is clear today. The cover stayed down, so the survey has no new evidence from inside the pipe. Keep any receipt with the solicitor, and treat the extension run as still unproved until it is opened and checked.